Filmmaker Vikram Sugumaran, whose directorial works include the rural drama Madha Yaanai Koottam (2013) and Raavana Kottam (2023), passed away due to cardiac arrest on Monday. He was 47. The director had reportedly experienced severe chest pain as he was returning from Madurai to Chennai after narrating a story to a producer. He was immediately taken to the hospital but could not be saved. Having begun his career working as an assistant to Balu Mahendra, Vikram was also the co-writer of Vetri Maaran’s Aadukalam. He is survived by his wife and children.More than a director, Vikram was a brother to me; I learnt a lot from him: Shanthnu BhagyarajMore than a director, Vikram was a brother to me, and I learnt so much from him. He always told me to do films that were rooted, as only then would people accept me as one of their own. When he designed Raavana Kottam for me, he took me to the deep south of Tamil Nadu, made me stay there and introduced me to the culture of that area. The way he filmed his script and penned dialogues was a learning experience for aspiring directors like me. Vikram was a lonely person and didn’t share a lot and kept things to himself. But I’ve personally seen how casually and happily he could speak. I used to tell him to not take everything to heart and let this side of him out. I feel bad he was struggling alone and not talking to anyone in his last few days. I wish he had called people like me and spoken. His death has been a shock. There was more to him than what the world has seen. I feel bad he left us before making the cinema that he wanted to.He’d narrate a script so beautifully, you’ll be able to visualise the film: Viji ChandrasekharVikram was so hard-working. He approached me for Madha Yaanai Koottam after seeing the poster of my film Aarohanam; he didn’t know who I was back then, but he immediately said, ‘She is my Sevanamma’ (her character in Madha Yaanai Koottam). When he narrated a script, he would explain things so beautifully that you would be able to visualise the film even before he actually made it. He called me excitedly a few weeks ago and said that he wanted to discuss a script with me. I asked him why he was taking long breaks between films, and he said that he was structuring a script.
