Actor S Sathyendra, best known for viral ‘Leo’ review, passes away

Actor and popular film critic S Sathyendra who went viral for his review of the Vijay-starrer ‘Leo’ passed away in Chennai due to age-related illness. Sathyendra was a regular at film festivals, especially in Thiruvananthapuram, where he openly shared his opinions on films he watched.

Onmanorama too had caught up with him during the 28th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala where he spoke candidly about film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan and younger Kollywood filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj.

Sathyendra’s mortal remains are at the hospital in Chennai as the authorities are waiting for his relatives to arrive from Bengaluru. Obituaries are pouring in for the veteran critic from his colleagues in the industry and film fraternity.

Critic and writer Mukesh Kumar wrote on his social media page, “This man was a regular attendee at the IFFK. With a cloth satchel on his shoulder and a smile on his face, he was keen to meet movie lovers and discuss world cinema with them. He gave a card to everyone he met, in which he had scribbled his experience in film appreciation, and urged them to contact him. For the new generation of audience, he was an old man who unabashedly expressed his opinions in front of the theatre after watching the first show on the day of release. But, people seldom know his past. He was an acting enthusiast who visited Rajnikanth in his room to discuss their future plans when the latter was just starting out in the movies.

When director Hariharan wanted an actor who looked like Robert Redford in the movie ‘Ezhavathu Manithan,’ he recommended his close friend Raghuvaran and accompanied him to the set of the movie.
Sathyendra who had acted in minor roles in Tamil movies like ‘Man Vasanai,’ ‘Sathya,’’ ‘Kadamai Kanniyam Kattupadu’ and ‘Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai’ also played notable roles in superhit Tamil serials like ‘Anandam.’ He never missed an edition of the IFFK as he had a special affinity towards Malayalam cinema and Keralam.
A life that had only breathed cinema has now come to an end. Rest in Peace Sathyendra.”
Actor Santhosh Keezhatoor too recalled how Sathyendra had embraced him on stage after a stage performance. “This man went to all places that celebrated art, carrying a bag on his shoulder and a smile on his face. After performing ‘Pen Nadan’ on January 6, 2022  at Chennai, he rushed to the stage and embraced me tightly. He said a lot of things in Tamil and English while keeping me in an embrace. I was surprised when he recognised me as the actor who played Godse in the movie ‘Godse’ starring Vinay Forrt and directed by Sherry Govind (no one had watched that movie). His breath and food were cinema and theatre. He watched all the plays that are staged at ITFOK and attended all the discussions to express his sharp and sensible opinions.

He had the same style of expression at the film festivals too. He had acted in lots of movies and serials and was fluent in many languages. We spoke a lot about cinema in the last edition of the IFFK. Some people are like that, they would roam around seeking art and bid adieu with no one to recognise them,” Santhosh Keezhattoor wrote.