Born in 1912 in Thiruvananthapuram, Sathyanesan (renamed as Sathyan by producer-director P. Subramanyam) had been through several avatars before he met with his destiny in cinema: he was a clerk in Records Office, a school teacher, a Subedar Major and commissioned officer in the British Army (he fought against the Japanese), a sub-inspector of police in Alappuzha, the epicentre of Communist uprising, and a theatre actor right from his school days.
The multiple roles he played in life, in fact, helped him a lot to bring in a certain earthy worldliness to his acting style. Unlike many others, he never looked phony in any of his roles: whether it be that of school teacher or professor, farmer or uniformed officer, political leader or rowdy, businessman or fisherman, family patriarch or trade unionist, he looked very much real and rooted.
Making his debut with Atmasakhi in 1952, and until his sudden and untimely death in 1971 at the peak of his career, Sathyan essayed roles that were diverse and striking, making him one of the all-time greats in Malayalam cinema.
Sathyan and Prem Nazir constitute the first star-duo in Malayalam cinema, a combination that later seems to find continuity in the Mammootty-Mohanlal pair from the 1980s.
Best of Sathyan
In Neelakkuyil (1954) he was a school master, the typical
harbinger of modernity, who ironically, ditches a Dalit woman and drives
her to death.Neelakkuyil became the first Malayalam film to win national recognition when it was awarded the Rajat Kamal(Silver Lotus)
In Odayil Ninnu, he is a proud and hardworking
rickshaw puller Pappu, who fights a tragic battle not only with the
system but also with his own body, which is ravaged by age and
tuberculosis.
In Kadalppalam, he plays the double role of a patriarchal father and a rebellious son
For the film Kadalpalam,Sathyan won the first Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1969 for the double role
In Mudiyanaya Puthran he is the prodigal son raging against a decaying system
In Anubhavangal Palichakal, he
is a man who turns away from familial chores and its jealousies, to
find refuge in the communist movement, and eventually becoming a martyr.
In Aswamedham and Sarasayya, he is an idealist doctor
fighting a losing but courageous battle with an increasingly corrupt
system and indifferent society.
In Yakshi, he is a teacher-scientist who is unable to come to terms with his impotency and crumbles within. In Chemmeen, he is an orphan fisherman proud of his prowess, but in the end loses his life and love to the sea.
Sathyan was posthumously awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1971 for his performance in Karakanakadal
Film Career
Sathyan acted in over 150Malayalam films and two Tamil Films.Sathyan was the first prominent actor to be considered a superstar in malayalam film industry afterThikkurissy Sukumaran Nair
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