MT was a master of the word and screen

Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair (MT) was a remarkable cultural figure who left his imprint on the worlds of word and cinema. In a career spanning seven decades, he wrote nine novels, a large number of short stories and essays, two volumes on the craft of the short story and over 50 film scripts. He also directed seven films — his directorial debut, Nirmalyam (1973), winning the National Award for Best Feature Film. As a writer, he was honoured by the Sahitya Akademi and the Jnanpith among others, while his work in films fetched him seven National Awards. However, MT’s impact on Malayalam literature and cinema went beyond these accolades.

In the hyper-politicised Kerala environment, he stood apart as a public intellectual for his independent views, and willingness to criticise the State. His public conduct exemplified the dignity and self-respect invested in the persona of a writer. As the editor of Mathrubhumi Weekly, Malayalam’s premier literary magazine, he nurtured the modernists in fiction, who wrote in an idiom very different from his.

MT was born in a riverside village (Kudallur), near Palakkad, but lived most of his adult life in Kozhikode. The village — and the river (Nila) — gave him the material for much of his fiction, which explored the inner worlds of young men, fighting to escape the material impoverishment of rural life and alienation in Hindu upper caste households facing the decline of the joint family system. His sensitive treatment of language and finesse in sketching the emotions and tensions in relationships endeared him to generations of readers. His retelling of the Mahabharata from the perspective of Bhima — Randamoozham (Bhima in English) — was, perhaps, his most popular novel. The outpouring of grief at his passing is an indication of the affection and respect he gained as a writer over the decades.

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