Sreenivasan

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Sreenivasan
Born	April 4, 1956 (1956-04-04) (age 52) Kerala,India
Years active	30

Sreenivasan is an acclaimed actor, screenwriter and director in Malayalam cinema, known for his satirical black comedies.

1 Early Life
2 Career
3 Awards
4 Selected Filmography
5 See also

[edit] Early Life

Sreenivasan was born in the small village of Patyam, to the east of Thalassery in northern Kerala in April 4, 1956. His father Unni was a school teacher and a communist, and his mother Lakshmi, a homemaker. He completed his formal education in Government High School, Kathiroor and Pazhassi Raja N.S.S. College. He did a diploma in film acting from the Film Chamber Institute, Madras in 1977 where Rajinikanth was his 1 year senior.

[edit] Career

Sreenivasan entered the film industry in the 1977 P. A. Backer movie Manimuzhakkam after finishing a course in acting from the Film Chamber Institute. In the film institute he was coached by the then vice principal A.Prabhakaran and later gave him a role in his movie Mela. A few movie roles later, he wrote his first film Oodarathuammava Aalariyam in 1984. His most famous movies as actor-writer include Gandhinagar 2nd Street, Nadodikkattu and its two sequels, Vadakku Nokki Yanthram, Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala, Chithram and the 2005 blockbuster Udayananu Tharam.

Much of Sreenivasan's movies depict problems affecting Kerala society, although these are portrayed in a comical manner. Some of these include Nadodikkattu, Sandesham, Vellanakaludey Naadu, and Varavelpu. Mostly satirical in nature, his acrimonious and humorous lines are directed against matters as diverse as Police Brutality, Pulp magazines and unproductive Labour Unions. Excellent characterization, witty (often deadpan) dialogues and self-deprecating humour are trademarks of Sreenivasan movies. His writing very often pokes fun at himself, mostly at his own unglamourous appearances, and have become commonplace in scenes with costar Mohanlal. Some of his popular movies such as Vadakku Nokki Yanthram and Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala not only are thought-provoking but also are fine depictions of human character which elicited critical and public applause. His comedies earned popularity, some of them such as Aram + Aram = Kinnaram and chitram have been successes commercially and have left a big picture in the minds of the people. Sreenivasan is the only Malayalam screenplay and dialogue writer who portrayed North-Keralite slang especially that of Tellicherry - which are usually unique, at times 'weird' apart from being incomprehensible to South- Keralites who generally speak literary Malayalam - in the movies.

Sreenivasan directed two acclaimed Malayalam films - Vadakku Nooki Yanthram and Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala. He appeared in a popular weekly TV show in Kairali TV called Valiya Lokavum Cheriya Sreeniyum (translation: The Big World and the Little Sreeni).His son Vineeth Sreenivasan is a popular singer in Malayalam.

[edit] Awards

Although film award committess in Kerala frequently came under his spit of criticism for the jury's favouritism and incompetence, Sreenivasan won several Kerala State Film Awards.

Kerala State Film Award for Best Story - Sandhesam (1991)
Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay for Mazhayethum Munpe (1995)
Kerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value for Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala (1998),
Kerala State Film Award for Best Film for Vadakku Nooki Yanthram (1989).
Kerala State Film Award Jury's Special mention for the scintillating performance in Thakarachenda (2006)