Prithviraj Sukumaran’s wife Supriya Menon slams selfie-takers at Sreenivasan’s funeral, calls out invasion of privacy

Veteran Malayalam actor and filmmaker Sreenivasan passed away on Saturday at the age of 69, leaving fans and the film industry in shock. His funeral was held on Sunday in Kochi, with several members of the film fraternity arriving to pay their last respects. However, filmmaker and producer Supriya Menon, wife of actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, strongly criticised the behaviour of people who took selfies and videos during the solemn occasion, saying it left no space for the family to grieve in private.

Supriya Menon’s outburst

Taking to her Instagram Stories, Supriya highlighted how Sreenivasan’s family was denied the space to mourn amid a sea of cameras and mobile phones. She wrote,

“Grief is such a personal emotion. To see a grieving family not have any space to mourn their beloved is so tragic. Multitudes of cameras/mobile phones everywhere. Selfie-takers in the corners, people pointing to the actors walking in—many of whom are mourning their beloved colleague.”

A call for self-reflection

She went on to urge people to reflect on their actions, questioning the extent of media coverage at such moments.

“Don’t the dead and the living they leave behind deserve better? What a spectacle every moment of life has become. Cannot imagine the pain of the family who are in the midst of this tragedy. Shouldn’t we self-reflect and course-correct? How much coverage is too much? Do we need to crowd around the last rites, beaming it for everyone to see—a broken-down family trying to say goodbye to their beloved?”

Funeral attended by stars

Sreenivasan passed away on December 20 at a hospital in Kochi following a prolonged illness. His funeral rites were held on December 21 at his residence in Kandanad, Kochi. Several prominent figures from the Malayalam film industry, including Parvathy Thiruvothu, Renji Panicker, Sathyan Anthikkad, Jagadish, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, were present to pay their respects.

Sreenivasan’s final films and family

Sreenivasan married schoolteacher Vimala in 1984, and the couple had two sons. His elder son, Vineeth Sreenivasan, is a well-known singer, actor, producer, and director, while his younger son, Dhyan Sreenivasan, is also active in acting, directing, and producing. The veteran filmmaker was last seen in Aap Kaise Ho and Nancy Rani, which marked his final screen appearances.

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