*Director Vetrimaran organises memorial service for Late.Vetri Duraisamy on behalf of IIFC*
*Director Vetrimaran’s International Institute of Film and Culture [IIFC] organized a memorial service for Vetri Duraisamy who passed away recently.*
Producer Kalaippuli S Thanu, Director Vetrimaran, his wife Arthi Vetrimaran, Professor Rajanayagam, Ex-Army Major Madankumar, Doctor Vandana, Jagadish and many others participated in the event.
Speaking first, Prof. Rajanayagam said, “In this sad situation at hand, we are obliged to thank Vetri Duraisamy, who was the backbone of this international screen-culture laboratory and one among the two great pillars for IIFC. His death is mourned by his family and I pray that God give them the necessary strength to overcome the loss. Awards should be given to screen students to honor the memory of Vetti Duraisamy.
Speaking after him, producer Kalaippuli S Thanu said, “I am deeply saddened by the death of Vetri Duraisamy. The times I spent with him were the best times in the world. He thanked me again and again that the amount I gave to open this screen and culture lab was a huge help. When I asked him, “When are you going to prepare a story for me?”, he said that he would come to ne with Vetrimaran’s full consent to tell the story of the film. Vetrimaran was acting as his guru with devotion and affection. His father is very close to me and no father should suffer such a tragedy”, he said.
IIFC alumnus Prince said, “If Vetri Duraisamy had not given me this place, this institute would not have come into existence. It is very sad that Vetri Duraisamy, who fulfilled the dreams of many students like me, is no longer with us. As his father said, film students will support them like civil service students.”
Ajith, an IIFC alumnus, said, “He was with us at all times for this lab. He fought for social equality. This is how nature took him. It’s very sad.”
Then Major Madankumar said, “It is a very sad day. The passing away of Vetti Duraisamy is a very sad event. Only a few leave a mark in their lifetime. Like his father, he set up this lab for no commercial purpose with the vision that the common people and students should use it. The tragedy of a father’s son is terrible. And the pain of the family is unacceptable to anyone. I request the students from this lab to dedicate their films to Mr. Vetri Duraisamy,” he said.
Dr. Vandana said, ” He always showered love on me as ‘Akka Akka’ when we spoke. He was a holy soul who accepted all the responsibilities, helped and adopted my pet dog. Such an incident is unbearable for me. He fought back. May his soul rest in peace”, she said.
When Jagadish spoke he said, “Vetri Duraisamy is the person who helped Rajanayakam’s desire to bring socio-economically and politically backward students into the media as a whole, and to turn his dream project into an institution. Vetri Duraisamy is a person who interacts with humanity not only with humans but also with animals and birds. I express my deepest condolences to the family and staff of Saidai Duraisamy,” he said.
Next Aarti Vetrimaran spoke, “We met for the first time in 2012. This IIFC was the reason for traveling with him. He gave this place for IIFC to take classes and put it into practice. He is a very simple person and very approachable. He has been very cooperative. It was only possible for him to bring this company to this level. My deepest condolences to all his family members,” she said.
Finally, director Vetimaaran says, “When he introduced himself in cinema-related places, he introduced himself as my student. But I have learned a lot from him. We had a lot of common interests that we could agree on. Not only do we have a passion for all of them, but also a passion for them.” He is a very sought after man and is an outstanding ‘wild life’ photographer who has already been selected as the best photographer by National Geographic.
An incident like this happened when I was on a related trip. His participation has always been there in every one of my activities. When we decided to create IIFC he not only said that we can implement it here without any hindrance but also showed his continuous interest here. Not everyone can do this kind of relief, not everyone can act with passion on someone else’s dream. His death is unacceptable to anyone, the mind refuses to accept his death. It is in times like these that we take bold steps forward that can sustain us, our society, and those who have left us.
In honor of Vetri Duraisamy, IIFC is considering giving awards to first time filmmakers and ‘Wildlife’ photographers. The passing away of some people takes away half of us, such a passing away is the passing away of Mr. Vetri Duraisamy,” he concluded.
The ‘Remembrance’ event concluded with a group photo.
