Malayalam actor Sreenivasan: the satirist who made Kerala laugh, think, and remember

It is perhaps a coincidence that curtains have fallen on the iconic filmography of actor, scenarist and director Sreenivasan, spanning nearly half a century, at a time when memes based on his evergreen political satire Sandesham are still circulating widely on social media to interpret the results of the recently held local body polls in Kerala.

In fact, Sandesham has never faded from public memory, even more than three decades after its theatrical release. Every political controversy or election since then has brought the film back into the limelight, especially after the advent of social media and memes. That relevance is unlikely to diminish even in the future, following the demise of its creator.

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Sreenivasan’s most talked-about film came 15 years after he entered the industry as an actor in Manimuzhakkam (1976), directed by P.A. Backer. A diploma holder in acting from the Pune Film Institute, where southern superstar Rajinikanth was a fellow student, Sreenivasan went on to act in notable films such as Mela and Kolangal directed by K.G. George, and Vilkanundu Swapnangal written by literary stalwart M.T. Vasudevan Nair in the 1980s.

Sreenivasan’s association with director Priyadarshan in the 1980s also marked his debut as a writer. While he acted in Priyadarshan’s slapstick debut Poochaykkoru Mookkuthy (1984), he also donned the hat of screenplay writer in the director’s second film Odaruthammava Aalariyam the same year. This marked the beginning of the successful ‘Sreeni-Priyan’ partnership, which for a long time proved to be a safe bet in the Malayalam film industry.

The very next year, Sreenivasan scripted T.P. Balagopalan M.A., directed by Sathyan Anthikkad. The film won the Kerala State Award for Best Actor for Mohanlal. Thus was born an even bigger hit partnership —the ‘Sreeni-Sathyan-Lal’ trio — that dominated Malayalam cinema during the 1980s and 1990s. The trio went on to create two more evergreen classics the same year with Gandhi Nagar Second Street and Sanmanasullavarkku Samadhanam.

From then on, the stardom of Sreenivasan the writer far outweighed that of Sreenivasan the actor, as he churned out hit after hit, including Nadodikkattu, Pattanapravesham, Thalayanamanthram, Varavelppu, Golantharavartha, and many more. In 1989, he made his directorial debut with the iconic Vadakkunokkiyanthram, which he also wrote and in which he played the lead role of a husband consumed by suspicion. His portrayal of Thalathil Dineshan was so convincing that the name entered popular lexicon as a byword for every jealous husband. The film won three Kerala State Awards, including Best Film.

Nearly a decade later, Sreenivasan directed Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala (1998), which won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues. He turned producer with Kadha Parayumbol (2007), directed by M. Mohanan, a poignant story of friendship between two long-lost friends played by Sreenivasan and Mammootty, which moved audiences to tears. Later, he also produced the hit movie Thattathin Marayath directed by his son Vineeth Sreenivasan.

A lesser-known facet of Sreenivasan’s career was his skill as a dubbing artist. He lent his voice to Mammootty in several films, including Mela, and also dubbed for Tamil actor Thyagarajan in Oru Muthassikkadha.