P. Bhaskaran | |
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| Born | (1924-05-21)21 May 1924 Kodungallur,Kingdom of Cochin,British India (present dayThrissur,Kerala, India) |
| Died | 25 February 2007(2007-02-25) (aged 82) Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala, India |
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| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse | Indira |
Pulloottupadathu Bhaskaran alias asP. Bhaskaran (21 April 1924 – 25 February 2007), was an IndianMalayalam language poet, lyricist ofMalayalam film songs, and filmmaker. He penned more than 3000 songs for about 250 films.[citation needed] He also directed 44 Malayalam feature films and three documentaries, produced six feature films, and acted in several movies. For his overall contributions to Malayalam cinema, he was awardedJ. C. Daniel Award by theGovernment of Kerala.
He was also a journalist and anAll India Radio employee before becoming active in the film industry. He was well known for the simple use of language in his songs and poems.
P. Bhaskaran was born on 21 April 1924 inKodungallur in the erstwhileKingdom of Cochin. His father, Nandyelathu Padmanabha Menon was a poet, lawyer, journalist, andIndian independence activist. His mother was Pulloottupadathu Ammalu Amma. Bhaskaran got his family name,Pulloottupadathu, throughmatrilineal succession. Bhaskaran was the sixth among the nine children among his parents. His father died when he was studying in the fifth standard.[1] He started to write poems when he was studying in 7th standard. He studied inMaharaja's College, Ernakulam. He used to write poems in a local magazine. For taking part in the August Struggle, he was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment. After getting released, he went toKozhikode and joinedDeshabhimani Weekly.
P. Bhaskaran started to write songs for communist stage performers. His songs were banned in the (then) State ofTravancore. His first collection of poems was released under the titleVillali. During the Communist Rebellion inPunnapra-Vayalar, he wrote a song titledVayalar Garjikkunnu (Vayalar Roars) under the pen nameRavi. The song, starting with the linesUyarum Njan Nadake... rose to legendary stature in the days to come, during which the song was banned and he was expatriated from the (then) State of Travancore as per the orders ofDewanC. P. Ramaswami Iyer. Then he went toChennai (thenMadras) to join the editorial board of theJayakeralam. He used to write songs forAkashavani, which helped him secure a job in Kozhikode Akashvani. In the 1950s, he got associated with the film industry. He quit his job in Akashavani and went to Chennai to start a full-time film career. The lyrics for the theme song of the Malayalam channelAsianet, startingShyama Sundara was also written by him.
P. Bhaskaran's debut as a lyricist was for aTamil film. He wrote the Malayalam lines for a multi-lingual song in filmApoorva Sagodharargal (1949). The first Malayalam film song for which he wrote lyrics was "Madhumadhuri..." for the filmChandrika (1950). He worked with the directorP. Venu in his filmsViruthan Shanku (1968),Virunnukari (1969), andAriyapedatha Rahasiyam (1981) and produced some evergreen songs.
In 1954, Bhaskaran along withRamu Kariat directed the filmNeelakkuyil. The movie is regarded[by whom?] as ushering insocial realism in Malayalam cinema. It got the President's silver medal, the first-ever national recognition for a Malayalam film. Two years later, he did his first solo work, titledRarichan Enna Pouran. It failed at the box office. His films Adyakiranangal (1964),Iruttinte Athmavu (1969), andThurakkatha Vathil (1971) went on to winNational Film Awards for various categories. He also acted in several films includingNeelakkuyil. He appeared in the filmManoradham (1978), as a strict family head who has deep faith inastrology. He also directed several documentaries including the award-winningVallathol.
Bhaskaran suffered fromAlzheimer's disease at the end of his life, and could not recognize anyone who worked with him, a notable example being that the noted singerS. Janaki, who sang many songs written by him. The incident goes like this, as told byRavi Menon, a veteran journalist and music critic, who accompanied Janaki to Bhaskaran's home: When Janaki sang some of her songs written by Bhaskaran, he accompanied her, but could not remember that they were written by him. The last film for which he wrote lyrics was 'Soudamini', released in 2003. He died on 25 February 2007 at his home inThiruvananthapuram aged 83. He was cremated with full state honors at Thycaud Santhikavadam crematorium.[2] His biographyUrangatha Thamburu by Perumpuzha Gopalakrishnan was published by Mathrubhumi Books.
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