Malayalam screenwriter-actor Madampu Kunjukuttan dies of Covid-19

Malayalam screenwriter-actor Madampu Kunjukuttan passed away on Tuesday. He was 81. The acclaimed writer was taken to a private hospital in Thrissur after he developed high fever. He was later diagnosed with the coronavirus.

A native of Thrissur, Madampu Kunjukuttan was a multi-talented person. He had studied Hasthyaayurvedam (treatment of elephants), taught Sanskrit at school and even worked as a priest at a temple. He also worked at Akashavani (All India Radio) and television channels. He entered the film industry as a screenwriter with Ashwadhamavu in the year 1979. In 2000, he bagged the prestigious National Award for best screenplay for Karunam, which was directed by Jayaraj. His film, Parinamam had won the award for the best screenplay at the Ashdod international film festival in Israel in 2003. Some of his other noted works as a screenwriter include Makalkku, Gourisankaram, Saphalam and Deshadanam. Besides writing, he has also acted in a slew of movies, including Mohanlal’s Aaraam Thampuran, director Shyamaprasad’s Agnisakshi and Jayaraj’s Shantham.

RIP! 🙏🏼#MadambuKunjukuttan Sir. PS: Social media timelines are beginning to look like obituary columns. Prayers for the departed and their families..and hope that times change for the better soon. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/As1z9oT44f

— Prithviraj Sukumaran (@PrithviOfficial) May 11, 2021

He is survived by his two daughters Jaseena Madampu and Haseena Madampu.

The Malayalam film celebrities have condoled the demise of Madampu Kunjukuttan. Actor Prithviraj said that his social media timeline has started to look like an obituary column. “RIP! Folded hands #MadambuKunjukuttan Sir. PS: Social media timelines are beginning to look like obituary columns. Prayers for the departed and their families..and hope that times change for the better soon (sic),” Prithviraj wrote on his Twitter page.

Madampu Kunjukuttan comes at a time when the Malayalam film industry is still mourning the death of iconic screenwriter-director Dennis Joseph. The filmmaker passed away last night following a heart attack.