Sukumaran Nair was born on 16 October 1916 in the village of Thikkurissy,Nagercoil, then part ofTravancore. The village of Thikkurissy is now in Nanchilnadu,Nagercoil,Kanyakumari district,Tamil Nadu. He was born to N. Lekshmi Amma and M. C. Govinda Pillai of the Mangat house, an aristocraticNair family.[2] He was a good writer and an orator even when he was doing his schooling in Marthandam Government Boys School. He wrote his first poem at the age of 8 and his poem was published for the first time when he was 14 inDhakshina Bharathi. His poems were collectively published as a book namedKedavilakku when he was 20.[3] His parents wanted him to secure a government job, but he launched his career in writing and arts even before he completed his studies. Incidentally, his sisterL. Omanakkunjamma was the first female magistrate in India.[3]
He launched his career as aplaywright. His playsMareechika andKalakaran were hugely successful. He then went on to write three more—Sthree,Maya andSheriyo Thetto—that revolutionised the professional play scenario inMalayalam. He replaced the melodramatic romantic musicals, which ruled the roost till then, with dialogue centred prose plays having themes ofrealism and social importance.[2]
He entered theMalayalam film industry in 1950, which was in its early years with only about 10 films produced.[4] He debuted in the industry with the film adaptation of his breakthrough playSthree. He produced the film and played the protagonist as well. It failed to make much impact at the box office, the film scene inKerala then being ruled byTamil andHindi films. Thikkurussy's next filmJeevitha Nouka (1951), produced by K and K Productions and directed by K. Vembu, was a turning point in Malayalam film history. It dealt with the theme of ego clashes in a joint family and was a big commercial success: It is touted as the first superhit in Malayalam film history.[5][6] The success also made Thikkurissy the first superstar of Kerala.[1]Jeevitha nouka was dubbed into four languages includingHindi. In 1952, he acted inNavalokam with a socially significant theme with Miss Kumari, who would later become the pet of the masses after the success ofNeelakkuyil (1954).Navalokam did not make it big at the box office, but Thikkurissy cemented his superstardom with a big hit in the same year.
Visappinte Vili hadPrem Nazir, then a novice. Thikkurissy coined Prem Nazir's screen name (his actual name was Abdul Khader). In 1953, another landmark of hisSheriyo Thetto, was released. It was a film adaptation of his play of the same name.Sheriyo Thetto had him handling the story, screenplay, dialogues, lyrics and direction departments besides playing the pivotal role.[7] With that Thikkurissy established himself as an inseparable element of Malayalam film industry. In 1968, he acted in the first full-length comedy film,Viruthan Shanku, directed byP. Venu. He was credited with lyrics, screenplay and direction in many films. The 13 films for which he was the lyricist includesSthree,Palunku Paathram,Devasundari,Urvashi Bharathi,Poojapushpam andBalloon.[7] He wrote story and screenplay forMuthalali andAana Valarthiya Vanampadi. He directed the filmsSheriyo Thetto, Poojapushpam, Achante Bharya, Palunkupathram, Saraswati, Nurse andUrvashi Bharathi. His major acting ventures areJeevithanauka, Navalokam, Visappinte Vili, Iruttinte Atmavu, Swayamvaram, Umma, Bhakthakuchela, Nadi, Thulabharam, Maya, Abhijathyam, Surveykkallu, Avanazhi and Aryan.[8]
Thikkurissy was married three times. His first wife was Sarojini Kunjamma, the daughter of Madhavan Unnithan from the Samudayathil family inKaruvatta,Haripad. They had two daughters: Shyamala Devi Kunjamma, also known as Lekha, who worked as an executive engineer in Ernakulam, and Geethadevi Kunjamma, a housewife in Pujappura, Thiruvananthapuram. After his separation from Sarojini, Thikkurissy married stage actress Ambalapuzha Meenakshy Amma. They had a son, Rajahamsan, who now lives in Chennai. This marriage also ended, and Thikkurissy later married K. Sulochana Devi, a singer and dancer. This third marriage lasted over four decades until his death. They had a daughter, Kanakasree, who was interested in poetry like her father. Kanakasree died in a motorcycle accident in 1989.[11] In his later years, Thikkurissy suffered from various health issues due to his age. He died on 11 March 1997, at the age of 80, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, due to kidney failure.[12]
