Following the passing of Sreenivasan, there has been a greater sense of interest among audiences over his films, such as Sandesam and Varavelpu, with streaming platforms such as JioHotstar and Prime Video making them more easily visible on their applications. Recently, Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum and Sarvam Maya director Akhil Sathyan seemed to say that Shoojit Sircar has bought the rights for the iconic film, directed by Sathyan Anthikkad from Sreenivasan's screenplay. Speaking to Cineulagam, Akhil said that Sathyan Anthikad earned a lesser amount of payment for the film as compared to his co-director back in the day. "Recently, Shoojit Sircar bought it for a huge amount," Akhil said, seemingly suggesting that the Piku filmmaker has acquired the remake rights.
Sandesam tells the story of brothers (Sreenivasan and Jayaram) who support two different political parties in Kerala. When their allegiance for the respective parties become too much, it turns into a case of obsession, forcing them to focus on their political careers at the expense of their family life. Also starring Thilakan and Kaviyoor Ponnamma, the satire offers a critical look at political fanaticism while exploring themes of family responsibilities and generational conflicts.
In multiple interviews, Sathyan Anthikad and Sreenivasan talked about the lack of political satires such as their 1991 film in Malayalam cinema in recent times. Speaking to TNIE in a broader discussion about his life and career, Sreenivasan attributed the lack of such films to the changes in politics. "Now politics has gone beyond all these…I have lost hope that satires will improve politicians," the legendary screenwriter said.
It remains to be seen what Shoojit Sircar would do with the Sandesam remake rights. It is worth noting that Shoojit is also known for Gulabo Sitabo, which serves as a satirical parable on human greed.
