Noted Malayalam actor-director Sreenivasan died at a private hospital in Kochi on Saturday morning, film industry sources said. He was 69.
He was admitted to the hospital at Tripunithura on Friday night. He passed away this morning.
Sreenivasan, who hails from Kannur, had been staying in Kochi for the past several years.
Over a career spanning nearly five decades, he appeared in more than 225 films. He penned the screenplays of several landmark films, including Odaruthammava Aalariyam, Gandhinagar 2nd Street, Nadodikkattu, Sandesam, Midhunam, Mazhayethum Munpe, Udayananu Tharam, Katha Parayumpol and Njan Prakashan, the latter ranking among the highest-grossing Malayalam films.
Sreenivasan won numerous honours, including a National Film Award and six Kerala State Film Awards, mostly for screenwriting. As a director, he made Vadakkunokkiyanthram (1989) and Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala (1998), both of which earned major state and national awards.
He frequently collaborated with leading directors such as Priyadarshan and Sathyan Anthikad.
Born in Patyam near Thalassery in Kerala, Sreenivasan studied economics before training at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu. He is survived by his sons Vineeth and Dhyan Sreenivasan, both active in Malayalam cinema.