COLUMN:
Spouse's Turn
Preetha
talks about life with the comedian Harisree Asokan
By
Shevlin Sebastian
Photos
by Mithun Vinod
On
April 17, 2012, Preetha went for her first trip abroad with her
husband Harisree Asokan. He was part of a 16-member troupe that was
going to perform in American cities like New York, Chicago, Florida
and Houston. The other members included Kalabhavan Mani, Nadar Shah,
Ranjini Jose, Afsal, and Bhama.
Preetha
helped the women artistes during costume changes and provided
refreshments. At the end of the Houston programme, which was called
'Joke Pot', the show's sponsor, Dr. Freemu Varghese stepped on stage
and said, “One of the artistes has recently celebrated his
25th wedding anniversary. I welcome Harisree Asokan
and Preetha to come on stage.” As they came, a cake was brought in
and placed on a table. The 1500 member audience gave a standing
ovation, and cheered as Harisree and Preetha cut the cake. “I was
completely shocked,” says Preetha. “It was the first time in my
life that I had stepped on a stage. It was a wonderful moment.”
Later,
the couple also went sight-seeing at Universal Studios in Orlando,
Florida. “There was a water ride which
went into Jurassic Park,” says Preetha. “The almost real-life
dinosaurs would jump at us. Both Asokan and I had a good time.”
The
good times began 28 years ago. One day, Preetha was busy
cutting fish at her uncle's home in Palarivattom, Kochi. Suddenly,
the doorbell rang. When Preetha opened the door two men were standing
there. They were Asokan and his elder brother. They had come to see
Preetha because of an arranged marriage proposal. There was nobody in
the house as all the family members had gone for a function.
“I
was not told they were coming,” says Preetha. “So I was not
dressed at all. Asokan later he told me that he liked me immediately.
I also liked him from the beginning, especially his beard. And ever
since our marriage, on February 9, 1987, I have discouraged him from
shaving it.”
After
the marriage, the couple went to live with Asokan's parents, in a
house near the High Court. There were nine children and only two
bedrooms. Most of Asokan’s siblings slept on the floor. “After
our marriage, we were given one bedroom,” says Preetha. “Asokan
would jokingly say, 'Pray hard that my next brother is not going to
marry soon. Otherwise, we will have to give up the room.'”
But,
today, thanks to Asokan's brilliant comic career in Mollywood, they
live in a large villa at Kochi. On a sunny March afternoon, as one
approaches the house, one cannot help but smile to see the name
plate: 'Punjabi House'.
“'Punjabi
House' is one of my husband’s best films,” says Preetha. “It
ran house-full for so many months, and even now people enjoy watching
it on TV. And wherever Asokan goes, in India or abroad, people still
talk about that film. So we, as a family, decided to give that name
to our house. And I believe we have made the right decision, because
visitors always have a smile on their faces when they see it.”
The
family consists of Asokan, Preetha, their two children, Sreekutty and
Arjun and Asokan's mother. The house is abuzz with activity, as
Sreekutty's marriage is coming up. So wedding cards are being
distributed and calls are being made. But Preetha manages to find the
time to talk.
Asked
about her husband's plus points, she says, “Asokan is a loving
person and cares for the family. He buys us a lot of gifts. In fact,
for Valentine's Day, recently, he bought me a diamond ring. For
Asokan's birthday, I will go with my children and buy a gift for him.
For my birthday, they will go and buy a gift. We have a culture of
giving gifts.”
At
home, Asokan insists on a few things. “He always tells us that we
should never waste food, water or electricity,” says Preetha.
“Asokan grew up in very difficult circumstances. He told me there
were times when he did not have anything to eat. So he wants the
children to be grateful for whatever they have.”
As
for his drawbacks, Preetha says, “Asokan gets tense over the
smallest of matters. If he is late for a shoot he will get upset. If
there are some problems on the set, he will get nervous. Then I will
calm him down. He also has a short temper. But then he cools down
quickly. I am used to it now.”
Meanwhile,
whenever any film of Asokan’s is released the family goes to the
theatre to see it. Preetha’s all-time favourites, apart from
‘Punjabi House’, are ‘CID Moosa’,
‘Meesa Madhavan’, ‘Aniathipravu’, and ‘Runway’.
Finally,
when asked to give tips for a successful marriage, Preetha says, “You
may be rich and successful. But if you don’t show love to your
spouse, then it is not possible to have a happy marriage. There will
always be fights between husband and wife. But you must try to end
the problem within a day or two. Otherwise, it could escalate into a
crisis.”
One
way is to go somewhere, take a hotel room, and discuss the issue. “It
always helps when you leave the atmosphere of the house,” says
Preetha. “However, as my husband jokingly says, there is another
way to solve problems in a marriage: don’t get married at all.”
(The
New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)
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