Malayalam screenwriter John Paul Puthussery no more

Thiruvananthapuram: Versatile screenwriter John Paul Puthussery, who penned the screenplay for around 100 films, many of them evergreen classics in Malayalam, died at a private hospital here on Saturday, industry sources said.

He was 72 and was under treatment for various diseases for some time.

Puthussery had been under critical medical care for the last two months after his condition got worse, they said.

Best known for the screenplays of classic movies like ”Chamaram”, ”Palangal” and ”Oru Minnaminunginte Nurungu Vettam”, all directed by the legendary Bharathan and Balu Mahendra-directed ”Yatra”, Puthussery was a genius who showcased rare skills to write all sorts of genres.

He also succeeded in erasing the boundaries of the class and mass movies and penned screenplays for both critically acclaimed movies and commercial entertainers.

The 1980 movie ”Chamaram” was the first film in his career.

Puthussery later got the opportunity to associate with several eminent filmmakers including I V Sasi, Sethumadhavan, Joshi besides Bharathan, and Balu Mahendra.

After the Sasi-directed movie ”Vellathooval” (2009), he took a 10-year-long break and came back to the industry with the script of ”Pranayameenukalude Kadal”, helmed by Kamal in 2019.

He is survived by a wife and a daughter.

Several personalities including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Education Minister V Sivankutty, Assembly speaker M B Rajesh, opposition leader V D Satheesan and actress Manju Warrier condoled Puthussery’s death. In his condolence message, Vijayan hailed him as a talented filmmaker who elevated the Malayalam cinema to the zenith of creativity.

Remembering him as a person who has profound knowledge in literature and cultural affairs, the Chief Minister also said Puthussery had made several notable contributions to the film industry in various capacities including as a screenwriter, director, producer, and so on.