K. T. Muhammed (29 September 1927 – 25 March 2008), popularly known as KT, was a

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He had scripted about 40 stage plays, including ''Idhu Bhumiyanu'' (''This is the Earth''), considered to be his masterpiece. He had also written screenplay for about 20 films, including ''

Kandam Becha Kottu ''Kandam Becha Kottu'' () is a 1961 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed and produced by T. R. Sundaram under the banner of Modern Theatres. It stars Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair and Prem Nawas in the lead roles, along with T. S. Muthaiah ...

'', ''Thurakkatha Vathil'', ''

Moodupadam ''Moodupadam'' is a 1963 Malayalam language film directed by Ramu Kariat and scripted by K. T. Muhammed based on S. K. Pottekkatt's novel of the same name. Sathyan and Ambika play the lead roles. It is a social film about the relationship betwee ...

'', and ''

Kadalpalam ''Kadalpalam'' is a 1969 Malayalam language film directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan, written by K. T. Mohammed and produced by M. O. Joseph under Manjilas Films. The film stars Sathyan, Prem Nazir and Jayabharathi with Sheela, Bahadoor and Adoor B ...

''. K. T. was a recipient of

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

Biography

K. T. was born in

Manjeri Manjeri () is a major town and municipality in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is the fourth-most populous municipality in state. It is situated southeast to Karipur International Airport and northeast to Malappuram, the district hea ...

Malappuram district Malappuram (), is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . It is the most populous district of Kerala, which is home to around 13% of the to ...

as the eldest son of a policeman and had very little formal education. After schooling he worked as a clerk in the postal department. In 1952, he got the first prize in an all India short story contest for his story ''Kannukal'' (Eyes) which was later translated into many foreign languages. He was an active member of Brothers Music Club of

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

which was the training ground of many famous artists. He worked as the editor of Chithrakarthika weekly for a brief period of time. He started ''Sangamam Theatre'' a professional drama troupe which staged many of his famous plays both inside and outside the state. In 1971, he was nominated as the Chairman of

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy is located in Thrissur city, of Kerala, in India. It was established on 26 April 1958, inaugurated by then Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The academy started a cultural centre at the Bahrain Kerala ...

and in 1974 as Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation. He married actress

Zeenath Zeenath A.P is an Indian actress and dubbing artist. She was a prominent supporting actress during the 1990s in Malayalam films. Background Zeenath was born to Abu Achippuram and Fathima in Nilambur, Malappuram district. She had her primary edu ...

and that relation ended in divorce. The couple has a son Jithin. He died on 25 March 2008 at

Pavangad, Kozhikode Pavangad is a suburb included in Kozhikode corporation in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, India. It is located about 6.5 km north of Calicut on the Calicut-Kannur National Highway 66 (India) and is bounded by the Arabian Sea at the west, C ...

Selected Plays

*''Oorum Perum'' (A Person with Name and Dignity) *''Avar Theerumanikkunnu'' (They are Deciding) *''Karavatta Pashu'' (The Cow that Stopped Milking) *''Manushyan Karagruhathil'' (Man in Prison) *''Ithu Bhoomiyanu'' (This is the Earth) *''Kaffar'' *''Acchanum Bappayum'' *''Naalkkavala'' (The Junction) *''Njan Pedikkunnu'' (I am Getting Frightened) *''Kainathikal'' *''his one of the work is Baburaj. *''Pendulam'' *''Kalithokku'' (The Toy Gun) *''Operation Theatre'' *''Srishti'' (The Creation) *''Sthithi'' *''Samharam'' (The Annihilation) *''Sakshatkaram'' (The Fulfillment) *''Samanwayam'' (The Union) *''Sanatanum'' (The Eternal) *''Sannaham'' *''Vellapokkam'' (The Flood) *''Deepasthambam Mahashcharyam'' *" Soothradharan"

Awards

Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

s twice, for the Best

Screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, devel ...

; ''

'', 1969 and ''Achanum Bappayum'', 1972 *

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Depa ...

, 1982 *

, 1986 * Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam "Sahithya Award", 2005

References

External links

K. T. at Calicutcity.com
Indian Muslims Screenwriters from Kerala Malayali people Malayalam-language writers Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights 1927 births 2008 deaths People from Malappuram district Kerala State Film Award winners Malayalam screenwriters Indian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Manjeri 20th-century Indian male writers 20th-century Indian screenwriters Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship {{Kerala-stub