MT Vasudevan Nair, a giant of screenwriting

MT’s writing is aided by some of Mohanlal’s career-best performances. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu

The angry oracle of Nirmalayam (1973) Spitting blood on an idol in protest of his poverty-stricken life, Krishna is not very ugly. Oru Cheru Punchiri (2000), a retired man content with his life and sharing a rare bond with his friend Ammalukutty. Both these characters were born from the pen of MT Vasudevan Nair, who was a screenwriting colossus in Malayalam cinema as well as in the literary world. Incidentally, he also directed both these movies.

The Jnanpith Award winner’s words paint the mental scenes of his characters, and through their journeys into inner worlds, tell the larger stories of society and the times they live in. These journeys were often not comfortable, but it created enough. It churned the minds of the audience and raised questions in them, which could not be said about the mainstream films of the mid-1960s. Entered the film industry.

By his own account, MT was a reluctant entrant into the world of screenwriting, which he did with Murappenu (1965) which depicted a joint family system and an arranged marriage. in Irutinte Athmavu (1966), p. Directed by Bhaskaran, he wrote about the plight of a mentally challenged person in a joint family and also gave Prem Nazir a role of his lifetime. of PN Menon Olavham Theravam (1970), which MT wrote based on his short stories, became the forerunner of a new wave of Malayalam cinema with a realistic sensibility. in Asuravithu (1968), A. Guided by Vincent, he pointed his fingers at the feudal classes to fuel communal tensions to their advantage.

MT’s screenwriting really took off when he started collaborating with Hariharan and IV Sasi, both partnerships moving in different directions simultaneously making Malayalam mainstream cinema richer and stronger in content in the 1980s. In a way, he was instrumental in catalyzing the rise of these two important filmmakers.

Teenage girls as main characters in MT’s trilogy of films — Aranyakam, Nakhkashthangal, Ennu swanthamJanakikutty – Directed by Hariharan, all 12 years apart, they live and breathe the youth of that age. They are not characters written by old men, but come across as young people. out of three, Aranyakam (1988) is a masterpiece not only for Ammini’s unique character, but also for its underlying politics. In stark contrast to all of them was Panchagni’s Indira, a violent revolutionary who would not compromise her values ​​for her freedom.

Some of the best performances of Mohanlal’s career, as the convict doctor Amritam GamayaOn the crooked and remorseful asset manager UyarangilAn artist who reaches the level of psychosis after seeing the injustice around him always And a man thirsty for revenge ThajwaramMT is supported by articles. Mammootty’s star-making performance as the stylish playboy craving Also from some memorable roles of his career Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha who Adyojukkukal and Contract He was in the film. MT also wrote classics of Malayalam cinema Vaishali and Perumthachan.

A record four National Awards for screenplays that MT won (Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), tighten up (1991), always (1992) and result (1994)) does not fully convey the impact his writing has had on Malayalam cinema. The characters and conflicts he created in many films are still textbooks for screenwriters in the language. That most of these characters and situations would fit into the current new wave in mainstream cinema is a testament to the timelessness of his writing.