MT Vasudevan Nair Photo Credit: Satish Velinezhi
MT Vasudevan Nair, one of India’s greatest writers of all time, died at a private hospital here on Wednesday (December 25, 2024) at the age of 91.
He was also an exceptional screenwriter who revolutionized the art of screenwriting in Malayalam cinema and wrote several landmark films. Some of these movies were directed by MT himself. His debut film as director Nirmalyam, in fact, won the National Award for Best Film in 1974. He was not very interested in directing films, and was happy in writing stories.
When it comes to fiction, it’s hard to imagine a writer more loved by Malayali readers. His novels such as Randamoozham, Asuravithu, Manju, Kalam and Nalukettu, continue to be printed decades after they were first published. He also wrote many memorable stories. The plots and characters of those novels and short stories have become a part of Malayali cultural life.
Born in a village called Cudalur near Ponnani, MT made his mark as a writer of remarkable skill from an early age. He was just 29 years old when he wrote Asuravithu, which the critic M. Leelavathy was hailed by some as the best novel in Malayalam.
Many of his works have been translated into English. He was in fact the most translated regional language writer of India. He was honored by Jnanpith in 1995.
MT was really versatile. He was also a journalist turned editor of Matrubhoomi magazine. As an editor, he mentored many young writers.
MT was an admirable screenwriter, albeit a reluctant one, to begin with. He started his career in films with Murapenu’s script. The 1965 film A. was directed by Vincent.
He became an in-demand script writer and penned classics like Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Amritham Gamaya, Panchagni, Parinyam, Aksharangal, Alkoottathil Thaniye and Thajvaram. His last major theatrical release was Pajahassi Raja in 2013.
A few months ago, Manorthangal, a collection of films adapted from his short stories, was released on OTT. That work was the last work he did for the screen.
published – December 25, 2024 10:28 pm IST