Malayalam cinema is mourning the loss of Sreenivasan, actor and screenwriter, whose partnership with Sathyan Anthikad defined a golden era of humour and social commentary.
Tributes are pouring in from across the Malayalam film industry following the passing of actor and screenwriter Sreenivasan on the morning of December 20. Celebrated for his razor-sharp humour, deeply relatable characters and fearless social commentary, Sreenivasan leaves behind a body of work that shaped generations and helped define a golden era of Malayalam cinema alongside Mohanlal and other stalwarts.
Over the years, in multiple interviews given to 'Mathrubhumi', Sreenivasan and filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad spoke at length about their friendship, cinema and shared worldview. As Malayalam cinema mourns his loss, those conversations offer a poignant window into one of its most defining creative partnerships.
On the sets of his latest directorial 'Hridayapoorvam', veteran filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad reflected on his decades-long association with Sreenivasan. “My long association with Sreenivasan began during our 'TP Balagopalan MA' days. Without him, I would never have made so many good films,” Anthikad said, recalling how their constant discussions and shared observations of society shaped some of Malayalam cinema’s most memorable stories.
Though Sreenivasan was not part of 'Hridayapoorvam', his presence was felt deeply. “When the shoot was in Mulanthuruthy, Sreenivasan came to the location. Mohanlal embraced him, and I saw Lal’s eyes fill up,” Anthikad said, underscoring the emotional bond between the trio who together created some of Malayalam cinema’s most enduring works.
A partnership rooted in ordinary lives
Born and raised in rural Kerala, Sathyan Anthikad and Sreenivasan shared similar beginnings shaped by modest means and everyday Malayali life. They came to Chennai with dreams of cinema, endured years of poverty, and initially worked as ghostwriters for small fees. From those struggles emerged voices that would go on to define an entire cinematic sensibility.
Together, their families now represent a rare phenomenon in Malayalam cinema. Sathyan Anthikad’s sons Akhil and Anoop, and Sreenivasan’s sons Vineeth and Dhyan, together make six directors across two households. When this was once pointed out to them as an unusual distinction, both reportedly looked at each other and laughed.
Anthikad maintained that there was never a conscious effort to push their children into cinema. “Perhaps they learned simply by watching,” he said. Sreenivasan’s response, characteristically sharp, followed quickly: “I never encouraged it.There is a malayalam saying , Ente kanjiyil patta idan njan sammadhikkilla (I wouldn’t dare put cockroaches into my own porridge). And I didn’t want to become a 'Perunthachan' either.”
Humour born from hardship
Their early films together portrayed a generation grappling with unemployment, poverty and wounded pride, yet humour remained their strongest tool. In 'Nadodikkattu', Sreenivasan’s Vijayan turns even the fantasy of a lottery win into irony, reflecting the Malayali ability to laugh through despair.
“There was no job, no proper salary, it was a frustrating time,” Sreenivasan once said. “So we naturally wrote about what we were living through. Pride was also a big issue.” Scenes such as Dasan claiming he “forgot” to buy rice because of pride became enduring metaphors for middle-class struggles.
Politics, too, was inseparable from their cinema. 'Sandesam' emerged as a sharp political satire, though Sreenivasan insisted that politics ran through all their films. “Comedy is most abundant in politics,” he observed. “It just doesn’t seem funny to politicians.”
Anthikad noted that the reason such scenes continue to be shared and revisited decades later is that political behaviour has changed so little. “They know people will laugh, but they still can’t stop themselves,” he said, pointing to how cinema often mirrors reality more accurately than intended.
Also Read | https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/sathyan-anthikad-sreenivasan-cgpavbw4
A voice that refused silence
In later years, both spoke openly about the shrinking space for satire and dissent. Sreenivasan warned of growing censorship not just around religion and caste, but politics itself. Anthikad lamented a shift where filmmakers increasingly chase audience approval instead of leading them.
Yet Sreenivasan never lost his instinct to speak. “The whole world seems to be ruled by mad people,” he once remarked, adding with trademark that it was better for one’s health not to mention names. Silence, he admitted, was easier with the pen, but far harder for the tongue.
With Sreenivasan’s passing, Malayalam cinema has lost one of its most incisive observers and fearless satirists. But his words, scenes and characters continue to live on, quoted, debated and rediscovered, remaining, as many say, a heartbeat that Malayalis will never forget.
Published: 20 Dec 2025, 11:12 am IST
Related Topics
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Disclaimer: Kindly avoid objectionable, derogatory, unlawful and lewd comments, while responding to reports. Such comments are punishable under cyber laws. Please keep away from personal attacks. The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of readers and not that of Mathrubhumi.