Chennai, Nov 11 : Well known Tamil actress Vijayalakshmi has now penned a heart touching tribute to late actor Abhinay who passed away at the young age of 44 on Monday, saying she was happy for him that his struggle was over.

Taking to her Instagram page to pen a long post, the actress recalled the only time she worked with actor Abhinay. She said, "After 'Chennai 28', I did a national commercial for WorldSpace Sattelite Radio. It was a big deal back then. I did it with Abhinay, who was the No.1 face in the ad world. The ad was about a newlywed Tamil couple."

Stating that the ad was a soulful one, Vijayalakshmi said they shot for four days in Delhi, staying in a service apartment.

"Every evening, the north Indian crew would drop us off and leave," said Vijayalakshmi, who went on to disclose that she wasn't the strong person then she was now. "I was a timid girl, scared of strangers, shy, still figuring out my place in the world," she pointed out and added that therefore it came as a cultural shock to her when the crew made her stay with a person she barely knew in an apartment.

"I was already in love with Feroz and terrified to even tell him that I was stayingwith a man alone. So I didn't. The stress of it was too much to handle. But Abhinay... was a gentleman. Well mannered, kind, and incredibly professional. You didn't need to mention his screen presence. He owned every frame effortlessly," she recalled.

Stating that during this period, she would see him sit alone and drink every night after shoot. "I'd peek out of my room sometimes, just to check if he was still there. He was always there, finishing a bottle, lost in thought.It was heavy to watch someone so young drink in silence," she wrote.

Vijayalakshmi then went on to recount a conversation she had with him on the last day. "... There was one question that had been burning in me, one I had promised myself not to ask. And yet, it came out effortlessly. "Why do you drink so much?""You're young, successful, doing well... why this habit?," the actress recalled asking Abhinay.

"That's when he opened up. He spoke about his life, his responsibilities, his mother,and the weight of being the provider. He spoke of the pressure, the pain, the loneliness. I didn't say a word. I just listened. For two hours!!I let him empty his heart until he was tired, and almost peaceful. The next day at the airport, it was time to say goodbye. He looked at me and said.. 'No one ever listened to my pain like that before. Thank you, Viji. Didn't know God made girls like you. Let me know if you have a twin sister.' I burst out laughing and gave him a hug. That was the last time I saw him," she recalled.

Finally, she said, "Today.. when I heard that he had passed away... I cried, but not the sad kind of tears. I was strangely happy for him. happy that his struggle was over, that he finally found peace. I didn't say RIP. I said, "Party big, buddy." Because this time, I knew... he wasn't drinking to numb the pain. he was toasting to freedom."

/IANS