The OTTplay Guide To MT Vasudevan Nair's Best Screenplays

<em>Manorathangal </em>— an anthology based on nine of MT’s short stories — recently released on ZEE5. Here’s a quick guide to some of the <em>other</em> compelling screenplays by the legendary writer.

Neelima+Menon

Aug 20, 2024

Poster detail. Manorathangal on ZEE5

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FOR MOVIEGOERS IN KERALA, Jnanpith laureate MT Vasudevan Nair has been a bridge connecting the world of literature to films. His original screenplays have a rich tapestry of characters, delving into the complexities of the human mind, society and relationships. If MT’s heroes are always encumbered by guilt, heartbreak and societal pressures, then his women fight their wars within patriarchal borders and are always authentic. While families are the cornerstone of his narratives, they are painted with strokes of grey, with several metaphorical skeletons left in dusty wooden cupboards. Manorathangal — an anthology based on nine of MT’s short stories — recently released on ZEE5. It is headlined by some of the finest actors of Malayalam cinema and helmed by some of its most skilled directors. Here’s a quick guide to some of the other compelling screenplays by the legendary writer:

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1988)

In the original North Kerala folklore, the warrior Chandu is portrayed as a traitor, but M.T. Vasudevan Nair reinterprets the narrative, depicting him as a victimised hero. Chandu, in this 16th-century folklore, is an orphan adopted by his uncle, a renowned Kalarippayattu guru. From then on, he is portrayed as a casualty of circumstances, betrayed in love and warfare by those he believed were dear to him. Directed by Hariharan, M.T.’s grandiloquent dialogues are brilliantly delivered by Mammootty, who methodically delves into the psyche of Chandu, adding a dramatic touch to his gait and voice. There is Unniyarcha (Madhavi), the femme fatale who cruelly breaks his heart, and Aromal (Suresh Gopi), the cousin who actively despises Chandu. A brilliantly staged family drama, packed with emotional twists, smoothly choreographed Kalarippayattu stunts, and sublime romance, the film is a testament to how effortlessly the writer can switch between eras and genres.

Aalkkoottathil Thaniye (1984)

Directed by IV Sasi, this film has all the MT tropes: a waning upper-caste Hindu ancestral home, patriarchy-steeped lineage, casteism, and going back to your roots. Again you have the stage set for a family drama: the ambitious lover (Mammootty) who dumps his girlfriend for better prospects; the girlfriend (Seema) who has chosen to remain single and remains forever giving and sympathetic; a bedridden patriarch (Balan K Nair) who is ignored by his kith and kin, and a wife (Unnimary) who has to be apologetic about being ambitious. MT is relentless when it comes to holding up a mirror to middle-class hypocrisies, the embedded patriarchy, and underlying casteism. The characters are struggling with their choices, greed, desire and loss, as they have (more often than not) forfeited their happiness to remain within societal constraints. The setting is easier to envisage: a decadent village, drawn-out naalu-kettus with large dusty kitchens, paddy fields, and archaic temples. On the surface, there is a deceptive simplicity to the narrative, but then as you go deeper into their lives, the complexities start to hit you.

Aranyakam (1998)

Who else but an MT could create an irrepressible, dreamy teen like Ammini, a subversion of every teenager in Malayalam cinema? She is probing, impulsive, poetic, empathetic, and yet realistic. Ammini writes long letters to poets and writers and nurtures a mind that is eager to explore the infiniteness of nature and its creatures. In a household filled with adults who treat those beneath them with contempt, Ammini is already seething with anger and powerlessness at the injustice around her, but her voice remains muffled. Directed by Hariharan, the core of Aranyakam may have been the musings of a whimsical teenager, but the film referred to the political realities of the Naxal movement in the state, pre-Emergency. The film also metaphorically hints at the oppressive spaces occupied by upper-caste women forced to live within the confines of patriarchy, powerless to pursue their dreams. That’s perhaps why Ammini who tries to step out of the confines of that space, is labelled an eccentric and a loner.

Amrutham Gamaya (1987)

MT goes deep into guilt and redemption in Amrutham Gamaya directed by Hariharan, while touching on depression and substance abuse. At the centre of the narrative stands our protagonist Dr Haridas (Mohanlal), the poor cousin of a flourishing and feudalistic Nair tharavadu. On one hand, he resents having to concede to a morally corrupt system at work and on the other, he continues to live with the guilt of taking someone’s life. The narrative faithfully trails Haridas’s path to salvation, filled with self-loathing and guilt as he offers himself to the victimised family. The film skewers corruption, classism and casteism.

Thazhvaram (1990)

Designed as a spaghetti western, Thazhvaram unravels with the entry of a mysterious stranger (Mohanlal) in a village. Soon it is revealed that he is out for vengeance — in search of an old friend who killed his bride and fled with his money. As the stranger sets his bait, earning the trust of those close to his adversary, we are also holding our breath, waiting for the men to fight it out in the dusty and barren terrain. Packed with tension, confrontation, betrayal and action, MT gives the saga a slow-burner of a build-up, spacing segments of tension with extracts from Balan’s past. With only four principal characters and deliberate pacing, Bharathan crafts it like a classic play where the spaces also define action. The slow, tense background score builds up the heat, and the colour tone is evocative of impending doom.

Utharam (1989)

Based on Daphne Du Maurier’s short story, No Motive this Pavithran-directed film is considered one of the most intriguingly-paced investigative murder mysteries in Malayalam cinema. It starts to unravel with the suicide of a celebrated female poet called Selena (Suparna). Her distraught spouse (Sukumaran) seeks the help of his friend — a journalist — to privately investigate the case. As the scribe (Mammootty) rakes through her past, shocking secrets tumble out of the closet, helping us piece together her personality as well as the mystery of her death. Finely etched characters and narrative depth ensure that we are invested emotionally in her past and present, eventually answering the question of ‘Who is Selena?’.

Sadayam (1992)

In Sathyanathan (Mohanlal), MT drafts one of his most melancholic protagonists and puts him in a setting that reinforces his morbid cynicism against the world. A talented painter, Sathyan carries the sore images of an abandoned childhood, blaming it on a mother who had him out of wedlock. Her profession as a sex worker has left him with a lasting derision for the community and he exercises this hatred at every given opportunity. Directed by Sibi Malayil, it’s one of the most haunting works of the writer, that explores the overarching effects of abandonment trauma in childhood and how it can psychologically scar your adult relationships. In Sathyanathan’s case, his mother’s occupation also collided with the social moral conditioning, thereby aggravating his distress. What’s disconcerting is the bloody path Sathyanathan chooses for his salvation. Deeply distressing, but an essential watch.

Oru Cheru Punchiri (2000)

A singularly beautiful romance between an ageing couple takes form in the hands of MT as the director here. Again, you have the usual suspects — a pristine hamlet snuggled amid greenery, neighbours like family, elaborate midday meals, deep conversations, pretty ponds, long verandahs, and temple visits. Then he brings together a retired estate manager Krishna Kurup (Oduvil Unnikrishnan) and his charming wife Ammalukutty (Nirmala Sreenivasan) and leisurely allows them to do their own thing. The beauty is in those little details as we indulgently watch their daily squabbles over the lunch menu, idle chats with their plants, visits to their children, and exchanges with their neighbours. All the while we are also witnessing a century-old romance ageing like fine wine that brings a lump to the throat. If you haven’t watched Oru Cheru Punchiri you have missed one of the finest love stories in Malayalam cinema.