Malayalam cinema stalwart Sreenivasan dies at 69
Veteran Malayalam actor, screenwriter and filmmaker Sreenivasan, one of the most influential creative minds in the industry, died early Saturday. He was 69.
He passed away at the Tripunithura Taluk Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment for age-related ailments and other health complications for a prolonged period.
Over a career spanning nearly five decades, Sreenivasan left a deep imprint on Malayalam cinema, redefining popular storytelling through incisive humour, social satire and an acute understanding of everyday life. As an actor, he appeared in close to 225 films, excelling both as a comedian and as a leading man, often portraying the flawed, conflicted everyman with rare authenticity.
His most lasting impact, however, came as a screenwriter. Sreenivasan penned several of Malayalam cinema’s most enduring films, including Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam, TP Balagopalan MA, Gandhinagar Second Street, Nadodikkattu, Thalayana Manthram, Golanthara Vartha, Champakulam Thachan, Varavelpu, Udayananu Tharam, Mazhayethum Munpe, Azhakiya Ravanan, Oru Maravathoor Kanavu, Ayal Kadha Ezhuthukayanu, Kadha Parayumbol and Njan Prakashan. These works combined mainstream appeal with sharp commentary on middle-class anxieties, bureaucracy, hypocrisy and changing social values.
Among his most influential films was the 1991 political satire Sandesham, widely regarded as a landmark for its unsparing critique of political opportunism and ideological rigidity.
As a director, he displayed similar sensitivity and control, with films such as Vadakkunokkiyanthram and Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala earning State and National Film Awards.
Sreenivasan is survived by his wife, Vimala, and sons Vineeth Sreenivasan, a filmmaker, actor and singer, and Dhyan Sreenivasan, an actor.
Tributes and condolences poured in from across the film fraternity and beyond, marking the passing of a voice that combined wit, warmth and moral clarity in equal measure.
