Entertainment Desk
20 December 2025, 12:19 PM IST
Remembering Malayalam legend Sreenivasan. Mohanlal, Kamal Haasan & Mukesh share heartfelt tributes. Discover his wit, storytelling, and impact on cinema. Click for more.
Sreenivasan with Mukesh, Sreenivasan with Mohanlal
“Ellathinum athintethaya samayam undu Dasa”—the iconic dialogue from Nadodikkattu, delivered by Mohanlal to Sreenivasan on screen, perfectly captures the timeless magic of their partnership. Today, as Malayalam cinema mourns the passing of Sreenivasan, the line feels like a tribute to a man whose wit, timing, and storytelling shaped an entire generation of films.
Speaking to Mathrubhumi, Phalke award-winning superstar Mohanlal shared his grief, recalling their years of friendship and work together: “I don’t believe he has left us. Sreeni will live on through his films. Many of my great characters were given to me by Sreenivasan. Malayalis have understood sarcasm, humour, and life through his movies.”
Mohanlal also took to Facebook to share a deeply emotional tribute to his longtime collaborator. Posting a picture of Sreenivasan, Mohanlal wrote, “No one else can express the dreams and broken dreams of the middle class like Sreeni. The characters we created together will last forever, only because of the magic in Sreeni’s writing. Dasan and Vijayan became their own people for every Malayali because of Sreeni’s blessed writing talent. His works were a reflection of society. A beloved person who captured pain in laughter. On screen and in life, we traveled together forever, laughing, having fun, fighting, and getting along like Dasan and Vijayan.”
Actor and CPI(M) MLA Mukesh also paid tribute to his 43-year friendship with Sreenivasan, highlighting his honest, no-nonsense approach to cinema: “He would speak his mind about a script or a movie, no matter who came to him—even a budding writer. Some were even scared to approach him! His questions were always precise, and his insight unmatched.”
Speaking to the media, he remembered Sreenivasan’s frankness and unique laughter. “Even Sreenivasan’s laughter has a uniqueness of its own. I had expressed my wish that we should produce a film together, and that is how the film ‘Katha Parayumpol’ was jointly produced. The moments spent with Sreenivasan are golden moments. Even the criticism in his films was laced with humour,” he said.
Veteran actor Kamal Haasan paid a heartfelt tribute to Sreenivasan, remembering him as an artist who went beyond entertainment.
In a message shared after Sreenivasan’s passing, Kamal Haasan wrote, “Some artists entertain, some enlighten, some provoke. #Sreenivasan did it all, with a smile that carried truth and a laugh that carried responsibility. My respects to a remarkable mind. Deepest condolences to his family and admirers.”
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