M. T. Vasudevan Nair

M. T. Vasudevan Nair
M.T. in 2015
Born	Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair (1933-07-15)15 July 1933 Kudallur, Madras Presidency, British India
Died	25 December 2024(2024-12-25) (aged 91) Kozhikode, Kerala, India
Occupation	Novelist, short story writer, screenplay writer, film director
Language	Malayalam, English
Alma mater	Victoria College, Palakkad
Genre	Novel, short story, children's literature, travelogue, essays
Subject	Social aspects, Oriented on the basic Kerala family and cultures
Notable works	Naalukettu Randamoozham Manju Kaalam Asuravithu Iruttinte Athmavu
Notable awards	Padma Vibhushan Padma Bhushan Kerala Jyothi Jnanpith Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award
Spouse	Prameela ​ ​ (m. 1965; div. 1976)​ Kalamandalam Saraswathi ​ ​ (m. 1977)​
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Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature. Randamoozham, which retells the story of the Mahabharata from the point of view of Bhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.

At the age of 20, as a chemistry undergraduate, he won the prize for the best short story in Malayalam for Valarthumrigangal at World Short Story Competition jointly conducted by New York Herald Tribune, Hindustan Times, and Mathrubhumi. His first major novel, Naalukettu (The Legacy), written at the age of 23, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His other novels include Manju (Mist), Kaalam (Time), Asuravithu (The Demon Seed), and Randamoozham (The Second Turn). The emotional experiences of his early days went into his novels, and most of his works are oriented towards the basic Malayalam family structure and culture. His three novels set in traditional tharavads in Kerala are Naalukettu, Asuravithu, and Kaalam.

Nair was a screenwriter and director of Malayalam films. He directed seven films and wrote the screenplay for around 54 films. He won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay four times, for: Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992), and Parinayam (1994), which is the most by anyone in the screenplay category. In 1995 he was awarded the highest literary award in India, Jnanpith, for his overall contribution to Malayalam literature. In 2005, India's third-highest civilian honour, Padma Bhushan, was awarded to him. He died in Kozhikode on 25 December 2024. In 2025, he received Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour, posthumously.