Padmarajan--The Master Of Malayalam Cinema

Born on 23rd May, 1945 in a small village, Muthukulam in Alappuzha district in Kerala, as the sixth son of Shri. Thundathil Ananthai Padmanabha Pillai and Smt. Njavarakkal Devaki Amma. After his schooling at Muthukulam Boys High School, in 1959 he joined for Pre-University at Mahathma Gandhi College Thiruvananthapuram. After that he joined for Degree in University College Thiruvananthapuram opting Chemistry as his main subject and became a graduate in 1963.

After his graduation, for nearly two and a half years he stayed in his home at Muthukulam and learned Sanskrit from the great Sanskrit Pandit shri Cheppad Achyutha Warrier.On April 26th 1965, he joined Trissur All India Radio as Programme Announcer. During this period, he started writing short stories in magazines like Mathrubhumi, and Kaumudi. On 24th March 1970, he married Radhalakshmy who worked with him in Thrissur AIR, at Guruvayoor temple. In 1968, after getting transferred to AIR, Thiruvananthapuram they stayed at Poojapura in Thiruvananthapuram.During this period itself he became popular among literary figures.

In 1972, he got that year's Kerala Sahithya Academy Award for his very first novel Nakshathrangale Kaval. In 1974, he entered the world of cinema by writing script for the film Prayanam, which was directed by Shri. Bharathan, which was the first film of Bharathan also. After that he has written scripts for many directors like IV Sasi, Mohan and K G George. Padmarajan-Bharathan tie was a big success at that time. They have launched many hit films like Thakara, Lorry, Rathinirvedam etc. Some of his short stories have been remade in other Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.His first venture as a film director was in 1978 by directing the film Peruvazhiyambalam scripted by Padmarajan himself, which bagged that year's National award for Best Regional Film and State Awards for Second Best Film and best Script writer. Following this the film Oridathoru Phayavan, written and directed by Padmarajan, which was released in 1980 got selected in the Kulalampur film festival that year and bagged awards for Best Film and Best Script writer.As he became too busy in the film world, he was not able to go to AIR and so in 1986, he took voluntary retirement from there.After that he was fully involved in the making films.Spending his whole life time in Literature and Cinema, he left this world on 23rd January, 1991 midnight in a hotel room (Paramount Towers)in Kozhikkode in a silent heart attack.

AWARDS

1975
Best script - Filim Fans - Prayanam
1977
Best script Film Fans, Film Critics- Itha IvideVare
1978
Best Script - State- Rappadikalude Gaadha, Rathinirvvedam
Best Script - Film Fans - Rappadikalude Gaadha, Rathnirvvedam
1978
Second Best Film, Best Script & Director - Peruvazhiyambalam
Best Script, Best Regional Film - Central - Peruvazhiyambalam
1979
Best Script - Film Fans - Thakara
1982
Best Film, Best Script - International (Kualalumpur) - Oridathoru Phayalvan
Best Film - Gulf award, Filim Critics - Novemberinte Nashtam
1984
Best Film - State - Koodevide
Best Script - Film Critics - Koodevide
Best Director - Pournami Award - Koodevide
1985
Best Script - State, Film Critics - Kanamarayathu
1986
Best Script - Film Critics - Namukkuparkkan munthirithoppukal
Best Story - Film Chamber - Thoovanathumbikal
Best Script - Film Critics - Nombarathipoovu
1989
Best Script - State, Film Critics - Aparan, MoonnamPakkam
Best Director - Film Fare - Aparan
1990
Best script - State, Film Critics, Film Chamber - Innale
1991
FAC award - Njan Gandharvan

