Veteran Malayalam actor, screenwriter, director and producer Sreenivasan, whose partnership with Mohanlal shaped some of Malayalam cinema’s most enduring friendships on screen, died Saturday aged 69. He had been receiving care at his home in Udayamperoor for a prolonged illness and was shifted to a hospital in Thrippunithura after a sudden decline. Doctors confirmed his death on Saturday morning.

Sreenivasan’s ability to write, act and deconstruct male friendship became a defining feature of Malayalam cinema in the 1980s and ’90s – none more iconic than the unemployed wanderers Dasan and Vijayan from ‘Nadodikkattu’. Portrayed by Mohanlal and Sreenivasan, the duo embodied a bond built on irritation, rivalry and quiet affection – friendship presented without sentimentality.

Mohanlal wrote on Facebook, “Sreeni left without saying a word of farewell. I do not know how to contain in words the spiritual bond I shared with him. What we had was far beyond the definition of two people who simply worked together in cinema. Every Malayali felt a similar bond with Sreeni. The Malayali saw his own face in the characters Sreeni created. His own pains and joys, his lacks and anxieties – he saw them on screen through Sreeni. Who else could portray the dreams and heartbreaks of the middle class the way Sreeni did?

The reason the characters we played together remain timeless is the magic in Sreeni’s writing. Dasan and Vijayan became members of every Malayali household only because of Sreeni’s blessed creative brilliance. His creations were reflections of society itself. A beloved soul who etched pain into laughter. On screen and in life, we journeyed like Dasan and Vijayan – laughing, enjoying, arguing, reconciling – always together. I pray that the soul of dear Sreeni rests in eternal peace.”

That on-screen chemistry stood in contrast to a personal relationship that Sreenivasan himself once described as inconsistent. He had publicly acknowledged disagreements and distance. His son, Dhyan, recently indicated that the relationship had eased, noting that Sreenivasan visited the set of Mohanlal’s film Hridayapoorvam and apologised for past grievances. Mohanlal’s reported response – “Leave that Sreeni, no point in talking about it” – signalled a rapprochement.

A widely circulated video from last year showed Mohanlal embracing and kissing a frail Sreenivasan onstage, drawing an emotional response from fans online.

A relationship shadowed by controversy

The rift emerged when Sreenivasan revisited a long-abandoned project associated with Prem Nazir and Mohanlal. He said Nazir wanted to direct a film with Mohanlal in the lead and had even handed over a script. According to Sreenivasan’s recollection, Mohanlal allegedly dismissed the idea, questioning Nazir’s ambitions late in life.

Sreenivasan further claimed that Nazir issued an advance cheque on the day of Mohanlal’s engagement and that the project never progressed before Nazir’s death during the shoot of ‘Varavelpu’.

The tension resurfaced when Sreenivasan referred sarcastically to Mohanlal as a “complete actor”, alluding to an on-air kiss, and acknowledged that the character Saroj Kumar – widely regarded as a parody of Mohanlal – reflected strains in their relationship. He maintained that their dynamic had “never been pleasant” and accused Mohanlal of hypocrisy.

Cinema that endured

Despite public disagreements, the Mohanlal–Sreenivasan partnership produced a remarkable run of films across two decades. Sreenivasan wrote several of Mohanlal’s defining characters, and the pair worked together – as writer and actor, or as co-stars – in more than 15 films that reshaped comedy, class critique and social satire in Malayalam cinema.

Below are some of the prominent titles from the collaboration:

Chandralekha (1997)

Priyadarshan’s comedy-thriller paired Mohanlal and Sreenivasan as childhood friends Appukuttan and Nooru, with Nooru repeatedly dragged into chaos by Appu. The film remains a stress-buster filled with physical comedy and farce.

Kilichundan Maambazham (2003)

A break from their usual camaraderie, the film cast Mohanlal and Sreenivasan as rivals. Mohanlal’s Abdu and Sreenivasan’s Moidutty Hajiyar clash over Amina, played by Soundarya. The romantic comedy remained a crowd-pleaser.

Udayanaanu Thaaram (2005)

Mohanlal played Udayan, an assistant director dreaming of independence, while Sreenivasan appeared as Rajappan – an aspiring actor willing to steal scripts to succeed. The film poked fun at ambition, insecurity and the machinery of stardom.

Nadodikkattu (1987)

Still regarded as their finest collaboration, the Sathyan Anthikad film featured Mohanlal and Sreenivasan as young men who lose their jobs and pursue an impossible Gulf dream, only to be duped and stranded in Tamil Nadu. Their timing turned the satire into a cultural landmark.

Mithunam (1993)

Mohanlal played Sethumadhavan, the sole breadwinner of a large family, with Sreenivasan as Preman – friend, aide and occasional troublemaker. The Priyadarshan-directed drama underscored their instinctive rapport.

Varavelpu (1989)

Directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan, the black comedy skewered Kerala’s union culture and labour politics. Mohanlal, Revathi, Thilakan, Innocent and Sreenivasan anchored a story of bureaucratic sabotage and social decay.

Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (1986)

A social comedy built around a homeowner attempting to evict a tenant, the film relied heavily on Sreenivasan’s anxious house-owner performance to elevate the narrative.

Akkare Akkare Akkare (1990)

Another outing for Dasan and Vijayan, this time on a mission to recover a stolen gold crown. The slapstick-heavy script helped cement Sreenivasan’s comic stature.

Pattanapravesham (1988)

A sequel to Nadodikkattu, Dasan and Vijayan enter CID policing in Tamil Nadu to solve a homicide. It preserved the duo’s comedic rhythm and enhanced their pop-culture status.

Sreenivasan also featured alongside Mohanlal in a long list of other titles, including ‘Mukunthetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu’ (1988), ‘Ayal Kadha Ezhuthukayanu’ (1998), ‘Poochakkoru Mookkuthi’ (1984), ‘Aye Auto’ (1990), ‘Chithram’ (1988), ‘Hello My Dear: Wrong Number’ (1986), ‘Aram + Aram = Kinnaram’ (1985) and ‘His Highness Abdullah’ (1990), among others.