Sreenivasan: The goat of satire
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: How political was he? Or apolitical for that matter. Veteran writer- actor- director Sreenivasan 's political screenplays traverse mostly through wafer-thin margins of both the political and apolitical, even at times, merging the two. A master storyteller, he succeeded in capturing the subtle hues of the Malayali psyche via his scripts that almost always reflected Kerala society in its entirety, through a career that spanned almost five decades of stellar creative output. As an untiring champion of social satire, political criticism and creator of unadulterated humour, Sreenivasan mirrored the Malayali community of the 70s and 80s, with all its vulnerabilities, pettiness, honesty or the lack of it through his blockbuster scripts. Be it his first Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu , the widely popular trilogy of Nadodikkattu , Pattana Pravesham, Akkkare Akkare Akkare spread over three years, his screenplays encapsulated storylines that never failed to question the societal convictions of the day. Sandesam , one of his most popular screenplays ever, could well be the rebelliousness of a societal spectator, fed up with the existing system. Contrary to popular perception it was not mere Left bashing or revving up anti-Communist sentiments that Sreenivasan often indulged in. The astute political commentator that he was, Sreenivasan preferred to take a bird's eye view at the sore lack of inner political conviction that often runs as a leitmotif through Kerala society, cutting across all classes. Laced with vibrant political undertones, Sreenivasan's scripts often shed light on a wide variety of topics. Who can ever forget the clipped arbitrary hint of threat hidden within Polandinekurich Oraksharam Mindaruth , an evident reference to the setback faced by Communists in Poland. The ease with which he incorporated a slice of international politics into the socio-cultural-political machinations of a Kerala neighbourhood, stands testimony to his brilliance as a scriptwriter. Sreenivasan exposed pretensions of Malayalis through his satirical movies Exposing the Malayali's innate farcical hypocrisy and in-built contempt for anything and everything around him, Sreenivasan zeroed in on the deep-rooted prejudices and complexes of the Malayali psyche. In a way Sreenivasan, whose dialogues have become ingrained in the minds of Malayalis across the globe, created a kaleidoscope of frames that captured the whole of Kerala society's idiosyncrasies back in the day. Be it the Gulf migration of the 80s and 90s, spiralling unemployment, the typical work-shy youth of the times, their intricate social complexities, lack of political conviction...the list seems endless. Sreenivasan chose to tread a path that differed distinctly from many established writers, be it the legendary M T Vasudevan Nair, widely popular T Damodaran, or the mystic Padmarajan. His cinematic scripts chose to turn the searchlights on the shattered hopes and dreamy future aspirations of the burgeoning Malayali middle class. The average Malayali was ever his faithful audience, the ones he took up his pen for. How would an average Malayali remember him? Sreenivasan could well remain as the master of subtle humour for Malayali movie lovers in the years to come. LIFE AND TIMES OF A LEGEND 1956: Born on April 6 at Pattiam near Thalassery, Kannur 1976: Film debut Manimuzhakkam , directed by P A Backer 1977: Enrolled in Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Chennai 1979: First lead role in move Sanghaganam by P A Backer 1984: Debut as writer in Odaruthammava Aalariyam by Priyadarshan. Also married Vimala. 1989: Debut as director with Vadakkunokkiyanthram , which he also wrote himself 1998 - Won national film award for best film on other social issues for Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala Career highlights 1976 Manimuzhakkam 1977 Sneha Yamuna 1980 Mela 1984 Odaruthammava Aalariyam(also writer), Panchavadi Paalam, Akkare 1985 Mutharamkunnu PO (also writer), Punnaram Cholli Cholli (also writer), Aram + Aram Kinnaram (also writer) 1986 T P Balagopalan MA (also writer), Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (also writer), Oru Katha Oru Nunnakatha (also writer), Dheem Tharikida Thom 1987 Nadodikattu (also writer) 1988 Pattanapravesham (also writer) 1991 Sandesam (also writer) 1993 Midhunam (also writer) 1994 Thenmavin Kombath 1996 Kalapani 2003 Kilichundan Mampazham (also writer) 2007 Arabikkatha 2011 Traffic 2018 Njan Prakasan (also writer)
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