I once asked him why he hadn’t written scripts for his sons Vineeth and Dhyan.
‘I made some suggestions about their scripts, and they haven’t discussed their scripts with me after that,’ he said with his trademark laugh.
After making an indelible mark in Malayalam cinema as a scriptwriter, actor, director and producer, Sreenivasan passed into the ages, leaving behind his movies to keep his memories alive.
As I watched him lying still at his home near Tripunithura, where hundreds had lined up for a final glimpse, I searched for that signature smile on his face.
Sreenivasan was truly one of a kind.
In reel and real life, he mostly preferred to see things with a tinge of humour.
He was a true legend, who created magic on screen.
He was also an honest human being, who never minced his words while giving his take on any subject, be it politics, social issues, personal life or movies.
At times, without bothering how others would take it. That landed him in trouble too.
Born in Kannur, Sreenivasan was involved in local theatre from his early days. Later, he studied at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu in Chennai.
Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, who studied at the institute during the same time, remembers Sreenivasan as ‘an amazing actor and a wonderful human being’.
After acting in a few movies, he turned scriptwriter out of compulsion, by his own admission when filmmaker Priyadarshan made him write his first script, Odaruthammava Aalariyam (1984).
Later, Sreenivasan wrote some of the finest scripts for Malayalam cinema and also established his eminence as an actor.
He wrote movies like Gandhinagar 2nd Street, Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu, T P Balagopalan M A, Nadodikkaattu, Vellanakalude Nadu, Varavelpu, Thalayanamanthram, Sandesham, Oru Maravathoor Kanavu, Udayananu Thaaram and Kadha Parayumbol to name a few.
Sreenivasan’s comedies have earned a cult status.
His writing style, dialogues and in-depth emotions are regarded as a reference for filmmakers.
He directed two fabulous movies, Vadakkunokkiyanthram and Chinthavishtayaya Syamala, which earned him several honours, including the Kerala State Film Award and the National Award respectively.
Sreenivasan always dared to call a spade a spade.
He once said the 500 odd movies that he never wrote because they weren’t good was his greatest contribution to cinema!
He derived inspiration from people around him and presented characters that enthralled the audience.
Filmmaker Kamal, with whom Sreenivasan had associated in several projects said, ‘Sreenivasan would observe people in a way only he could.’
In Azhakiya Ravanan, scripted by Sreenivasan and directed by Kamal, Mammootty played an imperious film producer that has now become iconic.
Udayananu Tharam, in which Mohanlal played the struggles of an upcoming filmmaker, mocked the hypocrisies of stardom.
Sreenivasan and Mohanlal played the two iconic characters Dasan and Vijayan in Nadodikkaattu.
The movie, scripted by Sreenivasan and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad, blended real life struggles with comedy in such a fantastic way that they have become a benchmark in Malayalam cinema.
The characters appeared again in Pattanapravesham and Akkareyakkareyakkare later.
Sreenivasan had been accused of being apolitical, especially after his movies like Sandesham, Vellanakalude Naadu, Varavelpu and Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka questioned the role of conventional political parties in modern society.
He vehemently defended this, when I once asked him during an interview for The Hindu.
‘I will explain it in my own way. We live in a highly politicised society. Even then, there were so many things that I never understood about politics. All that I didn’t understand became Sandesham,’ he had said.
Sreenivasan shared his thoughts about his life and career through the series Cheriya Sreeniyum Valiya Lokavum that was telecast on Kairali TV and continues to be extremely popular even today.
His sons Vineeth and Dhyan have made their mark as prominent actors and filmmakers.
It is my privilege to have known Sreenivasan for so many years; interactions with him are golden memories.
I once asked him why he hadn’t written scripts for his sons.
‘I made some suggestions about their scripts, and they haven’t discussed their scripts with me after that,’ he said with his trademark laugh.
That humour will live in our hearts forever.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
