Sreekumaran Thampi

Sreekumaran Thampi (born 16 March 1940) is an Indian lyricist, music director, director, producer and screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He also writes poetry and is a recipient of the Vallathol Award. In 2017, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government's highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema.

Film career Thampi was introduced to the Malayalam film industry in 1966 by P. Subramaniam as a lyricist in the film Kaattumallika. He has produced 25 films, directed 29, and written scripts for 85 films in Malayalam besides writing the lyrics for thousands of songs. He is also the author of the well-known literary work Prem Nazir Enna Prema Gaanam. He won the National Award for Best Book on Cinema film (Kanakkum Kavitayum) whilst his films Gaanam and Mohiniyattam won Kerala State Awards.

He is a songwriter, screenplay writer, film producer, director and musician, but says he is more of a lyricist than a filmmaker. His songs include "Chandrikayilaliyunna Chandrakaantham", "Hridayasarasile pranayapushpame" and "Swanthamenna padathinendhartham". His films Chandrakantham, Gaanam, Mohiniyattam, Maalika Paniyunnavar, Jeevitham Oru Gaanam and Ambalavilakku became artistic successes. He is a graduate in mathematics from Sanatana Dharma College, Alappuzha and civil engineer, graduated from Institute of Engineering Technology, Chennai and Govt. Engineering College, Thrissur.

His siblings are the late novelist P. Vasudevan Thampi who wrote Sreekrishnaparunthu (which became a hit Malayalam film), late Advocate P. Gopalakrishnan Thampi, the former director general of prosecutions (Kerala), and former chairman of Kerala Bar Council, Thulasibhai Thankachi and Prasannavadanan Thampi, former vice president of Oracle Financial Systems Software Ltd.

Thampi is married to Rajeswari, the daughter of Vaikom M. P.Mani, a popular drama actor and singer of the 1930s and 1940s, and they have a daughter (Kavitha). His wife and daughter have also dabbled in the arts. He also had a son, Rajkumaran Thampi (also known as Raj Aditya), who was an erstwhile associate of Priyadarshan and later directed some Telugu movies, until his sudden death in Secundarabad in March 2009.

Awards

National Film Awards 1989 - Best Book on Cinema – Cinema, Kannakkum Kavithayum

Kerala State Film Awards

1971 - Best Lyricist – Vilakku Vangiya Veena & Lankadahanam 1976 - Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value – Mohiniyattam 1981 - Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value – Gaanam 2011 - Best Lyricist – Naayika 2017 - J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala's highest award for contributions to Malayalam Cinema.

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award 2015 - Sreekumaran Thampi was honored with the Kalashree award, the highest civilian award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, for his lifetime contribution to light music and drama songs. 2022 - Best Lyricist Award (KPAC’s play ‘Aparajithar’) Filmfare Award South 1976 - Best Director - Malayalam – Mohiniyattam

Other Film Awards

1974 - Kerala Film Goers Award (Film - Chandrakantham) 1976 - Kerala Film Fans Award (Film - Mohiniyattam) 1976 - Madras Film Fans Award (Film - Mohiniyattam) 1976 - Cinema Masika Trophy (Film - Mohiniyattam) 1981 - Madras Film Fans Special Award (Film - Gaanam) 1996 - Government of Kerala Veteran Cine Artists Award Other Lifetime Achievement Awards 2002 - Prem Nazir Foundation Award - Lifetime Achievement Award ' 2016 - Mayilpeeli Award for Literature 2019 - Sahitya Kalanidhi Award, the highest honor given by the Kerala Hindi Prachar Sabha for the overall contribution in the field of literature and culture. 2019 - Ochira Sankaran Kutty Sahithya Puraskaram 2020 - Padmaprabha Literary Award 2023 - Basheer Balyakalasakhi literary Award instituted by the Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Smaraka Samithi (Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Memorial Committee), Thalayolaparambu. 2024 - Poonthanam Award 2024 - Honored with 2024 Nalapadan Award by Nalappadan Smaraka Samskarika Samithi in memory of Nalapat Narayana Menon for Literary Contributions to Malayalam. 2024 - 'Durga Bharat Samman' award presented by the Governor of West Bengal, C V Ananda Bose. 2025 - Malliyoor Puraskaram presented by the Akhila Bharatha Srimad Bhagavatha Satra Samiti, Guruvayur, in memory of the late Sanskrit scholar and Bhagavatham exponent, Malliyoor Sankaran Namboothiri. 2025 - Akshara Sooryan Puraskaram 2025 - Shankara Padmam Puraskaram instituted by the Thekke Madhom, which is one of the four ancient South Indian madhoms that propagate the Adwaita philosophy of Adi Shankara'' 2025 - Vaishnavam Award for literature instituted by Vaishnavam Trust in memory of popular poet Professor Vishnunarayanan Namboothiri. 2025 - Devarajan Master Award for contributions to Malayalam film music instituted by CETAAT (College of Engineering Trivandrum Alumni Association Trivandrum Chapter).

Filmography