Three decades apart, TP Madhavan’s children come together at his final farewell

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: TP Madhavan, a once-prominent figure in Malayalam cinema, was laid to rest at Shanti Kaavadam after a poignant farewell in Bharat Bhavan. His son, Bollywood director Rajakrishna Menon, arrived to pay his last respects, breaking a thirty-year estrangement that had marked their relationship.

Madhavan had been peacefully resting in a glass cage in the courtyard when Menon arrived, fulfilling a final wish to see his father. The emotional ceremony was attended by Madhavan’s daughter Devika, sisters Mallika and Indira and brother Nagendra Thirukkode, all of whom participated in the last rites.

For the past several years, Madhavan lived at Pathanapuram Gandhi Bhavan, having been taken there by his friend, serial director Prasad Nooranad, after he experienced a fall at an ashram in Haridwar in 2016. Although his siblings sought him out and helped restore his vitality, his children had not visited him during his time there.

In his final days, Madhavan expressed a desire to reconnect with his children, a wish first reported by Kerala Kaumudi while he underwent Ayurvedic treatment in Thiruvananthapuram.

The body was brought to Bharat Bhavan around 3 PM yesterday, where friends and colleagues from the social, political and film communities paid their respects. The emotional send-off was marked by the presence of Punalur Somarajan, the driver of Gandhi Bhavan, along with staff and family members, who bid farewell to Madhavan. He was cremated at 5:30 PM at Shantikavadam, Thycaud.