Films

1. Peruvazhiyambalam [Highway shelter] (adapted from his novel) (1979)
2. Oridaththoru phayalvaan [Once upon a time, a wrestler] (1981)
3. Kallan Pavithran [Pavithran the thief] (1981)
4. Novemberintaey nashtam [The loss of November] (1982)
5. Koodevide [Whither the nest] (adapted from the Tamil novel Moongil pookkal by Vaasanthi) (1983)
6. Parannu parannu parannu [Soaring soaring soaring] (1984)
7. Thinkalaazhcha nalla divasam [Monday, an auspicious day] (1985)
8. Nammukku paarkkaan munthiri thoppukal [Vineyards for us to dwell] (adapted from the novel Nammukku graamangalil chennu raappaarkkaam [Let us go and dwell in the villages] by K. K. Sudhakaran) (1986)
9. Kariyilakkaattu polaey [Like a zephyr of dry leaves] (1986)
10. Arappatta kettiya graamaththil [In the village which wears a warrior's belt] (1986)
11. Deshaadanakkili karayaarilla [The migratory bird never cries] (1986)
12. Nombaraththippoovu [The sorrowful flower] (1987)
13. Thoovaanathumbikal [Butterflies of the spraying rain] (adapted from his novel Udhakappola [A bubble in water]) (1987)
14. Aparan [The other] (adapted from his short story) (1988)
15. Moonnaampakkam [On the third day] (1988)
16. Season (1989)
17. Innalaey [Yesterday] (adapted from the Tamil novel Jananam [Birth] by Vaasanthi) (1990)
18. Njaan gandharvan [I, the celestial lover] (1991)

Screenplays

1. Prayaanam [Progression] (Bharathan) (1975)
2. Ithaa ividaey varaey [Look! Till here] (I. V. Sasi; adapted from his novel) (1977)
3. Rathinirvedham [Venereal disenchantment] (Bharathan; adapted from his novel) (1978)
4. Raappaadikaludaey gaadha [The song of the nightbirds] (K. G. George) (1978)
5. Nakshathrangalaey kaaval [The stars alone guard me] (K. S. Sethumadhavan; adapted from his novel) (1978)
6. Vaadakakkoru hrudhayam [A heart for rent] (I. V. Sasi; adapted from his novel) (1978)
7. Sathraththil oru raathri [A night in an inn] (N. Sankaran Nair) (1978)
8. Thakara [Weed] (Bharathan; adapted from his novel) (1979)
9. Lorry (Bharathan) (1980)
10. Kochchu kochchu thettukal [Small small mistakes] (Mohan) (1980)
11. Shalini entaey koottukaari [Shalini, my friend] (Mohan) (1980)
12. Idavela [Interval] (Mohan) (1982)
13. Eenam [Tune] (Bharathan) (1983)
14. Kaikeyi (I. V. Sasi) (1983)
15. Kaanaamarayaththu [Where the horizon is lost from view] (I. V. Sasi) (1984)
16. Ozhivukaalam [Vacation] (Bharathan) (1985)
17. Karimpinpoovinakkaraey [Across the sugar-cane flower] (I. V. Sasi) (1985)
18. Ee thanuththa veluppaankaalaththu [In these cold wee hours] (Joshi) (1990)

Novels and short stories (excluding filmed ones)

1. Onnu randu moonnu [One, two, three]
2. Jalajwaala [The watery fire]
3. Nanmakaludaey sooryan [The sun of virtues]
4. Vikramakaaleeshwaram
5. Shavavaahanangalum thedi [In search of biers]
6. Manjukaalam notta kuthira [The horse which longed for winter]
7. Kaivariyudaey thekkaey attam [The southern end of the bannister]
8. Kazhinja vasanthakaalaththil [During last spring]
9. Prathimayum raajakumaariyum [The statue and the princess]
10. Prahaelika [Conundrum]
11. Pukakkannada [Smoke glasses]
12. Mattullavarudaey venal [The summer of others]
13. Syphilisintaey nadakkaavu [The path of syphilis]
14. Rithubhedhangaludaey paarithoshikam [The reward of vicissitudes]
15. Lola Milford enna American penkidaavu [Lola Milford, the American maiden]