Padmarajan Padmanabhan Pillai | |
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| Born | Padmarajan Padmanabhan Pillai (1945-05-23)23 May 1945 |
| Died | 23 January 1991(1991-01-23) (aged 45) |
| Other names | Pappettan |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1975–1991 |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | Radhalakshmi |
| Children | 2 |
Padmarajan Padmanabhan Pillai, better known asP. Padmarajan (23 May 1945 – 23 January 1991) was an Indianfilm maker,screenwriter andauthor who was known for his works inMalayalam literature andMalayalam cinema.[1] Considered as one of the greatest directors and screenwriters of all time, he founded a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, along withBharathan andK. G. George, in the 1980s.
Padmarajan was known for his detailed screenwriting and expressive direction style[2][3] and made some of the landmark motion pictures in Malayalam cinema.[4] He won theKerala Sahithya Academy Award in 1972 for his novelNakshathrangale Kaval. He made his directorial debut in 1979 withPeruvazhiyambalam which won theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam. He won his second National Award in 1986 withThinkalaazhcha Nalla Divasam. Padmarajan had won sixKerala State Film Awards which includes two awards forBest Story in 1978, 1979 and two awards forBest Screenplay in 1984 and 1986. He has written screenplay for thirty seven movies among which eighteen he directed. The screenplay for all the movies he directed were written by Padmarajan himself.Njan Gandharvan was his last movie and within a week of its release, he died atKozhikode due to sudden cardiac arrest.
Padmarajan was born on 23 May 1945 inMuthukulam nearHaripad inAlappuzha, which was then under the princely state ofTravancore. He was the sixth son of Thundathil Anantha Padmanabha Pillai and Njavarakkal Devaki Amma. After early schooling at Muthukulam, he studied atMahatma Gandhi College, Thiruvananthapuram andUniversity College, Thiruvananthapuram, graduating with aB.Sc. inchemistry (1963). Subsequently, he learnedSanskrit from the scholar Cheppad Achyutha Warrier at Muthukulam. He then joinedAll India Radio,Trichur (1965), starting as a programme announcer, and later settled atPoojappura,Thiruvananthapuram(1968); he would remain at All India Radio until 1986 when his involvement in films prompted him to retire voluntarily.Padmarajan began his literary career during his stay at Thrissur and the friendships and experiences he gained during the period influenced his works thereafter.[5]After his move to Thiruvananthapuram, his reputation as a writer and participation among the literary circles in the capital flourished.It was during this early days that he appeared in a short cameo in the movieKallichellamma which released in 1969. This is his only appearance in film as an actor.
Padmarajan's stories mainly deal withdeceit,murder,romance,mystery,passion,jealousy,libertinism,anarchism,individualism,social structure,human psychology and life of peripheral elements of society. Some of them are considered among the best inMalayalam literature.[6][7][8] In his films and stories, Padmarajan created characters that were complex, multidimensional, and deeply human. Padmarajan's works were often inspired by real-life people and situations he witnessed, such as the tragic tale of a woman who committed suicide after being abandoned by her lover, which served as the basis for his film "Thakara." He often drew inspiration from the people and situations he encountered in his daily life, such as the struggles of rural farmers or the complexities of urban relationships. Thescreenplay for all the movies he directed were written by Padmarajan himself. His first novel published in 1971 titledNakshathrangale Kaaval (The Stars Alone Guard Me) won theKerala Sahithya Academy award (1972).[9]
He entered the world ofMalayalam cinema by writing the screenplay forPrayanam (1975) which wasBharathan's directorial debut and had the cinematography byBalu Mahendra.[10]Rappadikalude Gatha (1978) was his third movie as a screenwriter which won theKerala State Film Award for Best Story in 1978. His next work as a screenwriter was the classicerotic filmRathinirvedam (1978) which is regarded as a landmark inIndian film history.[11]
After writing screenplay for three more films, Padmarajan made his directional debut in 1979 withPeruvazhiyambalam (The Halfway House). It won theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam and was included in IBN Live's list of 100 greatest Indian films of all time.[12] His next directedOridathoru Phayalvaan (There Lived a Wrestler) in 1981. Padmarajan also did the editing of this movie. It won the award for best script at theKuala Lumpur International Film Festival and a gold medal at theAsian Film Festival. In 1982 he directedNovemberinte Nashtam which was critically acclaimed. Padmarajan'sKoodevide? (1983) won theKerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value. In 1984, he wrote the screenplay forI. V Sasi'sKanamarayathu, which won theKerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay. In 1986 he directedDesatanakkili Karayarilla, which is one of the first Indian films that exploredwomance on screen.[13] He won the secondNational Award withThinkalazhcha Nalla Divasam in 1985. Padmarajan'sKariyilakkattu Pole (1986) is considered one of the classic investigative thrillers in Malayalam.[14] The same year he directedArappatta Kettiya Gramathil which was a failure at box office. The plot of the movie which revolves around a brothel and the sex workers in it eventually developed a cult following.[15]
WithMohanlal andMammootty in the lead role, Padmarajan directed some of thecult classic movies in Malayalam such asNamukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986),Arappatta Kettiya Gramathil (1986),Kariyilakkattu Pole (1986),Thoovanathumbikal (1987) andSeason (1989).[16] Thoovanathumbikal was ranked eighth by IBN Live in its list of greatest Indian films of all time and is considered one of the best romantic movies ever made in Malayalam.[17][18]Aparan (1988) is his another classic mystery psychological thriller which also marked the acting debut ofJayaram.[19] It won theKerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay in 1988.Moonnam Pakkam (1988) is another classic Padmarajan movie which was critically acclaimed.[20] His 1990 movieInnale is mainly noted for the performance ofSuresh Gopi.[21] Padmarajan's last movieNjan Gandharvan (1991) was a failure at box office. But the film later developed a cult following because of its aesthetics and storytelling. Within a week of its release, Padmarajan died at a hotel inKozhikode.[22] In total Padmarajan has written screenplay for 37 films among 18 of which he directed.
