Jnanpith Awardee M T Vasudevan Nair Passed Away At 91

Jnanpith Award winner screenwriter and director of Malayalam films M T Vasudevan passed away at the age of 91.He was hospitalized in critical condition with a diagnosis of heart failure. He had been suffering from several health issues, including respiratory ailments. He died in Kozhikode on 25 December.

Malyalam Literature lost one of its finest exponents. M T Vasudevan Nair is credited to elevate the art of Malayalam storytelling to a profound level through his works which explores human emotions and the complexities of rural life

Vasudevan was a prolific writer, who delved raw and complicated human emotions being a master of post-Independence Indian literature. One of his masterpieces Randamoozham, which retold the story of the Mahabharata Bhimasen's point of view. While he wrote his characters with empathy to help readers and viewers to invest in their mindspace. MT believed in breaking conventional narrative methods and finding a new ideas.

He directed seven films and wrote the screenplay for around 54 films. He won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay four times, for: Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992), and Parinayam (1994). In 1995 he was awarded the highest literary award in India, Jnanpith, for his overall contribution to Malayalam literature. In 2005, India's third highest civilian honour, Padma Bhushan, was awarded to him.