When Sreenivasan’s father watched his first film and never returned to a theatre

KANNUR: “Your son’s film is running at the Lotus Theatre,” a friend told Unni, who had opposed his son entering films from the very beginning. At his friend’s insistence, Unni went to a theatre in Thalassery and watched Ini Aval Urangatte, directed by K.G. George. He saw his son Sreenivasan on screen, playing the role of Sukumaran’s aide. Unni was shocked, as the character appeared to him like that of a pimp.

For a father who had guided his son away from detective novels towards the works of S.K. Pottekkatt and other Malayalam writers, the role was hard to accept. Unni returned from the theatre deeply disturbed, believing that this was the kind of work his son was doing in Madras. After that, he never watched any of Sreenivasan’s films. It was a friend who later told Sreenivasan about his father’s misunderstanding.

Journey to Madras without his father’s knowledge
Unni, a farmer, communist activist, and teacher from Kongatta village in Padiyam panchayat, could not even imagine his son entering the film industry. Sreenivasan, who had an interest in reading and theatre, went for the interview at the Madras Film Institute without informing his father. He borrowed Rs 75 from his friend Suresh Chandran in Wayanad to make the trip.

It was his mother who later informed Unni that Sreenivasan had been selected, but he found it difficult to accept. Unni had dedicated his life to communist ideology and public causes. He was jailed for party activities and lost his job. Court cases pushed the family into financial hardship, forcing them to sell his wife’s gold ornaments. Sreenivasan later wrote that he came to know about his father being a disciplined person and an avid reader only after Pinarayi Vijayan mentioned it.

Institute days in Madras shaped Sreenivasan
Sreenivasan’s time at the Madras Film Institute played a crucial role in shaping him as an artist. Actors Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi were his seniors there. His father did not send him money, and Sreenivasan continued his studies while facing poverty and severe limitations.

At the institute, the Malayalam students were under the guidance of Prabhakaran Sir, who was from his native region. With his support, Sreenivasan managed to settle there and later find a path into cinema. He stayed at Prabhakaran Sir’s house and did script translations and typing work. By participating in discussions on films like Mela and Swapnadanam at K.G. George’s house, he gained a deeper understanding of the finer aspects of filmmaking.