MT Vasudevan Nair: Celebrated Indian author and screenwriter dies at 91
Malayalam writer leaves lasting impact on Indian cultural landscape
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Your support makes all the difference.MT Vasudevan Nair, one of India’s most renowned writers, died on Wednesday. He was 91.
Nair died in a hospital in Kozhikode city in the southern state of Kerala.
Madath Thekkepat Vasudevan Nair’s seven-decade career spanned literature, journalism and film, leaving a lasting impact on India’s cultural landscape.
His stories, often set in the countryside and drawing on his childhood, celebrated the range of human emotion and connection.
Nair was born on 15 July 1933 in Kudallur, a small village in Kerala’s Palakkad area, and grew up a voracious reader. He started writing very young.
“I was born in a village, on the banks of the Bharathappuzha, where the world of literature, writing and books was non-existent. Newspapers used to come by post, delayed by three days. Books reached me once in a blue moon,” he said in an interview with Sahapedia in 2019.
“Once I reached high school, I started reading everything. After reading, I wanted to write something. I knew I could not match the writing I had read, but, in my loneliness, I felt like scribbling something.”
After graduating college, Nair joined the Malayalam magazine Mathrubhumi in 1956 and went on to become its editor in 1968. In this role, which he stayed in until 1981, Nair is often credited with discovering and mentoring young writers who went on to have prolific careers.
He was awarded Jnanpith, India’s highest literary honour, in 1995 and the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third-highest civilian honour, in 2005 . He received the highest civilian award given by Kerala’s state government, the Kerala Jyothi Award, in 2022.
Nair’s debut novel Naalukettu, meaning the legacy, about the decline of the traditional joint family in post-Independent India is considered a classic in Malayalam literature and won Nair his first Kerala Sahitya Akademi award in 1959, when he was only 25.
The novel, first published in 1958, went on to be translated into 14 languages. It continues to feature on bestseller lists and was adapted into an award-winning television film in 1995.
“Characters, their predicaments — that’s what inspires me. The crossroads they find themselves in — they trouble us,” he said in 2023, in an interview with The Indian Express.
He wrote nine novels and 19 collections of short stories, multiple essay collections, memoirs, and travelogues, all known for his particular style which looked at complex human emotions and how they operated within their specific social circumstances. His 1984 work Randamoozham, translated as The Second Turn, a retelling of the Hindu epic Mahabharata from Bhima’s perspective, is considered a groundbreaking work in Malayalam literature.
Nair also worked as a screenwriter and director in Malayalam cinema. His first screenplay, Murappennu in 1965, was described by The Hindu as “one of the most significant films in the history of Malayalam cinema”. He won the national award for best screenplay a record four times—for Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992), and Parinayam (1994).
Nair made his debut as a director in 1973 with Nirmalyam, which went on to win the national award for best feature film.
Tributes poured in after news of Nair’s death broke, with the Kerala state government announcing two days of mourning.
“Saddened by the passing away of Shri MT Vasudevan Nair Ji, one of the most respected figures in Malayalam cinema and literature,” prime minister Narendra Modi said.
“His works, with their profound exploration of human emotions, have shaped generations and will continue to inspire many more. He also gave voice to the silent and marginalised. My thoughts are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”
Kerala’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, posted on X: “With MT Vasudevan Nair’s passing, we have lost a doyen of Malayalam literature who elevated our language to global heights. A true cultural icon, he captured the soul of Kerala through his timeless works. His steadfast commitment to secularism and humanity leaves behind a legacy that will inspire generations. Heartfelt condolences to his family and the cultural community.”
“I shared a long-standing relationship with him. He gave me some of the most significant characters in my acting career. I also had the opportunity to work with him on two films under his direction. He was one of the popular novelists and screenwriters, not just in Kerala but across India,” said Malayalam actor Mohanlal.
Kamal Haasan, one of the biggest names in Tamil cinema, wrote: “We have lost a great writer. The greatest personality of the Malayalam literary world, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, has left us. My friendship with him was fifty years old. He was the creator of 'Kanyakumari,' which introduced me to the Malayalam film world. Our friendship continued till the recent release of 'Manorathangal.' He has contributed great novels to the Malayalam literary world and became a successful screenwriter. His demise has caused me great pain. He contributed to all forms of writing with his own uniqueness and has retired. This is a huge loss. It will deeply distress South Indian literary readers. My heartfelt tribute to a great writer.”
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