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Sathyan | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Cheruvilakathu Veetil Manuel Sathyanesan Nadar (1912-11-09)9 November 1912 Aramada,Thiruvananthapuram,Travancore |
| Died | 15 June 1971(1971-06-15) (aged 58) Madras,Tamil Nadu, India |
| Resting place | Thiruvananthapuram LMS Compound[1][2] |
| Other names | Sathyan Master, Sathyan Mashu |
| Occupation(s) | Actor,Police inspector,soldier (Viceroy's Commissioned Officer),clerk,school teacher |
| Years active | 1951–1971 |
| Spouse | Jessy Sathyan |
| Children | Prakash Sathyan, Satheesh Sathyan, Jeevan Sathyan, |
| Awards | 2Kerala State Film Awards |
Sathyan (bornCheruvilakathu Veetil Manuel Sathyanesan Nadar; 9 November 1912 – 15 June 1971) was an Indian actor known for his work inMalayalam cinema.[3][4][5][6]Known for his own style and versatility in acting, Satyan was one of the pioneers of realistic acting inIndian film industry. He is respectfully calledSathyan Master. He was also a soldier in theBritish Indian Army and later a police officer with theTravancore State Police.
Sathyan served as an officer in theBritish Indian Army duringWorld War II. After the war he joined the Travancore state police as an inspector in late 1940s. During this time he got interested in acting and acted in amateur stage plays. He made his debut film in 1952 filmAthmasakhi and rose to stardom with the critically acclaimed filmNeelakuyil in 1954. He dominated the Malayalam film industry over two decades ( 1952 – 1971) along with his contemporaryPrem Nazir.
He is remembered for his performances inAnubhavangal Palichakal (1971),Karinizhal (1971),Kadalpalam (1969),Yakshi (1968),Odayilninnu (1965),Udhyogastha (1967),Veettu Mrugam (1969),Vazhvemayam (1970),Oru Penninte Kadha (1971),Karakanakadal (1971),Pakalkinavu (1966),Ningalenne Communist Akki (1970),Kayamkulam Kochunni (1966),Sarasayya (1971),Rowdy (1966),Mooladhanam (1969),Chemmeen (1965),Ammayenna Sthree (1970),Kuttavali (1970),Crossbelt (1970),Adimakal (1969),Thacholi Othenan (1964),Aadyakiranangal (1964) andMudiyanaya Puthran (1961).
Sathyan won the Best Actor Award at the inaugural Kerala State Film Award ceremony for his double role inKadalpalam. He won theKerala State Film Award for Best Actor again in 1971 for his filmKarakanakadal.
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Sathyan was born in Aramada, Thiruvananthapuram on 9 November 1912. His parents' names were Manuel and Emily. The eldest of five sons, his younger brothers were Chellayya, Neshan, Devadas, and Jacob. His family were Nadar Christians who belonged to the Anglican Church (C.I.B.C.) (later Church of South India (C.S.I.). Their family home in Aramada was called Cheruvilakathu Veettil.[2]
Sathyan passed theVidwan exam, equivalent toMaster of Arts before joiningSt. Joseph's Higher Secondary School, Trivandrum as a teacher. After some time, he got job as a clerk in the Kerala Secretariat and worked there for about a year. He joined the army in 1941 and got posted as aCommissioned Officer of theViceroy of India. He served theBritish army inManipur,Burma (nowMyanmar) andBritish Malaya (nowMalaysia) during theWorld War II period. After finishing his term in the army, he returned home and joined the then Travancore State Police as apolice inspector. During thePunnapra-Vayalar uprising in 1946, Sathyan was the inspector atAlappuzha North Police Station.[1]
Sathyan was married to Jessy until his death in 1971. They have three sons: Prakash, Satheesh and Jeevan.[7]
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Sathyan's entry into the field of acting started during his tenure as the police officer. At that time he acted in several amateur plays and that experience made him more interested in acting. His entry to film industry was accidental. He got introduced to a film musicianSebastian Kunjukunju Bhagavathar during his tenure as Inspector inAlappuzha North Police Station. The musician introduced Sathyan to various film personalities and one producer promised to cast him in a film; however, Sathyan did not get any calls from the producer. Sathyan came to know about a film thatKaumudi Chief Editor and his neighbour K. Balakrishnan were planning. He met Balakrishnan and the latter was impressed by Sathyan. Balakrishnan cast him as the protagonist in the film written and produced by him, titledThyagaseema. The then Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mary Arputham, objected to Sathyan acting in the film. Sathyan resigned from his job to act in this film and shortened his name to Sathyan from Sathyaneshan. However, the film was dropped.Thyagaseema was also incidentally the first film forPrem Nazir.
