Kochi: Veteran Malayalam actor, screenwriter and director Sreenivasan passed away on Saturday while undergoing treatment for age-related health issues. He breathed his last at the Ernakulam Taluk Hospital, family sources said. He was 69.

Sreenivasan is survived by his wife Vimala and sons Vineeth Sreenivasan and Dhyan Sreenivasan, both of whom are prominent figures in Malayalam cinema.

Born on Apr. 6, 1956 in Patyam, near Thalassery, Sreenivasan was the son of a school teacher and a homemaker. He completed his schooling in Kadirur and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from PRNSS College, Mattanur before pursuing formal film training at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Chennai.

Sreenivasan made his acting debut in 1977 with P.A. Backer’s Manimuzhakkam and went on to become one of Malayalam cinema’s most respected actors.

He received numerous accolades, including National Film Awards, Kerala State Film Awards, Filmfare Awards South and multiple lifetime achievement recognitions for his contributions as a writer, actor                      and filmmaker.