Malayalam’s greatest actor served in Army and police before cinema; kept working despite coughing up blood on set due to leukaemia

Born on November 9, 1912, as Cheruvilakathu Veetil Manuel Sathyanesan Nadar, he explored several professions before eventually transitioning to acting. According to The Hindu, he worked as a clerk in the Records Office, a school teacher, a Subedar Major and commissioned officer in the British Army, and a sub-inspector of police in Alappuzha before venturing into the world of cinema. His experience as a theatre actor, which he began accumulating since his school days, came in handy here. Although Thyaagaseema (1951) was supposed to be his first film, it didn’t see the light of day. He eventually made his debut in Aathmasakhi (1952), being rechristened as Sathyan by the movie’s producer P Subramaniam of Merryland Studio. He was 40 when he came into the limelight.

The Sathyan era

Sathyan’s controlled and nuanced performance style, unlike that of any of his peers, immediately captured audience attention. Although he too followed a stylised pattern, which wasn’t as organic as we see today, the absence of loudness and overt expressions in his performances was quite fresh for that era. From Neelakkuyil, Puthiya Akasam Puthiya Bhoomi, Mudiyanaya Puthran, Moodupadam, Doctor, Thacholi Othenan, Odayil Ninnu, Chemmeen, Ashwamedham, and Yakshi to Mooladhanam, Kadalpalam, Vazhve Mayam, Ningalenne Communistaakki, Dathuputhran, Karakanakadal, Anubhavangal Paalichakal, and Sarasayya, Sathyan stole hearts with his intense performances, shining the most when playing the working-class man.

While Prem Nazir was known for his expressive romantic roles, Sathyan concentrated on performances that truly tugged at the audience’s heartstrings. Even when surrounded by acting virtuosos like Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair, Madhu, Sarada, Sheela or Nazir, Sathyan shone the brightest thanks to his immense potential to bring out the ethos of his characters to the fullest and in the finest way possible.

Born in 1912 as Cheruvilakathu Veetil Manuel Sathyanesan Nadar, Sathyan explored several professions before eventually transitioning to acting. (Express archive photo)

Sathyan’s battle with leukaemia

In a brief career spanning 19 years, he acted in around 150 films, setting a benchmark that both his peers and successors would strive to reach. He was also the first recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor, which he won for his dual role performance in Kadalppalam. In 1971, he bagged the trophy yet again for his acting in Karakanakadal. When death came knocking on his door in 1971, Sathyan was just 58 and had been battling leukaemia for a while. At the time of his passing on June 15, 1971, several of his films, including Anubhavangal Paalichakal, which is widely regarded as one of his finest works, had yet to hit the screens.

Sathyan’s dedication to his craft was such that, even while battling the worst phases of his illness, he still arrived on set on time and delivered his best performances. According to The News Minute, while working on Oru Penninte Kadha, he began coughing up blood, and that’s when everyone realised he was unwell. “He would periodically go to hospitals for blood transfer and then come back like nothing happened. During Oru Penninte Kadha, when he coughed up blood, everyone else was worried. But he said it was fine and later drove to the hospital on his own. He died by the time the last song of Anupavangal Paalichakal was shot, and someone else looking like Sathyan played his character where you see him only from behind,” ace director Kamal told the publication, quoting his mentor, legendary filmmaker KS Sethumadhavan, who shared a deep personal and professional bond with Sathyan.

Sathyan with legendary actor Sheela. (Express archive photo)

Revealing a similar experience, legendary actor Sheela, one of the artistes with whom Sathyan shared the screen the most, told Mathrubhumi. “The shooting of Anupavangal Paalichakal was underway. I was wearing a white saree. It was a night scene where he was talking with his head on my lap, beneath a tree. After the shot, when he got up, my saree was full of blood. When I looked, blood was continuously flowing from Sathyan Sir’s nose. Many had mentioned that he had leukaemia. But it was then that we realised how serious it was. He went to the hospital by himself. He didn’t take anyone with him. I will never forget Sathyan Sir’s face as he wiped the blood with a wet cloth, balanced the steering wheel with one hand, and drove away.”

Sathyan with veteran character actor Kaviyoor Ponnamma in Odayil Ninnu. (Express archive photo)

In an obituary in memory of Sathyan, legendary author-filmmaker MT Vasudevan Nair reportedly wrote, “I haven’t seen Sathyan as a star. His demeanour was totally different from that of a matinee idol: dark in complexion, short body, disproportionate limbs, stubby fingers – all that Indian cinema demanded from a hero was absent in him. But he had enough talent as a real actor. So, he came to cinema, acted in it, and conquered the audience, and, an age.”