M.T. Vasudevan Nair, a colossus of screenwriting

Some of Mohanlal’s career-best performances have been aided by MT’s writings. File 
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

 The angry oracle of Nirmalyam (1973), spitting blood at an idol as a protest against his poverty-ridden life, does not have much in common with Krishna Kurup of Oru Cheru Punchiri (2000), a retired man content with his life and sharing a rare bond with his partner Ammalukutty. Other than the fact that both characters were born out of the pen of M.T. Vasudevan Nair, who was as much a colossus of screenwriting in Malayalam cinema as he was in the world of literature. Incidentally, he directed both these films too.

The Jnanpith awardee’s words etched out the mindscapes of his characters, and through the journeys into their interior worlds, told larger stories of the society and the times in which they lived in. These journeys were not often comfortable ones, but it created enough of a churn in the minds of the audience and raised questions in them, something which cannot be said of the films which were being made in the mainstream space in the mid-1960s, when he stepped into filmdom.

By 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 consanguineous marriages. In Iruttinte Athmavu (1966), directed by P. Bhaskaran, he wrote about the plight of a mentally challenged person in a joint family, also giving Prem Nazir one of the roles of his lifetime. P.N. Menon’s Olavum Theeravum (1970), which MT wrote based on his short story, became a precursor to Malayalam cinema’s new wave with its realistic sensibilities. In Asuravithu (1968), directed by A. Vincent, he points his fingers at the feudal classes for fuelling communal tensions for their benefits.

MT’s screenwriting really took off when he began teaming up with Hariharan and I.V. Sasi, with both partnerships progressing in divergent directions simultaneously making Malayalam mainstream cinema all the more rich and strong in content in the 1980s. In a way, he played a key role in catalysing the growth of these two significant filmmakers.

M.T. Vasudevan Nair (1933-2024): A life in pictures

Writer M.T.Vasudevan Nair looking on photograph exhibited as part of a Photo exhibition about him” M.T- Chitram, Charithram” at Lalithakala Academy art gallery in Kozhikode in 2015.`

MT Vasudevan Nair with his daughter Aswathi at the shore of river Chaliyar , Kadavu resort. Photo: Special Arrangement

Filmmaker Sudheer Ambalappad with M.T. Vasudevan Nair. Ambalappad was a producer of Malayalam anthology Manorathangal, which has nine episodes based on M.T.’s stories.

Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presenting Padma Bhushan award to M.T. Vasudevan Nair at the investiture ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on March 28, 2005.

Kendra Sahitya Academy Chairman Gopichand Narang, Abdul Samad Samadani, and M.T.Vasudevan Nair sharing a lighter moment during Thuchan Festival at Tirur in Malappuram. File.

Actor Mammootty with M.T.Vasudevan Nair at the Mullasserry Raju award function.

The Jnanpith Award winner, Mr. M. T. Vasudevan Nair, with the winners of The Hindu-Young World on-the-spot painting competitions after the awards ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram. File.

M.T.Vasudevan Nair inaugurating a National Painters camp at Kozhikode. File.

M.T. Vasudevan Nair initiating a young child to the world of letters on Vidyarambhom day at Thunchanparambu in Tirur in Malappuram District. File.

Noted Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair having a look at the recent drawings of Illustrator Namboodiri at the Orthic Creative Centre in 2008. Also seen is C N Karunakaran, chairman of Kerala Lalit Kala Akademy.

Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano with writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair when he visited writer’s house in Kozhikode. File.

M.T Vasudevan Nair in Kochi on September 3, 2004.

Singer Sreevalsan J. Menon along with M.T. Vasudevan Nair and Artist Namboodiri during the shooting of his music video album at Ramamangalam near Kochi. File.
Photo:

Writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair casting his vote using the home voting option in Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency. File.

1/3

In MT’s trilogy of films with teenage girls as protagonists — Aranyakam, Nakhakshathangal, Ennu SwanthanthamJanakikutty — all directed by Hariharan in the space of 12 years, they live and breathe the youthfulness of that age. They don’t come across as characters written by an older man, but as young people just being themselves. Among the three, Aranyakam (1988) is a standout work not just for the unique character of Ammini, but also for its underlying politics. In sharp contrast with all of them was Indira of Panchagni, a violent revolutionary who would not compromise on her values for her freedom.

Some of Mohanlal’s career-best performances, as the guilt-ridden doctor in Amrutham Gamaya, the devious and remorseless estate manager in Uyarangalil, the artist who reaches a level of psychosis when he sees the injustices around him in Sadayam and the man thirsting for revenge in Thazhvaram, have been aided by MT’s writings.

A scene from Thazhvaram. Photo: Special Arrangement

Mammootty’s star-making performance as the stylish playboy in Thrishna as well as some of the most memorable roles in his career from Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha to Adiyozhukkukal and Anubandham were in his films. MT also wrote Malayalam cinema’s classics such as Vaishali and Perumthachan.

The record four National Awards for screenplays that MT won (Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992) and Parinayam (1994)) do not fully convey the impact that his writings have had on Malayalam cinema. The characters he created and the conflicts he scripted in numerous films still remain as textbooks for screenwriters in the language. It is a testament to the timelessness of his writings that most of these characters and situations would fit right into the current new wave in mainstream cinema.