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Lalitha’s great gift was her ability to use a sideways glance, a lilt in her voice to convey the emotional weight of a scene. Acting is hard enough. Only the most accomplished artist can give an assured performance as a character who remains, through the entire duration of a film, just a voice. As tributes from colleagues and fans poured in for KPAC Lalitha, who died at the age of 74 on Tuesday, it isn’t surprising that the role that was cited most often as evidence of the late Malayalam actor’s prowess was the one she played in Mathilukal (1990). In the Adoor Gopalakrishnan-directed film, based on an autobiographical novel of the same name by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Lalitha played Narayani, the female inmate across the wall of the prison that houses Basheer and who, with him, builds dreams of a future that will never come. By turns flirtatious, yearning and sad, Lalitha’s voice gave Narayani a form that never even needed to be seen by the audience for them to become deeply invested in the love story.
Born Maheshwari Amma, Lalitha started acting when she was still a child. She joined the prominent Left-affiliated drama troupe, Kerala People’s Arts Club, later adopting its initials as part of the new name by which she became known during her prolific film career. She was an audience favourite not only for the seeming effortlessness of her performance in movies such as Spadikam, Sadayam and Amaram (for which she won a National Award), but also for the impeccable comic timing indispensable for films like Vadakkunokkiyanthram and Manichitrathazhu.
Lalitha’s great gift was her ability to use a sideways glance, a lilt in her voice to convey the emotional weight of a scene. It is true that many of the roles that came to her — mother, sister and, later, grandmother — were limited in their conception. But by investing herself in them the way she did, Lalitha ensured that they were far from limited in impact.
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