I am in pain after losing my closest friend and colleague. Shaji N. Karun is a filmmaker who is not only the face of Kerala but also of India. I do not know how to react to Shaji's demise. I met him twice two months ago. At that time, he was physically weak, but he was not that weak in official matters. We believed that there should be honesty and justice in whatever kind of film he makes. We believed that only then can a filmmaker be trustworthy. When we were together, we also found time to discuss these things. Although I was older in age, Shaji was my senior at the Pune Film Institute. I joined the institute late.
We have been friends since that time, i.e. since 1973. A friendship that has lasted 52 years. Therefore, the pain and sense of loss caused by his departure is great. I am sad that I could not see him for the last time as he was resting in Mumbai due to fever.