| Sathyan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Manuel Sathyaneshan November 9, 1912 Thrikkanapuram, Tirumala, Travancore, British India |
| Died | June 15, 1971 (aged 59) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Resting place | Thiruvananthapuram LMS Compound |
| Occupation | Actor, police inspector, soldier (Viceroy's Commissioned Officer), clerk, school teacher |
| Years active | 1951-1971 |
| Religion | Christian |
| Spouse | Jessy Sathyan |
| Children | Prakash, Sathish, Jeevan |
| Parents | Manuel, Lilly |
Manuel Sathyaneshan Nadar (11 November 1912 - 15 June 1971) commonly known by his stage name Sathyan, was an Indian film actor known for his work in Malayalam cinema. He has won the Kerala State Film Award [1] twice and is renowned for his acting skills.
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Sathyan was born to a Christian family in the village of Aramada, near Thirumala at Thrikkannapuram in Southern Travancore on 9 November 1912 as the first child of Cheruvilakathu Veettil Manuel and Lilly.[2] Sathyan passed the Vidwan exam, equivalent to Master of Arts before joining Saint Joseph's School, Trivandrum as a teacher.[2] After some time, he got job as a clerk in the Kerala Secretariat and worked there for about a year.[2] He joined the army in 1941 and got posted as a Commissioned Officer of the Viceroy of India. He served the British army in Manipur, Burma (now Myanmar) and British Malaya (now Malaysia) during the World War II period.[3] After finishing his term in the army, he returned home and joined the then Travancore State Police as a police inspector. During the communist riots in 1947–1948, Sathyan was the inspector at Alappuzha North Police Station.[4]
Sathyan's entry into the field of acting started during his tenure as the police officer. At that time he acted in several amateur plays[2] and that experience made him more interested in acting. His entry to film industry was accidental. He got introduced to a film musician Sebastian Kunjukunju Bhagavathar during his tenure as Inspector in Alappuzha North Police Station. The musician introduced Sathyan to various film personalities and one producer promised to cast him in a film; however, Sathyan did not get any calls from the producer.[5] Sathyan came to know about a film that Kaumudi Chief Editor K. Balakrishnan was planning. He met Balakrishnan and the latter was impressed by Sathyan. Balakrishnan cast him as the protagonist in the film written and produced by him, titled Thyagaseema. Sathyan resigned from his job with the police to concentrate in acting and shortened his name to Sathyan from Sathyaneshan . However, the film was never released. That was in 1951.[6]
In 1952, Sathyan' first film got released. The film was titled Athmasakhi and it earned him recognition in the industry.[7] Sathyan rose to fame with the legendary Neelakkuyil (1954). The film was also a milestone in Malayalam film history. It was the first film to have an authentic Malayalam story.[8] The film was written by renowned literary figure Uroob and directed by Ramu Karyat-P. Bhaskaran duo. The songs in the film written by P. Bhaskaran and set to tunes by K. Raghavan were superhits. The film became the first Malayalam film to win national recognition when it was awarded the Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus Award). The film's success at the box office raised Sathyan and his co-star Miss Kumari to stardom.[8]
Sathyan's career was influenced by great directors like K. S. Sethumadhavan, A. Vincent and Ramu Karyat. Sathyan's roles in various films directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan like Pappu in Odayil Ninnu, Jayarajan in Daham, Prof. Sreeni in Yakshi(first psychological thriller in malayalam) and the pratogonist in Vazhve Mayam were well appreciated.[5] Sathyan's other major performances include those in Snehaseema, Nair Pidicha Pulival, Mudiyanaya Puthran, Bharya, Sakunthala, Kayamkulam Kochunni, Adimakal and Karakanakadal.[6] His famous title character 'Othenan' in the film "Thacholi Othenan" became highly popular among the masses. His role in "Chemmeen", the poignant love story set against the background of the coast of Alappuzha did not win him the best actor award for the year, but is one of the most popular roles of his career. He acted in over 150 Malayalam films and two Tamil films.[6]
Sathyan won the first Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1969 for the double role in Kadalpalam.
Vazhve Mayam, Anubhavangal Palichakal, Karakanakadal which won high critical acclaim were among his final films. Other releases were Bhikara Nimishankal, Aranazhikaneram & Oru Penninte Katha(as Madhavan Thambi). He was posthumously awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1971 for his performance in Karakanakadal.[6] He was the first superstar in the history of malayalam industry who passed away during the peak period of his career & at the height of popularity (a scenario that would ironically repeat itself nearly a decade later with Jayan).
Sathyan was the first prominent actor to be considered a superstar in malayalam film industry after Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair.[9] During late 1950s & the whole of 1960s, he and Prem Nazir formed a bipolar industry with a considerable number of films starring at least one of them.[10] He won the inaugural Kerala State Film Award for best actor in 1969 & again posthumously in 1971. He is also the most critically acclaimed lead actor in Malayalam cinema due to the originality in performance and his natural acting style.
Film Film Awards:
Sathyan began his acting career at a time when malayalam cinema was in its early stage of development and dominated by actors from the stage with a drama style. During his time, Sathyan introduced and pioneered a realistic behavioural style of film acting which changed the industry forever and has been influencing new age film actors ever since.[12] The roles played by him became popular for their manly characteristics and he had a more masculine screen image in contrast to others like Nazir who had a romantic image. The emphasis on masculinity triggered off by roles played by him would later create a wave of future lead actors with manly screen images.
Below are a few of the most popular & critically praised characters played by Sathyan:[13]
Sathyan National Award: An award instituted by the Sathyan Foundation to honour various persons from the field of cinema.
Sathyan Award: An award instituted by the Kerala Cultural Forum. The award carries a sum of Rs. 10000 and a plaque.
Sathyan Memorial Film Award: An award instituted by the Sathyan Memorial Arts and Sports Club. The award is given in various fields including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Anti-Hero, Best Comedian, Best Newcomer and Best Singers (Male and Female), taking the last year's performances into consideration.
2007