In 1952P. Subramaniam established Neela Productions. He happened to see the rushes ofThyagaseema and was impressed by Sathyan's performance. Subramaniam invited Sathyan to act as hero in his first filmAthmasakhi (1952) which was Sathyan's first release.
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In 1952, Sathyan's first film got released. The film was titledAthmasakhi and it earned him recognition in the industry.[8] Sathyan rose to fame with the legendaryNeelakkuyil (1954). The film was also a milestone inMalayalam film history. It was the first film to have an authentic Malayalam story.[9] The film was written by renowned literary figureUroob and directed by Ramu Karyat-P. Bhaskaran duo. The songs in the film written byP. Bhaskaran and set to tunes by K. Raghavan were superhits. The film became the first Malayalam film to win national recognition when it was awarded theRajat Kamal (Silver Lotus Award). The film's success at the box office raised Sathyan and his co-star Miss Kumari to stardom.[9]
Sathyan's career was influenced by great directors likeK. S. Sethumadhavan,P. Venu,A. Vincent and Ramu Karyat. Sathyan's roles in various films directed byK. S. Sethumadhavan likePappu inOdayil Ninnu,Jayarajan inDaham,Prof. Sreeni inYakshi (first psychological thriller in Malayalam) and the pratogonist inVazhve Mayam were well appreciated. Sathyan's other major performances include those inUdhyogastha,Snehaseema,Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu,Veettu Mrugam,Mudiyanaya Puthran,Bharya,Shakuntala,Kayamkulam Kochunni,Adimakal andKarakanakadal. His famous title character 'Othenan' in the filmThacholi Othenan became highly popular among the masses. His role inChemmeen, the poignant love story set against the background of the coast ofAlappuzha did not win him the best actor award for the year, but is one of the most popular roles of his career. He acted in over 150Malayalam films and twoTamil films.
Sathyan won the firstKerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1969 for the double role inKadalpalam.
Vazhve Mayam,Anubhavangal Paalichakal,Karakanakadal which won high critical acclaim were among his final films. Other releases wereBhikara Nimishankal,Aranazhikaneram andOru Penninte Katha (as Madhavan Thambi). Sathyan died before completing the movie 'Anubhavangal Paalichakal.' It is said that the expressions of Sathyan in the song 'Pravaachankanmare' in that movie is real because of the pain he suffered in real life. It is also said that, the final scenes of Sathyan in the movie are made with a dupe and the crying scene ofSheela in the climax is real because of the departure of Sathyan in real life. He was posthumously awarded theKerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1971 for his performance inKarakanakadal.Mammootty andSuresh Gopi debuted in film as child artists in Sathyan's movies. Mammootty in Anubhavangal Paalichakal and Suresh Gopi in Odayil Ninnu.
Sathyan died ofleukemia after fighting it for a year and four months on 15 June 1971 at Madras. He was aged 58 at the time of his death. His body was taken back to his native place Thiruvananthapuram, and was buried with full state honours. Thousands attended his funeral. His wife outlived him for 16 years, dying in 1987. His eldest son Prakash Sathyan died onVishu day in 2014.
