Sunday marks the sixth death anniversary of a remarkably gifted scriptwriter of Malayalam cinema — Lohithadas.
He wrote screenplays for over 40 films and many of them were among the best in Malayalam cinema. The films reached out to the common man, who turned many of them into big commercial successes.
Lohithadas could claim a lot of credit for ensuring that the mainstream Malayalam cinema travelled on the path paved earlier by M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Padmarajan, K.G. George, and John Paul through their scripts.
His debut film, Thaniyavarthanam , announced the arrival of a hugely talented writer. Within a couple of years, with Kireedom he proved he was indeed a master storyteller, someone who knew his craft well.
Mohanlal’s character in Kireedom , Sethumadhavan, was brilliantly sketched by Lohithadas. Mammootty too has acted in some of the best films penned by Lohithadas, including Bhoothakannadi . The film also marked the debut of Lohithadas as a director.
It is about a schizophrenic watch repairer and his exaggerated concerns for his little daughter, for whom he is the single parent.
Lohithadas used the watch repairer’s magnifying glass as a brilliant metaphor for the man’s fears. It won the national award for the best film in 1997.
Dasaratham , which he wrote for director Sibi Malayil eight years earlier, may not have won such laurels, but it remains among his best films, especially for the novelty in the theme. This Mohanlal-starrer dealt with the theme of surrogate motherhood. The film, released in 1989, was ahead of its time; surrogacy became legal in India only in 2002.
He also wrote films such as Chakoram , Adharam , Venkalam , Bharatham , Amaram, His Highness Abdullah , Kanmadam , Patheyam , Sasneham , Sallapam , Jathakam , Kuttettan , Malayogam , Kauravar, and Sagaram Sakshi. P.K. Ajith Kumar
Sunday is the sixth death anniversary of a scriptwriter and director Lohithadas.
