Madampu Kunjukuttan

Madampu Sankaran Namboothiri (23 June 1941 − 11 May 2021), popularly known as Madampu Kunjukuttan, was a Malayalam actor, author and screenplay writer.^[1]

Madampu Sankaran Namboothiri
Born	(1941-06-23)23 June 1941 Kiralur, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Died	11 May 2021(2021-05-11) (aged 79) Thrissur, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Pen name	Madampu Kunjukuttan
Occupation	Novelist short story writer screenplay writer priest teacher actor
Nationality	Indian
Genre	Novel, Short story
Subject	Social aspects
Notable awards	National Film Award for Best Screenplay writer in 2000, Kerala Sahitya Academy Award
Spouse	Savithri Antharjanam

Background and personal life

Kunjukuttan was born in Kiralur village of Thrissur District on 23 June 1941.^{[citation needed]} He studied Sanskrit, Hasthyaayurvedam (treatment of elephants), worked as teacher for Sanskrit at Kodungalloor and was also a priest in a nearby temple. Madampu also worked for Ākāsha Vāṇī (All India Radio).^{[citation needed]} He was married to Savithri Antharjanam and had two daughters, Jaseena Madampu and Haseena Madampu.^[1]

Career

His noted works includes Aswathamavu, Mahaprasthanam, Avighnamasthu, Bhrashtu, Entharo Mahanubhavulu, Nishadam, Pathalam, Aryavarthanam, Amrithasya Puthrah and Thonnyasam. He also wrote screenplays for the movies 'Makalkku', 'Gourisankaram', 'Saphalam', 'Karunam' and 'Deshadanam'.^[1] Kunjukuttan's novel Mahaprasthanam won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Best Novel in 1983.^[2] He won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay in the year 2000 for the Malayalam film Karunam, directed by Jayaraj.^[3] He contested in the Assembly election in 2001 from Kodungallur on a BJP ticket, but did not win.^[4] In 2003, he won the Ashdod International Film Award for Best Screenplay for the film Parinamam (The Change) directed by P.Venu.^[5][6] He received Sanjayan Award in 2014.^[7] He was famous for being the host of TV show E4 Elephant along with Sreekumar Arookutty^[8] on Kairali TV.^[9] He died on 11 May 2021, at a hospital in Thrissur, succumbing to COVID-19 related complications.^[10]

Filmography

• Ashwathama (1978)
• Aaraam Thampuran (1997)
• Purushardham (1986)
• Agnisakshi (1999)
• Shantham (2000)
• Karunam (2000)
• Kattu Vannu Vilichappol (2001)
• Maargam (2003)
• Parinamam (The Change) (2003)
• Agninakshatram (2004)
• Rasikan (2004)
• Vadakkumnadhan (2006)
• Aanachandam (2006)
• Veeralipattu (2007)
• Adayalangal (2008)
• Shalabam (2008)^[11]
• Orma Mathram (2011)
• Arike (2012)
• Aattakatha (2013)
• Chirakodinja Kinavukal (2015)
• Utyopyile Rajavu (2015)
• Shyamaragam (2020)

Television

• E4 Elephant^[9]