Kannur: Actor Sreenivasan, who relentlessly renewed the social and political life of Malayalis by gently mocking himself, has passed away at the age of 75—leaving behind a small joke about himself even in death. Even as Sreenivasan passed away at 75, discussions after his death centred on his age. Except for Mathrubhumi, most media outlets reported his age as 69 and his year of birth as 1956, which led to confusion. As debates intensified on social media, Mathrubhumi undertook efforts to ascertain his real age.

Why miss a chance to be younger?
As discussions continued about news reports stating a younger age at the time of his death, friends once again recalled Sreenivasan’s trademark humour regarding his age.

Some friends had earlier drawn Sreenivasan’s attention to the fact that several personal-information websites had incorrectly recorded his year of birth as 1956. His usual humorous response, they recall, was: “Why miss a chance to be four or five years younger?”
 

As people revisited old reports, it became evident that Sreenivasan had been selected as the Best Actor at the Calicut University Kannur District Regional Youth Festival on November 30, 1970.

Sreenivasan joined Mattannur College on August 14, 1968 for a BA in History and Economics and left the college on March 31, 1971. His classmates, including C Umapathi, former Regional Manager of the North Malabar Gramin Bank, recall that Sreenivasan completed his studies and graduated in 1971.

Friends of the same age from his native village of Kongatta at Pattyam, as well as his classmates from Pazhassi Raja NSS College, Mattannur, were equally surprised as to how a man who was clearly 75 could be reported as 69. There was also a narrative that all other media had reported the correct age and that Mathrubhumi alone had erred.

In November 1970, Sreenivasan and his troupe staged the play Vyroopyangal at the Calicut University Kannur District Regional Youth Festival. A photograph of Sreenivasan as the Best Actor was published in Mathrubhumi on November 30, 1970.

The enquiry eventually led to the discharge certificate issued to Sreenivasan when he graduated from Pazhassi Raja NSS College, Mattannur. According to this document, Srinivasan’s date of birth is May 2, 1950.