Tamil filmmaker K Bhagyaraj died at the age of 73 from a sudden cardiac arrest on June 27. He received full state honours at his funeral, which was attended by politicians and film personalities. On Tuesday evening, his office released a farewell letter in which he spoke about donating his eyes and asked for support for his son, actor Shanthnu Bhagyaraj. The internet, however, is split about the letter. (Also Read: K Bhagyaraj’s son Shanthnu says Vijay ‘anna’ has been by him in joy and grief: ‘You handed taali, knelt by my mother’)
K Bhagyaraj’s emotional farewell letter
On Tuesday evening, Bhagyaraj’s office released his final letter to the public. The two-page letter states that “Happiness comes from making people around you happy.” He wrote that his entire life revolved around receiving immense love from the audience. Thanking fans, mothers who encouraged him and his colleagues, he wrote, “I have kept my eyes alive just for your loving gaze. Please take care of them.”
Further in the letter, Bhagyaraj conveyed his blessings to his son, Shanthnu, asking his fans to do the same. “Henceforth, I wish for your applause to be his blessing,” he wrote, adding that fans have supported him through his life. He also wrote that his donated eyes would symbolically keep watching over them after his death.
In the final part of the letter, Bhagyaraj wrote, “This body was not born to carry any expiry date. This body will go back to the earth or to the fire someday.” He also spoke of how all that’s left after death are ashes, but love is the real treasure one leaves behind. “I’m grateful to the people who loved me, cried for me and respected me throughout the last journey of my life. I will keep living through good movies, screenplays, dialogue and humanity,” wrote the filmmaker.
Fans have mixed feelings about the letter
Fans had varied reactions to Bhagyaraj’s farewell letter. Some wondered why X (formerly Twitter) was showing a ‘made with AI’ tag under it, while others claimed that Shanthnu had written the letter in his father’s name. “Giving the benefit of doubt that these were the words of Bhagyaraj, asked to be published post his demise. I have a larger question – why hasn’t he written about his wife, daughter OR his grand children?!” questioned one X user.
However, other fans showered love on Shanthnu, leaving comments like, “@imKBRshanthnu You deserve all the success bro!! We are there for you,” and “@imKBRshanthnu Work hard bro.. We are here to support always.. Keep trying..” Another reasoned, “He donated his eyes. He might have written this as a letter when signing up for eye donation. Don’t forget he is a script writer.”
Bhagyaraj’s funeral was attended by Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay, Rajinikanth, Suhasini, Radhika Sarathkumar, and others. Shanthnu later penned a note thanking Vijay for his support in both happiness and grief.