6 months ago
2
The cliched references to Thalassery, a coastal municipality successful Kerala’s Malabar, often centres astir the 3 Cs — cricket, cakes and circus. There is humanities validity to these attributions and successful the 1980s and 1990s, a interaction of notoriety was added excessively owed to a spate of governmental murders.
Often a Thalassery native, conscious of the humor and gore, would notation his spot arsenic Kannur oregon Kozhikode earlier getting much granular and mentioning a colony adjacent to Thalassery. The stigma was existent earlier Sreenivasan became a crutch to thin on. “Oh from Thalassery, you cognize our Sreenivasan’s place,” would beryllium the arrogant refrain.
Renowned Malayalam actor-filmmaker Sreenivasan, passes distant | LIVE Updates
When the originative genius passed distant connected Saturday (December 20, 2025), leaving a good assemblage of celluloid work, the geographical axis betwixt Thalassery and Koothuparambu mislaid its favourite son. Sreenivasan, 69, had a flair for the theatrical from a young age. As a lad, portion keeping ticker for jackals and different animals successful fields increasing Mangalore cucumber and section vegetables, helium would execute skits and regale his friends each night.
Politically alert and inclined towards the arts, Sreenivasan rooted his stories successful villages and marinated them successful earthy humour. Self-deprecatory and often throwing up a contrarian stance, helium was the quintessential Thalasserykaran, alert of the satellite and its foibles. He mined his memories, recovered threads from the lives of his friends and acquaintances, and each this shaped his trade arsenic an actor, writer and director.
The collaborations helium did with directors similar Sathyan Anthikkad, Priyadarshan and Kamal stay classy to this day. He besides forged a kinship with Mammootty and Mohan Lal, and arsenic held a reflector to galore successful the manufacture and would softly chuckle. The screenplays helium did similar the 1 for the evergreen governmental satire Sandesham volition basal the trial of time. To instrumentality a excavation astatine some the Left and centrist parties successful Kerala, done a household drama, needed a spine and Sreenivasan ever had that.
Always secular, Sreenivasan has often said however helium arsenic a Hindu got joined acknowledgment to the wealth lent by a Christian Innocent and a Muslim Mammootty. “Life is conscionable this,” helium would say. Ailing for a portion and leaving for the netherworld from Kochi, his bequest volition present linger done his sons Vineeth and Dhyan. Thalassery has mislaid a jewel, and the Malayalam movie manufacture and fans astatine ample volition miss Sreenivasan’s wit and wisdom.
