“I Never Felt He Would Go”: Sathyan Anthikad Turns Emotional Recalling Sreenivasan

Kochi: Veteran filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad was visibly emotional on Saturday while reacting to the death of his close friend and longtime collaborator Sreenivasan, and was unable to complete his statement to the media.

Speaking briefly after news of Sreenivasan’s passing emerged, Sathyan Anthikad recalled their recent interactions and said he never believed the end was near. “I never felt that he would go,” he said, struggling to hold back tears. “I would always try to keep him charged. Once every two weeks, I would go to his house and sit there from morning till evening.” He added that even during his illness, Sreenivasan’s clarity of thought and sharp intellect remained intact.

Recalling their last conversation, the director said Sreenivasan had expressed a sense of resignation. “The last time we met, he said he felt it was enough. I told him there was no point in thinking that way and that we could still come back,” he said. Overcome with emotion, Sathyan Anthikad paused mid-sentence, his eyes welling up, and quietly walked away without continuing.

The Sreenivasan–Sathyan Anthikad collaboration is regarded as one of the most influential partnerships in Malayalam cinema. They first worked together in 1986 on T P Balagopalan MA, a film that marked a major milestone in Malayalam film history. Mohanlal won his first Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film, while Sathyan Anthikad received the award for Best Story.

The duo went on to deliver several critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu, Thalayana Manthram, and Nadodikkattu, which continue to be widely regarded as classics.

Sreenivasan passed away at around 9 am on Saturday at the Thrippunithura Taluk Hospital in Ernakulam. He had been undergoing treatment for multiple ailments for some time.