When I got down the stairs of Amrita Hospital, I felt like one part of me had died. One-half of Siddique-Lal was dead. I visited Siddique a month ago. My mind went blank as I had never seen Siddique in that form before. I have never seen him with a grey beard. He had an oxygen mask, and his lips were bruised. I felt faint. He isn’t someone who breaks down that easily. He is that friend who will be with you when you are down.
We have had our share of fights. In fact, our story discussions invariably end in fights. But if we had two fights, one would set things right and we would agree at that point. That was the strength of our friendship. I won’t get another friend like him. No one in the world will get a friend like him. I am not saying it will be Malayalam cinema’s big loss. I would say Malayalam cinema has lost a great human. He never flared up or spoke ill about anyone. He never touched alcohol and had great control over his life. He used to keep a lot of things inside as he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. He never opened up to anyone. Kept everything inside. Like his illness,” said Lal.
