D. Jayakanthan, popularly known as JK, was an Indian writer, journalist, orator, filmmaker, critic and activist. Born in Cuddalore, he dropped out of school at the age of 9 and went to Madras, where he joined the Communist Party of India. In a career spanning six decades, he authored around 40 novels, 200 short stories, apart from two autobiographies. Outside literature, he made two films. In addition, four of his other novels were adapted into films by others.
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, popularly known as Thakazhi after his place of birth, was an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He wrote over 30 novels and novellas and over 600 short stories focusing on the lives of the oppressed classes. Known for his works such as Kayar and Chemmeen, Pillai was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, the third highest Indian civilian award. He was also a recipient of the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary award, awarded in 1984 for the novel Kayar.
Abdul Hameed was an Urdu fiction writer from Pakistan. He was also known for writing a popular children's TV play Ainak Wala Jin (1993) for Pakistan Television Corporation which was broadcast on PTV during the mid-1990s.
Madhupal Kannambathu is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. Madhupal made his acting debut with Kashmeeram in 1994 and his directorial debut with Thalappavu (2008), which was about Naxal Varghese and won several awards in 2008.
Kandanisseri Vattamparambil Velappan Ayyappan or V. V. Ayyappan, better known by his pen name Kovilan, was an Indian Malayalam language novelist and freedom fighter from Kerala. He is considered one of the most prolific writers of contemporary Indian literature. In all, he had authored 11 novels, 10 collections of short stories, three essays and a play.
P. C. Gopalan, popularly known by his pseudonym, Nandanar was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. He was known for his novels and short stories which had the backdrop of the Indian Army barracks of the 1940s and 1950s as well as for his children's literature. Anubhavangal, Ira, Thokkukalkkidayile Jeevitham, Athmavinte Novukal, Ariyappedatha Manushyajeevikal, Anubhoothikalude Lokam and a series of stories with Unnikkuttan as the lead character are some of his better known works. He received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel in 1964 for his work, Athmavinte Novukal.
Subha is the name used by the writing partnership of D. Suresh and A. N. Balakrishnan, who write stories, detective novels and screenplays in Tamil.
George Varghese Kakkanadan, commonly known as Kakkanadan, was an Indian short-story writer and novelist in the Malayalam language. His works broke away from the neo-realism that dominated Malayalam literature through the 1950s and 1960s. He is often credited with laying the foundation of modernism in Malayalam literature. He is a recipient of Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards in addition to numerous other awards and recognitions.
Payyanat Ravindra Nathan better known by his pen name P. R. Nathan, is a novelist, screenplay writer, dramatist, short story writer, travelogue writer and speaker from Palakkad, Kerala, India. He was awarded with the prestigious Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for overall contribution in 2014. He has written over 55 books in various genres. He is the recipient of 41 major awards across various categories in literature. He is an expert in Naturopathy and Reiki. He has done over 7000 speeches around the world on Vedas, Upanishads and Tantra. His book Vaayikenda oru Pusthakam was selected for the Sri Padmanabha Swamy Bala Sahithya Award instituted by the Gramam Samskarika Vedi. He was born in Kizhayoor, a small village in Pattambi, Palakkad. He was born as the elder son of Prabhakara Menon, a drawing teacher and Sarojiniamma, a music teacher. He took graduation in telecommunication Engineering and was employed in Provident Fund organisation of India. He resigned from the office to concentrate on his literature works and travelling. He was a member of academy of music dance and drama and has been a member of many award juries.
Devan Sreenivasan is an Indian film and television actor and politician. He is known for his character roles, mostly as villain, in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and a few Kannada and Hindi films. He has starred in over 380 films.
Akbar Kakkattil was an Indian short-story writer and novelist from Kerala state.
Ussangaantakathu Abdul Khader was an Indian author. He published in Malayalam, including novels, novellas, short stories, travelogues and non-fiction. His works have been translated to various languages including English, Hindi and Kannada. He was a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009 for his novella Thrikkottur Novellakal and had earlier received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1984 for Thrikkottur Peruma.
Ravi Vallathol was an Indian actor, mainly noted for his acting in many famous serials, including the first serial in Malayalam.
Vietnam Veedu Sundaram was an Indian playwright, screenwriter and film director. He wrote films such as Gauravam, Vietnam Veedu, Gnana Oli, Satyam, Grihapravesam, Justice Gopinath, Annan Oru Koyil, Naan Yen Pirandhen and Naalai Namadhe. He also directed a few films and is well known for his family themes. He written stories films in languages such as Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He also worked as an actor in films and television.
Poovankery Francis Mathews is an Indian author of Malayalam literature and a screenplay writer in Malayalam film and Television industries. A Winner of a National Film Award for Best Screenplay and multiple State television and other literary awards including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, he is known for his original style of writing. Literary works such as Muzhakkam, Kadalinte Manam, Adiyalapretham, Iruttil Oru Punyalan, and Chaavunilam and screenplays such as Sararaanthal, Mikhayelinte Santhathikal, Megham, Kutty Srank and Ee.Ma.Yau are his major works.
Shaiju Mathew is an Indian–Canadian author, screenplay writer, movie reviewer and director, known for his 2010 book Knocked Up. Knocked Up is set to become a feature film in Hindi, with Mathew co-producing. A Marathi movie Timepass loosely based on Knocked Up released in February 2014. The film was the highest grossing Marathi film until the release of Lai Bhaari in the same year, which broke its record. Andhra Pori starring Puri Akash son of Puri Jagannadh is also based on Mathew's novel Knocked Up.
Harikumar was an Indian screenwriter and film director, who worked in Malayalam films. He wrote screenplay, story, and dialogues for more than 20 Malayalam films. He directed films including Sukrutham, Ayanum, and Udhyanapalakan. He was a member of the National Film Awards Jury in 2005 and 2008. Harikumar died from cancer in Thiruvananthapuram, on 6 May 2024, at the age of 68.
Joseph Raphael, better identified as Ponjikkara Rafi, was an Indian essayist, playwright, short story writer and a novelist of Malayalam literature. His oeuvre consists of short story anthologies, novels, philosophical works and screenplays but he is best remembered for two novels, Daivadhoothan, regarded as the first Malayalam novel written in stream of consciousness narrative style, and Ora Pro Nobis, a historical novel based on the Dutch colonial rule. He was also the author of Kaliyugam, a philosophical work jointly written with his wife, Sabeena Rafi, which fetched him the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Miscellaneous Works in 1972.
Palakkalthazhe Mathai Mathew popularly known as Dr. P. M. Mathew Vellore, was an Indian psychologist, columnist, writer and actor from Kerala, credited with popularizing the subjects of Psychology and Sexology in Kerala. He was known for his clinical service as well as for the several psychology-related articles and columns he wrote in Malayalam periodicals during the last quarter of 20th century. He was also the author of over 20 books and acted in three Malayalam films.
Satheesh Babu Payyannur was a Malayalam–language short story writer and novelist from Kerala, India. His works include the novels Mannu, Daivappura, Manja Sooryante Naalukal and Kudamanikal Kilungiya Raavil, and the short story collections Peramaram, Vrishchikam Vannu Vilichu and Mazhayilundaya Makal. His oeuvre consists of 12 novels and around 200 short stories. The collection Peramaram won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story in 2012. He received the Karoor Award, Malayattoor Award, and Thoppil Ravi Award. He was also a media personality and has written, directed and produced television programmes, telefilms, and documentaries.
