‘We shared a strong bond’: Filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad remembers his longtime friend and collaborator Sreenivasan

Veteran filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad is among those who feel a heavy vacuum as actor-director-screenwriter Sreenivasan passed away on Saturday (December 20, 2025), for the duo played what could be termed a lifelong innings that created a space of its own in the Malayalam cinema universe. For over four decades, they kept talking to each other of all and sundry and “cinema happened in between” in Mr. Anthikad’s own words.

They had shared a bond so strong that Mr. Anthikad ran short of words while reacting to the news of Mr. Sreenivasan’s passing. “I’m in a situation where I can’t respond. We have had a strong bond with each other. I used to visit him once in two weeks (since he became ill). I never thought he would leave this soon,” Mr. Anthikad told reporters.

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Mr. Anthikad remembered that Mr. Sreenivasan had told him recently “he has had enough”. “I assured him he would come back,” the filmmaker said. Though he tried to speak something about the evergreen Malayalam satire Sandesham in the context of the recent local body elections in Kerala, Mr. Anthikad choked on words and could not complete his sentence.

On multiple occasions, Mr. Anthikad had termed his relation with Mr. Sreenivasan ‘special’. “Though I have worked with many scenarists, the bond I share with Sreenivasan is really special. We have constantly remained in touch all along. We always enjoy the time we sit together and develop our scripts through endless discussions. The cinema happens somewhere in between,” Mr. Anthikad said in an earlier interview with The Hindu on the occasion of their reunion with the 2018 film Njan Prakashan for which they collaborated after an interval of 16 years.

Mr. Anthikad has said that the break was a deliberate choice made by both of them on professional grounds. “Sreeni used to jokingly say that I left him when I found scriptwriters like Lohithadas and Reghunath Paleri. The fact is that Sreeni only told me we should take a break as we we had started thinking alike and making similar films. Though we were planning only a hiatus of one or two years, it ended up 16 years,’ he said.

Mr. Anthikad has said that it was always a refreshing experience to work with Mr. Sreenivasan. “I had to work with Sreenivasan to get myself recharged,” he said once.

Mr. Anthikad has remembered that Mr. Sreenivasan’s memory and celebrated sense of humour had only brightened even when his health was deteriorating. “Someone asked him how was his health. Pat came the reply, ‘illness is going well’,” Mr. Anthikad said in a recent interview.

Mr. Anthikad has joined hands with Mr. Sreenivasan for several evergreen Malayalam hits, including TP Balagopalan MA, Nadodikkattu, Gandhinagar 2nd Street, Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu and Sandesham. The films often wrapped everyday struggles and joys of the common people in strong layers of social satire, attracting audience of all sections.