Together withBharathan andK. G. George, he successfully laid the foundation for a school of Malayalam cinema that strove to tread a middle ground by striking a fine balance. The term "Parallel film" is usually used to describe Padmarajan's style of film making. Along with Bharathan, he displayed mastery in handling sexuality on the screen, hitherto less known in Malayalam cinema.[23]
He was quite adept in spotting talent, and introduced many fresh faces who would later make their mark in Indian cinema, includingJayaram (Aparan),Ashokan (Peruvazhiyambalam),Rasheed (Oridathoru Phayalvaan),Rahman (Koodevide),Ramachandran (Novemberinte Nashtam),Ajayan (Moonnam Pakkam). Also artists likeNitish Bharadwaj (Njan Gandharvan),Suhasini (Koodevide);Shari (Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal) were introduced to Malayalam screen by him.[24]
He coaxed sparkling and inspired performances from many actors, such asBharath Gopi,Mammootty,Mohanlal,Jayaram,Shobana,Sumalatha,Karamana Janardanan Nair,Rahman,Jagathy Sreekumar,Suresh Gopi,Thilakan,Nedumudi Venu andAshokan; indeed, Thilakan's rendition inMoonnam Pakkam is considered one of the best performance in his career. His association withMohanlal andMammootty was well noted especially because their films broke the conventional concepts prevailing during that time.[25] He also aided in establishing, to a fair degree, the fame of other directors such asBharathan,I. V. Sasi, andMohan, through his association with them. His collaboration with Bharathan as a scriptwriter is considered to have produced remarkable works in Malayalam cinema. His assistants who went on to direct films independently includeThoppil Ajayan (Perumthachan),Suresh Unnithan's (Jaathakam,Raadhaamaadhavam), andBlessy's (Kaazhcha,Thanmaathra, the latter adapted from Padmarajan's short storyOrma.[26]
Padmarajan is celebrated for his unparalleled attention to detail in his screenplays. Most of his films portrayed human relationships and emotions.[27] Many of his films have haunting climaxes, most of them not commonly portrayed in Malayalam movies. His characters are portrayed with sensitivity and intensity on the screen. The landscape is also a major part of Padmarajan's craft in film making. His theses were well crafted in his films. Padmarajan's films explore the features of the landscape naturally.[28]
Padmarajan's screenplays had such hitherto-unheard of features and subjects – such as casting rain as a character inThoovanathumbikal (Dragonflies in the drizzle), homosexual love inDesatanakkili Karayarilla (Migratory Birds Don't Cry), unusual climax (by traditional standards) inNamukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal (Vineyards for us to dwell) andOridathoru Phayalvaan (There Lived a Wrestler).[29] Forbidden love and characters that strive to rise above the limitations of middle-class Malayali society of the seventies and eighties is a recurring theme in many of his works. Many of his films bear the mark of his romanticism.[30]
Padmarajan's wife Radhalakshmi is fromChittur inPalakkad. Radhalakshmi was his colleague atAIR before their marriage in 1970. Radhalakshmi has written her reminiscences about him in her bookPadmarajan Entaey Gandharvan (Padmarajan, my celestial lover). Their son, P. Ananthapadmanabhan, is a writer. They also have a daughter, Madhavikkutty.
Padmarajan died suddenly at Hotel Paramount Towers inKozhikode in the early hours of 23 January 1991. He was staying at the hotel overnight in the middle of a promotional tour visiting the theatres playing his last filmNjan Gandharvan. The cause of death was a massive cardiac arrest.[31] His dead body was taken to his ancestral home in Muthukulam, and was cremated there with full state honours.
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[32][7] According to his family sources, Padmarajan, who started his career as a Staff Announcer in All India Radio, rendered his voice in many movies as well. Some of the notable ones are as below:
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Padmarajan Puraskaram or Padmarajan Award is an annual film/literary award instituted by the Padmarajan Memorial Trust.[34] It carries a plaque and a cash award of₹ 10,000.[34] The award is given in two categories:
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