M. T. Vasudevan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024), known simply as MT, was an Indian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and film director who wrote in Malayalam. One of the giants of modern Indian literature, he chronicled the decline of Kerala’s old matrilineal joint families in novels such as Naalukettu and retold the Mahabharata through Bhima’s eyes in Randamoozham. He also wrote some of the finest screenplays in Malayalam cinema. He won the Jnanpith Award in 1995 and received the Padma Bhushan in 2005.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair |
| Born | 15 July 1933, Kudallur, Malabar District (now Palakkad district, Kerala), India |
| Died | 25 December 2024, Kozhikode, Kerala (aged 91) |
| Occupation | Novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, film director, editor |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Education | Victoria College, Palakkad (B.Sc. Chemistry) |
| Spouse | Prameela (div.); Kalamandalam Saraswathy |
| Children | 2 (Sithara and Aswathy) |
| Honours | Jnanpith Award (1995), Padma Bhushan (2005), Padma Vibhushan (2025, posthumous) |
Early Life
MT was born in Kudallur, a village on the banks of the Nila (Bharathapuzha) river, the youngest of four sons. His father worked in Ceylon. The river, the village and the crumbling tharavadu (ancestral house) of his childhood became the setting of much of his fiction. He began writing at school, graduated in chemistry from Victoria College, Palakkad, in 1953 and worked briefly as a teacher. In 1954 his story “Valarthumrigangal” won a world short-story competition run in Kerala by the Mathrubhumi newspaper with The New York Herald Tribune.
Career
His first major novel, Naalukettu (1958), about a boy growing up in a decaying Nair household, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and has never been out of print. It was followed by Asuravithu (1962), Manju (1964) and Kaalam (1969), which won the Sahitya Akademi Award. Randamoozham (“Second Turn”, 1984), in which Bhima narrates the Mahabharata as the story of a man always placed second, is widely regarded as his masterpiece.
MT joined Mathrubhumi weekly in Kozhikode in 1956 and was its editor for many years. In that role he discovered and encouraged a generation of Malayalam writers.
He wrote his first screenplay for Murappennu (1965) and went on to write more than fifty films. His first film as director, Nirmalyam (1973), about a village temple oracle, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. He won the National Award for Best Screenplay four times, for Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), starring Mammootty, Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992) and Parinayam (1994). Other classics from his scripts include Panchagni, Vaisali, Perumthachan and Thazhvaram, with Mohanlal.
Death
MT died of heart failure at a hospital in Kozhikode on 25 December 2024, aged 91. Kerala declared official mourning, and he was cremated with state honours.
Awards and Honours
Selected Works
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was M. T. Vasudevan Nair born?
M. T. Vasudevan Nair was born on 15 July 1933 in Kudallur, Malabar District (now Palakkad district, Kerala), India.
When did M. T. Vasudevan Nair die?
Died: 25 December 2024, Kozhikode, Kerala (aged 91).
What is M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s occupation?
Occupation: Novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, film director, editor.
What honours has M. T. Vasudevan Nair received?
Jnanpith Award (1995), Padma Bhushan (2005), Padma Vibhushan (2025, posthumous).
Featured image: M. T. Vasudevan Nair speaks at an event in Kerala, February 2015. Photo by E P Sajeevan, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
