Sreenivasan’s last rites held in Kochi with full state honours

Sreenivasan’s residence in Kandanad, near Tripunithura, swarmed with mourners from Sunday morning as people from the movie industry and fans gathered in their thousands to pay their last respects to the veteran actor and writer who passed away on Saturday.

Among those who paid tributes was Tamil actor Suriya, who travelled from Chennai to visit the family. “I am a fan of Sreeni sir. I have followed his work, his writings, and his contributions. I pray for his soul,” Suriya told reporters.

Actor Jagadish, who had worked with Sreenivasan on several films, recalled Sreenivasan writing the script to his second film, Odaruthammava Aalariyam. “That is when our friendship began. For me, he was a friend, brother and mentor. Sreeni is a writer who raised the standards of humour in Malayalam cinema,” he said after paying last respects.

When the body was taken to the pyre, as family members, friends and co-artists broke into tears. Following prayers and rituals, filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad, a close friend and collaborator, placed a pen and paper on Sreenivasan’s body to mark his contributions as a writer. The last rites were performed with a police guard of honour around noon on the premises of the family residence.

One of the most influential writers in Malayalam cinema, Sreenivasan had been suffering from health issues for several years. He was being taken for dialysis to a private hospital in Kochi when his condition worsened. The 69-year-old was immediately moved to the Tripunithura Taluk Hospital, where he breathed his last.

Prominent movie personalities including Prithviraj, Mukesh, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Renji Panicker and Rajasenan, political leaders M V Govindan, V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala paid their last respects.

At a commemorative meeting held later in the day, minister P Prasad, Sathyan Anthikad, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswom, actor-politician Mukesh, and representatives of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) remembered Sreenivasan’s legacy.

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