P. F. Mathews | |
|---|---|
 Mathews at the premiere ofEe.Ma.Yau | |
| Born | (1960-02-18)18 February 1960 (age 65) Ernakulam,Kerala State, India |
| Occupation(s) | Author, screenwriter |
| Notable work |
|
| Spouse | Shobha |
| Children | Unni Mathews, Anand Mathews |
| Parent(s) | Francis Mary |
| Awards |
|
Poovankery Francis Mathews is an Indian author ofMalayalam literature and ascreenplay writer in Malayalam film and Television industries.[1] A Winner of aNational Film Award for Best Screenplay[2] and multiple State television and other literary awards including theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel andKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, he is known for his original style of writing.[3] Literary works such asMuzhakkam,Kadalinte Manam,Adiyalapretham,Iruttil Oru Punyalan, andChaavunilam and screenplays such asSararaanthal,Mikhayelinte Santhathikal,Megham,Kutty Srank andEe.Ma.Yau are his major works.[3]
Mathews was born in a Latin Christian family[4] on 18 February 1960 in Ernakulam, Kerala to Francis of the Poovankery house and his wife Mary.[5] After his early schooling in Don Bosco School and St. Augustine's School,Kochi, he graduated in economics fromSt. Albert's College Kochi, in 1980 and secured his master's degree in Malayalam in 1982.[5] He started writing at the age of 10 when he used to write and direct one- act plays.[6] He took to short stories at the age of 16[6] and his short stories have been published in leading Malayalam publications likeMalayala Manorama,Kalakaumudi,Mathrubhumi,Madhyamam andBhashaposhini.[5] He spent his regular career at Advocate General's Office of theHigh Court of Kerala from where he superannuated in 2016.[7]
His first short story anthology,Njayarazhcha Mazha Peyyukayayirunnu (It Was Raining on Sunday), was published in 1986 by Current Books. His second work was a novel,Chaavunilam (Land of the Dead),[8] based on the coastal life in Kochi[9] and published in 1996 byDC Books,[10] which won theState Bank of Travancore award for the best novel.[10] Subsequent years produced two more short story collections,Jalakanyakayum Gandarvanum (the Mermaid and the Celestial Lover) and2004il Alice (Alice in 2004).[11] In 2013, a short story anthology,Kathakal (Stories),[12] and his memoirs,Theerajeevithathinu Oru Oppees (A Requiem for the Coastal Life), were published.[13] His second novel,Iruttil Oru Punyalan (A Saint Shrouded in Darkness), was published in 2015, and two of its chapters were published byMathrubhumi weekly, prior to the official release of the book.[14] The book has since been translated intoTamil, under the title,Iruttil Oru Punithan, by P. S. Ramesh.[15]
Mathews debuted into screen writing with a documentary film,Keep the City Clean.[3] In 1991, he won the Kerala State Television Award for screen play, for the tele-seriesSararaanthal (The Lantern), broadcast inDoordarshan.[3] He received his second state television award forMikhayelinte Santhathikal (Descendants of Mikhayel), in 1993.[3] Several works followed, which includedDr. Harischandra (1994),Roses in December (1995),Charulatha (1999),Aathma (2000),Edayanum Mankidavum (2003), Megham (2004),Mantharam (2005),Aa Amma (2006),Pakalmazha (2009) andDaivathinu Swantham Devootti (2012), the last one winning State television award for the best Series.[16] He has also won the script writing competition held nationwide byNational Film Development Corporation of India, forNaattukaaryam, in 1993.[3]
Mathews' foray into big screen was in 1986 with the story ofThanthram (the Plot), aMammooty starrer.[17] This was followed byPuthran (the Son),[18] a sequel to the successful tele series,Mikhayelinte Santhathikal.[19] The next wasKutty Srank, directed byShaji N. Karun,[20] which won him theNational Film Award for Best Screenplay for the year 2010.[2]Antichrist, aLijo Jose Pellissery project, withPrithviraj,Fahadh Faasil andIndrajith in lead roles,[21] was put on hold after initial discussions.[7] The next project,Ee.Ma.Yau, aLijo Jose Pellissery film,[22][23] was released in May 2018 and the film received good critical reviews.[24][25][26][27] Another Lijo Jose Pellissery film has also been announced, with Mamootty in the lead role.[28]
