MT Vasudevan Nair, the great of screenwriting

Some of the best performances of Mohanlal’s career are aided by MT’s writing. file | Photo courtesy: The Hindu

angry oracle of Nirmalyam (1973), spitting blood on a statue in protest against his poverty-stricken life, does not bear much resemblance to Krishna Kurup. oru cheru punchiri (2000), a retired man is content with his life and sharing a rare bond with his partner Ammalukutty. Apart from the fact that both the characters were born from the pen of MT Vasudevan Nair, who was as much a great man of screenwriting in Malayalam cinema as he was in the world of literature. Incidentally, he also directed both these films.

The Jnanpith awardee’s words captured the psyche of his characters, and through journeys into their inner worlds, told larger stories of the society and times in which they lived. These journeys were often not comfortable, but produced a great deal. It left audiences in turmoil and questioning, something that couldn’t be said about films that were being made in the mainstream in the mid-1960s when they entered the film industry.

According to his own accounts, MT was a reluctant entrant into the world of screenwriting, which he did with Murappennu (1965) which portrayed the joint family system and endogamy. In Iruttinte Athamavu (1966), directed by P. Bhaskaran, he wrote about the plight of a mentally challenged man in a joint family, also giving Prem Nazir one of the roles of his lifetime. PN Menon’s Olavam Theeravam (1970), which MT wrote based on his own short story, became the harbinger of the new wave of Malayalam cinema with its realistic sensibilities. In asuravithu (1968), A. Guided by Vincent, he points the finger at the feudal classes for stoking communal tension for his own benefit.

MT’s screenwriting really took off when he began collaborating with Hariharan and IV Sasi, with the two partnerships moving in different directions together, leading to more mainstream cinema content in Malayalam in the 1980s. Became prosperous and strong. In a way, he was instrumental in catalyzing the development of these two important filmmakers.

MT’s trilogy of films features teenage girls as protagonists – Aranyakam, Nakhakshathangal, ennu swantanthamJanakikutty – Directed by Hariharan All across the span of 12 years, they live and breathe the youth of that age. They come across not as characters written by an older person, but as young people who are themselves. Of the three, Aranyakam (1988) is an extraordinary work not only for Ammini’s unique character, but also for its underlying politics. In sharp contrast to all these was Panchagni’s Indira, a violent revolutionary who would not compromise her values ​​for the sake of her freedom.

Some of the best performances of Mohanlal’s career as a guilt-ridden doctor Amrit GamayCrooked and unrepentant property manager uyarangalilThe artist who reaches the level of psychosis after seeing the injustices around him Sadayam And that man is thirsty for revenge ThajvaramThe writings of MT have been helpful. Mammootty’s star-making performance as the stylish playboy craving Also some of the most memorable roles of his career oru vadakkan heroic story To Adiyozhukkukal And contract Were in his films. MT also wrote Malayalam cinema classics like Vaishali And Perumthachan,

Record four National Awards for screenplays won by MT (oru vadakkan heroic story (1989), Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992) and outcome (1994)) does not fully convey the impact of his writings on Malayalam cinema. The characters he created and the conflicts he wrote in many films still remain as textbooks for screenwriters in the language. It’s a testament to the timelessness of his writing that most of these characters and situations would fit perfectly into the current new wave of mainstream cinema.