M.T. Vasudevan Nair, a colossus of screenwriting

MT’s characters would fit right into the current new wave in Malayalam cinema

 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.

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. Mammotty’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.