Raija Pelli at restaurant Rymy-Eetu’s birthday party on January 5. Matti Matikainen
Reporter and presenter Raija Pelli, 65, belonged to the close circle of the late singer Kika, aka Kirsi Sirén. The singer died in 2005 from an illness.
Movie Gikka! released in the fall of 2022. It is Anna Paavilainen a drama film directed by and starring Sara Melleri.
Pelli has seen the movie.
– First of all, I have to say that Sara Melleri did an amazing role performance. I like it. She was down to micro-expressions and micro-movements… You almost had to pinch yourself sometimes to see if Kirsi had come back to life. There was such skillful work, Pelli praises restaurant Rymy-Eetu at his birthday party.
Criticism of the film
Pelli understands that the film was not intended to be a documentary or a biography. According to him, the film managed to be a kind of insight into a certain period in the singer’s life.
– It had its own good moments. For example, it started exceptionally well. However, there were some moments that I felt were a little misplaced.
– For example, Kirsi’s fate. It was pretty rough. He perished how he perished. The fact that it was made to be understood that it was only caused by alcohol… That side raised me too significantly.
A gimmick in 2003. Sampo Rautamaa
Pelli explains that Kika’s problems started in her rough childhood.
– If you have read the Kikka book that I have written, it will come up well there. Or I have failed, if that red thread is not visible there. His traumatization had already started much earlier. There were completely different reasons for that, says Pelli.
Pelli says that after the release of the film, many people have come to ask him if Kikka was really that hooked. Pelli doesn’t deny that there were moments like that in the singer’s life, but Kika’s life also contained a lot of ups and downs.
– He had a great career. I have to remember that he was a great performer. He died in the middle of another ascent. He had been completely sober for several months. He had strength and a lot of will when it came up. He overcame certain difficulties, Pelli says.
– I was full of energy, just like him. I believed that he would still show, but then fate intervened. There was then an illness that apparently weakened him. Prolonged flu and other things, Pelli adds.
Overall, however, the film gets a positive rating from Pelli. He wouldn’t give the film a full ten, but eight and a half might be fair in his opinion. Despite everything, Pelli considers the film a good film.
Farm
Pelli participated in the 2022 season of the Farmi program. He says that the TV appearance brought with it an avalanche of positive feedback.
– It’s only been a couple of days since a young man stopped me at the Market and said: “You were at the Farm! Why weren’t you there longer?” Well, it wasn’t meant to be, of course, and everything went as it did, but it was a nice experience. I have only received good feedback.
Participating in the program itself was a good experience for Pell. She says that it was wonderful for her to be the “mother” of the group.