Chennai: Well-known Tamil actress Vijayalakshmi has now written a heart-touching tribute to the late Actor Abhinay who died at the young age of 44 On Monday he said he was happy for them that their struggle was over.
Writing a long post on her Instagram page, the actress recalled the only time she worked with the actor Abhinay. He said, “After ‘Chennai 28’, I did a national ad for Worldspace Satellite Radio. It was a big thing at that time. I did it with Abhinay, who was the No. 1 face in the advertising world. The ad was about a newly married Tamil couple.”
Also read: Abhinay Kinger passes away at 44: Everything you need to know about the ‘Thuluvadho Ilamai’ actor and Dhanush’s co-star
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Describing the ad as emotional, Vijayalakshmi said that she shot for four days while staying in a service apartment in Delhi.
“Every evening, the North Indian parties would leave us,” said Vijayalakshmi, who further revealed that she was not the strong person she was before and now. “I was a timid girl, afraid of strangers, shy, yet understanding my place in the world,” she explained, adding that it was therefore a culture shock for her when the crew asked her to live with a man she barely knew.
She recalled, “I was already in love with Firoz and was too scared to tell him that I was living alone with a man. So I didn’t do it. The stress of it was too difficult to bear. But Abhinay… was a gentleman. Well-mannered, kind and incredibly professional. You don’t even have to mention his screen presence. He looked effortless in every frame.”
She said that during this period, she would see him sitting alone and drinking alcohol every night after the shooting. She wrote, “I would sometimes peek out of his room to see if he was still there. He was always there, finishing a bottle, lost in thought. It was overwhelming to see someone so young, quietly drinking.”
After this Vijayalakshmi mentioned the conversation she had with him on the last day. “… There was a question that was flashing inside me, which I had promised myself not to ask. And yet, it came out effortlessly. “Why do you drink so much?” “You are young, successful, doing well… Why such a habit?,” the actress asked Abhinaya.
“That’s when he opened up. He talked about his life, his responsibilities, his mother and the burden of being the provider. He talked about the pressure, the pain, the loneliness. I didn’t say a word. I just listened. For two hours!! I let him empty his heart until he was exhausted, and almost silent. The next day at the airport, it was time to say goodbye. He looked at me and said.. ‘No one has ever heard my pain like this before. Thank you, Viji. No. God has created girls like you. Let me know. I laughed loudly and hugged him. That was the last time I saw him,” she recalled.
Finally, she said, “Today… when I heard he passed away… I cried, but not the sad kind of tears. I was strangely happy for him. Glad his struggle was over, that he could finally find peace. I didn’t say RIP. I said, “Have a big party, buddy.” Because this time, I knew… he wasn’t drinking to numb the pain. He was drinking for freedom.”