Long before those who worked behind the camera became familiar names and faces, people knew Sreenivasan as the man who wrote some of the most influential films in Malayalam cinema. Despite his continued presence on screen as an actor with a taste for comedy, Sreenivasan grew a reputation for the scripts he wrote, which touched on the lives of the commoner. In the guise of humour, they'd invariably take generous jibes at the rich and powerful, societal norms, and political structures.
When he passed away from an illness on December 20, much quoted lines from his films, which translated into memes in later years, were once again remembered.
One of Sreenivasan's most quoted political films is one that sends out an apolitical message - Sandesham. The film, made in 1994, directed by Sreenivasan's favourite collaborator, Sathyan Anthikad, is about two brothers of rival political parties giving hell to their family with their many antics and actions. The parties they represent are little camouflaged - Sreenivasan playing the pseudo-Marxist and Jayaram playing his brother, the ambitious Congressman. The exchanges between them appear witty and wise to a clueless old father (Thilakan) who later loses it.
The 'Poland' line that Sreenivasan cracks (Don't you say a word about Poland), the tall philosophies from the Marxist veteran played by Sankaradi are all quoted to this day, in varying contexts.
Sreenivasan's films would often be critical of Leftist structures, especially trade unions -- most notably in TP Balagopalan MA and Varavelpu, both led by Mohanlal as a struggling common man. In Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka, he makes caricatures of local political leaders and strikes, and in Njan Prakasan, he takes a dig at labour in Kerala. Interestingly, in a film he did not write, Arabikkatha, he plays a Communist, tricked by senior members of the party and ending up living the hard life of a Gulf Malayali.
Sreenivasan would also satirise high society lives with stereotypical characters in movies like Gandhinagar 2nd Street and Thalayanamanthram. These, too, are immersed in layers of humour, a method that Sreenivasan had successfully employed to deliver his messages. Hypocrisy is very much part and parcel of life in the worlds he created, and knowingly or not, his ideas would easily impress many a young mind.
Some of his best movies are about the struggles of the youth, which, with his trademark humour, touch you in more ways than one. Nadodikattu, with its two unemployed youths (Mohanlal and Sreenivasan), going through a lot of strange situations to land a job, and Sanmanassullavarku Samadanam about the tussle over the ownership of a home, are beautiful examples. In Midhunam, he goes a step further and makes a satire of the bureaucratic red tape that makes life hard for the small-scale entrepreneur.
Sreenivasan has also turned a critical eye towards his own world of cinema, through much-appreciated films like Udayananu Tharam. A spinoff of that film, Padmasree Bharat Dr Saroj Kumar, even made fun of the superstar culture in Malayalam cinema. The man seemed afraid of little.
In all the years, Sreenivasan directed only two films. In both, he placed himself as the central character who is hugely flawed and made a clown of. Chinthavashitayaya Shyamala has him playing the lazy man who would not take a regular job, and is forced to go on a pilgrimage, after which he refuses to shed his saffron clothes and look after his family. This too has many of his most-quoted lines, like the No-dad-don't-leave line of two kids most humorously delivered. Interestingly, one of the kids would grow up and deliver another crowd-favourite line in Kadha Parayumbol: “I only want to be a kid who pays her fees on time”.
Sreenivasan’s more famous first film - Vadakkunokkiyanthram -- has managed to age well, especially at a time when mental health is seriously discussed. His character Thalathil Dinesan suffers from mental health issues, but not in the traditional way, and goes around suspecting his taller, pretty wife, until things get too ugly.
Perhaps it is his self-deprecating humour, or else it is his seemingly unafraid stances that made Sreenivasan a remarkable figure, among those who agreed or disagreed with him.
