One of South India’s finest film makers – Malayalam actor and screenwriter Sreenivasan passed away today, at the age of 69.
He died at the Thrippunithura Taluk Hospital in the Ernakulam district of Kerala. He had been undergoing treatment for age-related health issues for the past few years. Sreenivasan had undergone a bypass surgery in 2022.
Over a career spanning nearly five decades, he acted in more than 225 films and wrote powerful screenplays loved by generations of Indians. Sreenivasan was a towering figure in Malayalam cinema, renowned for using social satire to critique society.
Sreenivasan’s scripts are celebrated for their incisive wit and satirical edge. He fearlessly critiqued bureaucracy, unemployment, political opportunism, and societal absurdities, weaving these themes seamlessly into engaging narratives. While, as an actor, Sreenivasan often played the “flawed but relatable” common man, caught in everyday moral or social dilemmas. His humour stemmed from the authentic portrayal of middle-class anxieties and hypocrisies. Many of his films, especially the collaborations with directors like Sathyan Anthikad and Priyadarshan, produced cult-classic comedy scenes and dialogues that remain popular.
Admired for his astute social commentaries, Sreenivasan received numerous honours over his career, including a National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards and six Kerala State Film Awards. He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay for Sandesham and Mazhayethum Munpe.
Sreenivasan’s writing credits include iconic films such as Nadodikkattu, Pattanapravesham, Varavelpu, Udayananu Thaaram, Midhunam, Kadha Parayumpol, Odaruthammava Aalariyam, Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam, Gandhinagar 2nd Street and Thalayana Manthram,
He scripted and directed Vadakkunokkiyanthram and Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala. His movie Vadakkunokkiyanthram won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film, while Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala earned the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues.
Sreenivasan was born in Patyam, a village near Thalassery in Kerala to a school teacher father and a homemaker mother. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics and later studied at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Chennai.
He is survived by his wife, Vimala, a retired teacher and his two sons – actors and filmmakers Vineeth Sreenivasan and Dhyan Sreenivasan.
Sreenivasan recently shared that that his passion for sports inspired the names of his sons. His first son, Vineeth, was named after hockey star Vineet Kumar, while his second son, Dhyan, was named after the iconic Dhyan Chand.
(Picture Courtesy: TMDB)
