Manuel Sathyaneshan Nadar (9 November 1912 – 15 June 1971) commonly known by his stage name Sathyan, was an Indian film actor known for his work in Malayalam cinema.He is considered as the toughest actor ever in the Malayalam film industry personally and professionally and respectfully called as 'Sathyan Master' by Malayalam film stars. He has won the Kerala State Film Award twice and was renowned for his versatile acting skills. He is remembered for introducing and pioneering the realistic and natural style of acting in Malayalam cinema.

Biography

Personal life

Sathyan was born to a Roman Catholic (Latin Rite) family in Thrikkannapuram , Nagercoil in Southern Travancore on 9 November 1912 as the second child of Cheruvilakathu Veettil Manuel and Emily. He has five siblings named Late Kunjamma, Chellayya, Neshan, Devadas and Jacob. Sathyan passed the Vidwan exam, equivalent to Master of Arts before joining Saint Joseph's 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 a Commissioned Officer of the Viceroy of India. He served the British army in Manipur, Burma (now Myanmar) and British Malaya (now Malaysia) during the World War II period. After finishing his term in the army, he returned home and joined the then Travancore State Police as a police inspector. During the communist riots in 1947–1948, Sathyan was the inspector at Alappuzha North Police Station.

Sathyan was married to Jessy. They have three sons named Prakash, Satheesh and Jeevan. Daughter-in-law,Annamma Jeevan, and Grand Daughter,Asha Jeevan Sathyan.


Entry to films

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 musician Sebastian Kunjukunju Bhagavathar during his tenure as Inspector in Alappuzha 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 that Kaumudi Chief Editor K. Balakrishnan was 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, titled Thyagaseema. Sathyan resigned from his job with the police to concentrate in acting and shortened his name to Sathyan from Sathyaneshan . However, the film was never released. That was in 1951.


Film career
Rise to stardom
In 1952, Sathyan' first film got released. The film was titled Athmasakhi and it earned him recognition in the industry. Sathyan rose to fame with the legendary Neelakkuyil (1954). The film was also a milestone in Malayalam film history. It was the first film to have an authentic Malayalam story. The film was written by renowned literary figure Uroob and directed by Ramu Karyat-P. Bhaskaran duo. The songs in the film written by P. 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 the Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus Award). The film's success at the box office raised Sathyan and his co-star Miss Kumari to stardom.


Peak time
Sathyan's career was influenced by great directors like K. S. Sethumadhavan, P. Venu, A. Vincent and Ramu Karyat. Sathyan's roles in various films directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan like Pappu in Odayil Ninnu, Jayarajan in Daham, Prof. Sreeni in Yakshi (first psychological thriller in Malayalam) and the pratogonist in Vazhve Mayam were well appreciated.Sathyan's other major performances include those in Udhyogastha, Snehaseema, Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu, Veettu Mrugam, Mudiyanaya Puthran, Bharya, Shakuntala, Kayamkulam Kochunni, Adimakal and Karakanakadal. His famous title character 'Othenan' in the film Thacholi Othenan became highly popular among the masses. His role in Chemmeen, the poignant love story set against the background of the coast of Alappuzha 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 150 Malayalam films and two Tamil films.

Sathyan won the first Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1969 for the double role in Kadalpalam.


Final films
Vazhve Mayam, Anubhavangal Paalichakal, Karakanakadal which won high critical acclaim were among his final films. Other releases were Bhikara Nimishankal, Aranazhikaneram and Oru Penninte Katha (as Madhavan Thambi). He was posthumously awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1971 for his performance in Karakanakadal. He was one of the superstars in the history of Malayalam industry who died during the peak of his career and at the height of popularity (a scenario that would ironically repeat itself nearly a decade later with Jayan).


Death
Sathyan died of blood cancer after fighting it for 10 years on 15 June 1971 at Madras.