MT Vasudevan Nair, doyen of Malayalam literature and films, passes away

M T Vasudevan Nair, the doyen of Malayalam literature and films, passed away on Wednesday. He was 91.

The literary giant, also a renowned script writer and director, breathed his last at a hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, on December 25, 2024. He had been admitted to the hospital on Friday after he suffered a heart failure and had been in a critical condition.

MT’s rich repertoire of work

M T Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as MT in his home state of Kerala, leaves behind a rich legacy. He was awarded the Jnanpith, among several other state and national honours.

Apart from his seminal literary works such as Randamoozham, MT made immense contributions to the Malayalam cinema world both as a writer and director.

MT entered the world of Malayalam cinema by writing screenplay for Prem Nazir-starrer Murappennu in 1965.

MT forayed into film direction with Nirmalyam in 1973 that went on to win both the National and Kerala State Film Awards. The film's lead actor PJ Antony also secured the National Award for Best Actor for his performance in this path-breaking movie

The Mammootty-starrer Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Hariharan's Parinayam, and Mohanlal’s gut-wrenching Sadayam are among the several movies penned by the auteur that have also notched up National Awards. Even decades after their release, these films still continue to stir up conversations and debates in Kerala.

Some of his other notable films include Amrutham Gamaya, Panchagni, Aalkoottathil Thaniye and Thazhvaram. Mammootty-starrer Pazhassi Raja which hit theatres in 2013 was among his last major theatrical releases.

MT’s Manorathangal

Manorathangal, an anthology series based on MT’s 9 stories, premiered on Zee5 earlier this year. Stalwarts of Malayalam cinema including Mohanlal, Mammootty and Fahadh Faasil joined hands for this ambitious project. Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan too joined the project as a narrator of the series. 

Also read: Manorathangal Review: A befitting ode to MT Vasudevan Nair’s literature and cinema 

The nine segments were directed by the renowned names from Malayalam cinema - Priyadarshan, Santhosh Sivan, Ranjith, Jayaraj, Shyamaprasad, Mahesh Narayanan, and Ratheesh Ambat. Aswathy V. Nair, MT's daughter, also directed one of the segments Vilpana. The series marks his last project for the screen. MT had also attended the trailer launch event of Manorathangal held earlier this year, that was among his last public appearances