Sathyan was a prominent actor to be considered as a superstar in Malayalam film industry afterThikkurissy Sukumaran Nair.[10] During the late 1950s and the whole of the 1960s, he andPrem Nazir formed a bipolar industry with a considerable number of films starring at least one of them.[11] He won the inaugural Kerala State Film Award for best actor in 1969 & again posthumously in 1971. There is a Sathyan Memorial Art Gallery inThiruvananthapuram.
Film Film Awards:
Below are a few of the most popular & critically praised characters played by Sathyan:[13]
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Sathyan National Film Award (Sathyan Foundation): An award instituted by the "Sathyan Foundation" a charitable organization formed with the basic objective of perpetuating the memory of veteran actor Sathyan by his children and grand child. The "Sathyan National Film Award" is presented annually to an eminent personality of Indian cinema. Memento, certificate and Rs. 25000/- are given as award for the awardees.
Sathyan Award: An award instituted by the Kerala Cultural Forum. The award carries a sum of Rs. 10000 and a plaque.
Sathyan Memorial Film Award: An award instituted by the Sathyan Memorial Arts and Sports Club. The award is given in various fields including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Anti-Hero, Best Comedian, Best Newcomer and Best Singers (male and female), taking the last year's performances into consideration.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Thyaagaseema | Unreleased film[15] | |
| 1952 | Aathmasakhi | [15] | |
| 1953 | Thiramala | Vijayan | |
| Lokaneethi | |||
| Ashadeepam | Chandran | ||
| 1954 | Snehaseema | Johny | |
| Neelakuyil | Sreedharan Nair | ||
| 1955 | Kalam Marunnu | ||
| 1956 | Avar Unarunnu | ||
| 1957 | Deva Sundari | ||
| Thaskaraveeran | Kumar/Maayavi/Khan Sahib | ||
| Achanum Makanum | Reghu | ||
| Minnunnathellam Ponnalla | Rajan | ||
| 1958 | Lilly | ||
| Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu | Chandran | ||
| 1959 | Chathurangam | ||
| Minnalppadayaali |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Vivahitha | Ashok | |
| Vazhve Mayam | Sudhindharan Nair | ||
| Nilakkatha Chalanangal | |||
| Thara | Balakrishna Pilla | ||
| Kuttavaali | Kedi Krishnan | ||
| Kalpana | Balan | ||
| Thriveni | Damodaran Muthalali | ||
| Ningalenne Communistaakki | Paramu Pilla | ||
| Othenente Makan | Othenan Kurup | ||
| Cross Belt | Rajasekharan Nair | ||
| Bheekara Nimishangal | Mancheri Raghavan | ||
| Dathuputhran | Kunjachan | ||
| Ammayenna Sthree | Advocate | ||
| Nishagandhi | |||
| Aranazhika Neram | Mathukkutty | ||
| Sthree | |||
| Kurukshethram | Balakrishnan | ||
| 1971 | Kalithozhi | Dr. Issac Matthew | |
| Vimochanasamaram | |||
| Karinizhal | Colonel Rajasekharan | ||
| Oru Penninte Katha | Madhavan Thampi | ||
| Karakanakadal | Thoma | ||
| C.I.D. In Jungle | |||
| Shiksha | Surendran | ||
| Moonnupookkal | |||
| Panchavan Kaadu | Ananda Kurup | ||
| Anubhavangal Paalichakal | Chellappan/Prabhakaran | ||
| Sarasayya | Dr. Thomas | ||
| Thettu | Johny | ||
| Kuttyedathi | Appunni | ||
| Agnimrigam | Mukundan | ||
| 1972 | Lakshyam | ||
| Kalippava | |||
| Akkarapacha | Vasudevan | ||
| Baalyaprathijna | Chandran | ||
| 1973 | Thenaruvi | Rajan's brother | |
| Aashachakram | Ravichandran | ||
| 1974 | Checkpost |
 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Aalukkoru Veedu | ||
| 1967 | Pesum Deivam |