Kochi, Dec 20 (PTI) Actor-filmmaker Sreenivasan, who died on Saturday after a prolonged illness, was a versatile genius and craftsman who successfully blended sharp social criticism, political satire, and insightful thoughts with the dilemmas of common life in his films.
While he was an actor who cemented his place through natural wit and spontaneous comedy, it was the scripts he penned and the two films he directed that placed him in an unparalleled position for decades in Malayalam cinema.
With each of his scripts holding up a mirror to the hypocrisy, vanity, and shallowness of middle-class life and the political landscape, Sreenivasan earned the admiration of many. In fact, he was often called the Bernard Shaw of Malayalam.
The evergreen roles he played, the scripts he penned, and the movies he directed represent a blend of humour, sarcasm, and social commentary that transcends generations, as it resonates deeply with people across time.
Born to a schoolteacher father and a homemaker mother in Pattiam, near Thalassery in the northern Kannur district of Kerala, Sreenivasan had a strong liking for cinema from a very young age.
After completing his graduation, he decided to pursue a career in film and joined the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu in Chennai for formal training.
His journey in the film industry began in 1977 with a role in P A Backer’s ‘Manimuzhakkam’.
From then on, there was no looking back for the genius, who carved out a niche in Malayalam cinema through his multifaceted roles as an actor, scriptwriter, filmmaker, and producer over the last five decades.
Sreenivasan acted in over 220 films, securing a place in the hearts of audiences through his diverse range of characters.
He transformed what some might see as disadvantages — his dark complexion and short stature, which did not conform to the industry’s conventional standards — into his greatest strengths, creating several immortal characters in Malayalam cinema like Appakala in ‘Thenmavin Kombathu’, Maruthu in ‘Oru Maravathoor Kanavu’, and Shanmughan in ‘Megham’.
Although he often played the sidekick to the hero in many films, particularly alongside superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty, Sreenivasan managed to secure an equally significant place in the audience’s affections in most of them.
A handful of his slapstick side roles alongside Mohanlal in films like ‘Pattanapravesham’, ‘Nadodikkattu’, and ‘Akkare Akkare Akkare ‘ are immortal in the minds of movie buffs.
So too are his comical but negative roles, such as the cunning Viswanath in ‘Mukundetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu’, ‘Musa the spy in Kalapani’, and the lustful man with three wives in ‘Kilichundan Mambazham’.
Yet, certain characters played by the legendary actor such as the village goldsmith Thattan Bhaskaran in ‘Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu’, barber Balan in ‘Kathaparayumbol’, and Cuba Mukundan in ‘Arabikkatha’ never failed to bring audiences to tears.
Sreenivasan’s urge to break stereotypes was clearly evident in roles such as the one in the path-breaking movie ‘Passenger’.
His iconic teamwork as actor and scriptwriter with eminent filmmakers like Sathyan Anthikkad and Priyadarshan produced some of the finest and most evergreen films in Malayalam.
A particular classic is the ‘Sathyan Anthikkad’ directed by Sandesham, a sharp political satire written by Sreenivasan, in which he also played a prominent role.
Released in 1991, the film delves deep into the polarised political landscape of Kerala society, exposing how the ideological battle between the Congress and Communist parties divides a family and its wider implications for society.
The two movies directed by Sreenivasan ‘Vadakkunokkiyantram’ (1989), which revolves around a middle-class man with a serious inferiority complex, and ‘Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala’ (1998), which deals with an irresponsible man trapped by ideological conflicts and practical life were widely acclaimed by critics and won state and national awards.
In the Sathyan Anthikkad-directed, Mohanlal-starring film ‘Varavelppu’, Sreenivasan’s script explores the plight of a Gulf returnee trying to become an entrepreneur in his home state. With equal insight, he exposed the drawbacks of the stardom culture gripping Malayalam cinema in Roshan Andrews’s film ‘Udayananu Tharam’.
He also co-produced two hit movies — the Mammootty-starrer ‘Katha Parayumbol’ and ‘Thattathin Marayathu’, which starred Nivin Pauly in the lead role.
The genius also won several honours, including national and state awards, for his contributions as a director, actor, screenplay writer, and producer.
Although he had not been active in cinema for some time due to ill health, Sreenivasan was in the news recently for his endeavours in organic farming.
His critical remarks against allopathic treatment had drawn criticism some time back.
With his passing at the age of 69, it is true to say that no one can easily fill the void left by this versatile craftsman. PTI LGK KH
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