22 December,2025 07:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Prithviraj and Supriya Menon
Veteran Malayalam actor-filmmaker Sreenivasan passed away on Saturday, December 20. He was 69. His death came as a shock to admirers across the country, with several dignitaries from the film fraternity arriving to pay their last respects. Multiple visuals from Sreenivasan's funeral and last rites went viral on social media. Amid this, actor Prithviraj Sukumaran's wife, Supriya Menon, who is also a producer, strongly called out those clicking pictures and documenting every moment of grief.
On Sunday, Supriya took to her Instagram Stories to express her anguish over how Sreenivasan's family was denied the space to mourn, surrounded by cameras and mobile phones. "Grief is such a personal emotion. To see a grieving family not have any space to mourn their beloved is so tragic. Multitudes of cameras\mobile phones everywhere. Selfie takers in the corners, people pointing to the actors walking in. Many of whom are mourning their beloved colleague," she wrote.
She further urged people to reflect and show respect to the departed and their loved ones. "Don't the dead & the living they leave behind deserve better? What a spectacle every moment of life has become...Cannot imagine the pain of the family who are in the midst of this tragedy. Shouldn't we self reflect & course correct? How much coverage is too much? Do we need to crowd around the last rites beaming it for everyone to see ... a broken down family, trying to say goodbye to their Beloved."
Sreenivasan passed away at a private hospital on Saturday morning, according to film industry sources. He had been admitted to a hospital in Tripunithura on Friday night following prolonged illness. As news of his demise spread, fans and colleagues mourned the loss, with condolences pouring in from across the country.
Born on April 6, 1956, in Patyam near Thalassery in Kerala's Kannur district, Sreenivasan emerged as one of the most influential voices in Malayalam cinema, celebrated for blending sharp social satire with accessible storytelling. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, he acted in more than 225 films and wrote several landmark screenplays.
He made his acting debut in P. A. Backer's Manimuzhakkam in 1976, with his first lead role in Sanghaganam (1979). He was formally trained at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu in Chennai. Beyond acting and writing, Sreenivasan was also a producer and co-produced Katha Parayumpol and Thattathin Marayathu under Lumiere Film Company with actor Mukesh.
His writing credits include classics such as Odaruthammava Aalariyam, Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam, Gandhinagar 2nd Street, Katha Parayumpol, and Njan Prakashan. He received several honours during his career, including a National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards South, and six Kerala State Film Awards.
