Sreenivasan, veteran Malayalam actor and screenwriter, passes away aged 69

KOCHI: Veteran Malayalam actor and screenwriter Sreenivasan, who made an indelible contribution to Malayalam cinema, passed away on Saturday. He was 69. Sreenivasan passed away at the Ernakulam Tripunithura Taluk Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital this morning after his health deteriorated. He had been under treatment for illness for the past few years.

Born on April 4, 1956, in Pattiam near Thalassery, Sreenivasan completed his studies at Kadirur Government School and Pazhashiraja NSS College. Later, he did his diploma in film acting from the Film Chamber Institute in Madras. Superstar Rajinikanth was his classmate. The films Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala and Vadakkunokkiyanthram, written, directed and acted by Sreenivasan, have won National and State Film Awards.

Sreenivasan is most noted for his collaboration with film directors Sathyan Anthikad and Priyardarshan. This combination gifted an assortment of movies, still regarded as the finest to ever come out of the Malayalam language.

Sreenivasan entered the film industry in 1977 through the film Manimuzhakkam, directed by P. A. Bakkar. In 1984, he wrote the story for the film 'Odaruthammava Aalariyam', which saw the birth of Malayalam's finest ever screenwriters. He is survived by his wife, Vimala. Popular film actors and directors Vineeth Sreenivasan and Dhyan Sreenivasan are his children.

Sreenivasan, also a skilled dubbing artist, lent his voice for Mammootty in the films Vidhachathum Kothichatum, Vilkanundu Swapnaam, Oru Madapravinte Katha, and K.G. George's Mela, and for Tamil actor Thyagarajan in Oru Muthashikatha. Sreenivasan also lent his voice to Sambasivam, who played the lead role in the film Pallamkuzhi.

Sreenivasan is a five-time winner of the State Film Awards. The last time he won the award was in 2007 for the superhit movie Kadha Parayumbol.