Sathish Kalathil is an Indian film and documentary director and producer in Malayalam. He is also a story writer, and lyricist. His experimental works are well known and appropriately discussed in Malayalam Cinema industry and his debut movie Jalachhayam (2010)^[1][2] was well discussed according to its experimental approach.^[3][4][5] His first film was Veenavaadanam (2008),^[6] an experimental documentary about art (painting). In 2012, he directed Laloorinu Parayanullathu, a socially committed documentary film about municipal solid waste.

Sathish was born to K. P. Sankaran and K. M. Komalam at Sankarayya Road, Poothole P.O in Thrissur district of Kerala, India.^[7] He completed his primary education from Namboodiri Vidyalayam UP school and Vivekodayam Boys Higher Secondary School nearby Thrissur town. In teenage, he was a Newspaper agent of Mangalam daily, when it was launched^[8].Years later, he became an auto rickshaw driver. During his movie Jalachhayam, he was a fast food business man. Now, he is also a political leader of Nationalist Congress Party with the post secretary of Nationalist Labour Congress, Kerala, a Labour wing of N.C.P and state organizing secretary of Kerala Vazhi Vanibha Sabha (H.M.S) union.^[9][10] He is married to Rema K.P and he has three children. Niveda, Navin Krishna, Akhil Krishna.^[11] His elder son Navin Krishna played the character of 'Kannan' in Jalachhayam.^[12]

Sathish penned lyrics for his documentaries, Veenavaadanam and Jnana Saradhi. He has also written Ghazals for a musical documentary film, Arabikadalinte Ghazal Nilavu as the tribute for Umbayee and its audio album, Sithaye Suthanuve was released on 1 August 2022 by Goa Governor P. S. Sreedharan Pillai, received by MLA K. K. Shailaja at Cochin.^[14][15][16] Sathish has published many poems since his teenage under the Pen Name 'Surya'.^{[17][18][19][20][21]}

After some research about the sufferings and various problems faced by people of Laloor due to the heavy dumping of Municipal Garbage of Thrissur Municipal Corporation at their premises and the associated protest manifested through various forms of strikes, Sathish Kalathil wrote the Principal Story for his documentary Laloorinu Parayanullathu^[24][8] Bhasi Pangil made a Script out of this Story about Laloor.

The Book, 'Laloorinu Parayanullathu (What has Laloor To Say)' Published by Vidyaposhini Publications, Thrissur. And, the book released on 29 August 2013 by Dr.P.V. Krishnan Nair, secretary, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi and copy received by R. Gopalakrishnan, secretary, Kerala Sahithya Akademi at Prof. Joseph Mundassery Memorial Auditorium, Thissur, associated with D.F.M.F Short Film Festival-2013 contested by Digital Film Makers' Forum Trust.^[25] D.F.M.F. SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

Sathish started the news magazine Prathibhavam in 2000.^[26], He established a trust in 2010, Digital Film Makers Forum (D.F.M.F.),^[27] to help amateur digital filmmakers make and promote digital films.^[28] He and his trust also involved socially and conducted many programs. The trust intervened against the termination of Sree Rama Varma Music School in 2013 and made many protests for the survival of the school.^[29][30][31] Through Digital Film Makers Forum, Sathish Kalathil and his associates organised a digital short film festival, called the D.F.M.F Short Film Festival.^[25] He took advantage of various opportunities opened up by the digital era through mobile phone camera and he was one of the first people around the world to experiment with filmmaking using first generation mobile phones.^[3][4][5]