Mathews also sat in the jury panel of theKerala State Film Awards for the year 2016.[29]
Mathews, a recipient of theKCBC Yuvaprathibha (Young Talent) award (1999), is married to Shobha[3] and the couple has two sons, Unni Mathews and Anand Mathews, both of whom are part of the 'Karikku' team.[5] He has been employed with the Advocate General's Office, Ernakulam,[5] and has since superannuated from service.[7]
| Award | Year | Work |
|---|---|---|
| National Film Award for Best Screenplay | 2010 | Kutty Srank |
| Kerala State Television Award for Best Screenplay | 1991 | Sararaanthal |
| Kerala State Television Award for Best Screenplay | 1993 | Mikhayelinte Santhathikal |
| National Film Development Corporation of India Prize for Best Screenplay | 1993 | Naattukaaryam |
| State Bank of Travancore Award for Best Novel | 1996 | Chaavunilam |
| KCBC Yuvaprathibha Award | 1999 | General Contribution |
| Movie Street Film Award for Best Screenplay[30] | 2019 | Ee.Ma.Yau. |
| Sinema Zetu International Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay[31][32] | 2019 | Ee.Ma.Yau. |
| Vaikom Muhammed Basheer Award[33] | 2019 | Pathimoonnu Kadalkaakkakalude Upama |
| Akbar Kakkattil Award[34] | 2021 | Chila Pracheena Vikarangal |
| 2020Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel[35][36] | 2021 | Adiyala Pretham |
| O V Vijayan Memorial Literary Award[37] | 2022 | Adiyala Pretham |
| Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story[38] | 2022 | Muzhakkam |
| O. V. Vijayan Literary Award[39] | 2022 | Muzhakkam |
| News18 Kerala Malayali of the Year[40][41][42] | 2023 | Literary contributions |
| G Smaraka Puraskaram[43] | 2025 | Overall contributions |
| Pravasa Kairali Sahithya Puraskaram[44][45] | 2025 | Adiyalapretham |
| Work | Year | Genre / Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Njayarazhcha Mazha Peyyukayayirunnu | 1986 | Short story – Anthology |
| Chaavunilam[46] | 1996 | Novel |
| Jalakanyakayum Gandarvanum | 1998 | Short story – Anthology |
| 2004il Alice[47] | 2004 | Short story – Anthology |
| 27 Down | 2011 | Short story – Anthology |
| Kathakal[48] | 2013 | Short story – Anthology |
| Theerajeevithathinu Oru Oppees[49] | 2013 | Memoir |
| Iruttil Oru Punyalan[50] | 2015 | Novel |
| Pathimoonnu Kadalkakkakalude Upama[51] | 2018 | Short story – Anthology |
| Theranjedutha Kathakal[52] | 2018 | Short story – Anthology |
| Ee Ma Yau[53] | 2019 | Screenplay |
| Iruttil Oru Punithan[15] | 2019 | Tamil translation ofIruttil Oru Punyalan |
| Adiyalapretham[54] | 2019 | Novel |
| Chila Pracheena Vikarangal[55][56] | 2019 | Short story – Anthology |
| Kadalinte Manam[57][58] | 2021 | Novel |
| Muzhakkam[59][60] | 2021 | Short story – anthology |
| Moonga[61] | 2024 | Short story – anthology |
| Kanayma[62] | 2024 | Novel |
| Work | Genre | Director | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep the City Clean | Documentary | Jude Attipetty | 1981 |
| Sararaanthal | Tele-series | Jude Attipetty | 1991 |
| Mikhayelinte Santhathikal | Tele-series | Jude Attipetty | 1993 |
| Dr. Harischandra | Tele-series | Jude Attipetty | 1994 |
| Roses in December | Tele-series | Jude Attipetty | 1995 |
| Charulatha | Tele-series | Prashanth | 1999 |
| Aathma | Tele-series | Mohan Kupleri | 2000 |
| Edayanum Mankidavum | Tele-series | Jude Attipetty | 2003 |
| Megham | Tele-series | Saji Surendran | 2004 |
| Mandaram | Tele-series | Saji Surendran | 2005 |
| Aa Amma | Tele-series | Kiran | 2006 |
| Pakalmazha | Tele-series | Gireesh Konni | 2009 |
| Daivathinu Swantham Devootti | Tele-series | Madhupal | 2011 |
| Kali Gandaki | Tele-series | Madhupal | 2017 |
| Year | Work | Contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Thanthram | Story | |
| 1995 | Puthran | Screenplay | |
| 2002 | Savithriyude Aranjanam | Screenplay | |
| 2009 | Kutty Srank | Screenplay | Won:National Film Award for Best Screenplay |
| 2017 | Crossroad[63] | Screenplay | Anthology film; Segment-Oru Rathriyude Kooli |
| 2018 | Ee.Ma.Yau[64] | Screenplay | |
| 2019 | A for Apple | Story | |
| 2019 | Athiran | Screenplay |
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Translated title:Malayalam literary critics celebrate only the recognized mainstream writers
