Actor Jagathy Sreekumar was seen in the company of his colleagues at a cinema venue yesterday after a long gap since he met with an accident and was confined to his home nearly five years back.
Along with yesteryear heroine Sheela, he unveiled a visual installation, Designer’s Attic portraying Malayalam cinema’s journey so far at the 21st edition of the prestigious International Film Festival of Kerala that opened here on Friday.
He listened patiently to speakers, smiling all through, and left the venue later, wishing his elated fans and colleagues, as he has not regained the ability to speak despite extensive rehabilitation therapy at Vellore.
Besides Shyamaprasad, T V Chandran and P T Kunhumohamed, the audience included leading directors of commercially successful movies like Siby Malayil, Kamal, B Unnikrishnan and Lal Jose.
The 64-year-old actor of more than 1,500 films met with the accident near Kozhikode on March 10, 2012, and he has not regained his faculties since then, even after prolonged treatment for brain injuries. He however, recognises people and enjoys music.
Recently, a video posted on Facebook by his longtime friend, actor-singer-director Balachandra Menon, showed him enjoying a song .
Jagathy, as he is popularly known, was admitted to the Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) in Kozhikode, after the midnight accident on the national highway near the Calicut University. He underwent multiple surgeries.
He was later shifted to the Christian Medical College in Vellore in Tamil Nadu where he was admitted for rehabilitation therapy after a month-long treatment at the MIMS.
He was brought home from Vellore in March 2013 and has since then been undergoing continued therapy to regain his faculties assisted by expert doctors at the Sree
Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences.
The wheelchair-bound actor still cannot move independently though he has made considerable improvements.
He was part of the winning formula of the popular Malayalam films at the time of the accident, shuttling from one location to another.
In 2011 alone, of the 70 Malayalam films that were released, he acted in 24. Television channels use his film clippings to improve their ratings as he remains hugely popular as a comedian.
Jagathy Sreekumar speaks to Sheela, as filmmaker IV Sasi looks on at the IFFK venue.
