Poovankery Francis Mathews is an Indian author of
Malayalam literature
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...
and a
screenplay writer
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.
T ...
in Malayalam film and Television industries.
A Winner of a
National Film Award for Best Screenplay
The National Film Award for Best Screenplay is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one o ...
and multiple State television and other literary awards including the
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel
The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing a novel of literary merit. It is one of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award#Awards, twelv ...
and
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story
The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing a story of literary merit. It is one of the twelve categories of the Kerala Sahitya A ...
, 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
''Kutty Srank'' ( en, The Sailor of Hearts) is a 2010 Indian Malayalam arthouse film directed by Shaji N. Karun. Mammootty played the title role for the film. The film was produced by Reliance Entertainment under the banner of Big Motion Pict ...
'' and ''
Ee.Ma.Yau
''Ee.Ma.Yau'' (Malayalam: ഈ.മ.യൗ) is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language independent tragedy film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by P. F. Mathews. It stars Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Pauly Valsan, Bitto Davis, Kainakary ...
'' are his major works.
Early years
Mathews was born in a Latin Christian family
on 18 February 1960 in Ernakulam, Kerala to Francis of the Poovankery house and his wife Mary.
After his early schooling in Don Bosco School and St. Augustine's School,
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
, he graduated in economics from
St. Albert's College
St. Albert's College is an autonomous liberal arts college located at Kochi, India. It has twenty three degree courses, twelve postgraduate courses and seven research centres. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has accredi ...
Kochi, in 1980 and secured his master's degree in Malayalam in 1982.
He started writing at the age of 10 when he used to write and direct one- act plays.
He took to short stories at the age of 16
and his short stories have been published in leading Malayalam publications like
Malayala Manorama
''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...
,
Kalakaumudi
''Kalakaumudi'' ( is an illustrated weekly news magazine published in Malayalam language from Kerala, India. It is printed in Thiruvananthapuram and distributed throughout Kerala by Kalakaumudi Publications Pvt. Ltd. ''Kalakaumudi'' was launc ...
,
Mathrubhumi
''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian independence movement, Indian freedom struggle against the British Raj, British. The word "M ...
,
Madhyamam
''Madhyamam'' (meaning ''Medium'') is a Malayalam-language newspaper published in Kerala, India, since 1987.[Bhashaposhini
''Bhashaposhini'' is an Indian monthly magazine. It is one of the oldest Malayalam literary review magazines.
History and profile
''Bhashaposhini'' was first published in 1892 as a literary journal of the Bhashaposhini Sabha. The founding edito ...](_blank)
.
He spent his regular career at Advocate General's Office of the
High Court of Kerala
The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the High Court has the power to issu ...
from where he superannuated in 2016.
Literary career
His first short story anthology, ''Njayarazhcha Mazha Peyyukayayirunnu'' (It Was Raining on Sunday), was published in 1986 by Current Books. His second work was a novel, ''Chaavunilam'' (Land of the Dead),
based on the coastal life in Kochi
and published in 1996 by
DC Books
DC Books is a publisher in Kerala publisher of books in Malayalam, and one of the publishers in India . It also operates one of the largest book store chains in India, with a network of over 45 bookshops under the DC Books and Current Books b ...
,
which won the
State Bank of Travancore
State Bank of Travancore (SBT) was a major Indian bank headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and was a major associate of State Bank of India.
SBT was a subsidiary of the State Bank Group, but also had private share-holders. It was ...
award for the best novel.
Subsequent years produced two more short story collections, ''Jalakanyakayum Gandarvanum'' (the Mermaid and the Celestial Lover) and ''2004il Alice'' (Alice in 2004).
In 2013, a short story anthology, ''Kathakal'' (Stories),
and his memoirs, ''Theerajeevithathinu Oru Oppees'' (A Requiem for the Coastal Life), were published.
His second novel, ''Iruttil Oru Punyalan'' (A Saint Shrouded in Darkness), was published in 2015, and two of its chapters were published by
Mathrubhumi
''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian independence movement, Indian freedom struggle against the British Raj, British. The word "M ...
weekly, prior to the official release of the book.
The book has since been translated into
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
, under the title, ''Iruttil Oru Punithan'', by P. S. Ramesh.
Film and television career
Mathews debuted into screen writing with a documentary film, ''Keep the City Clean''.
In 1991, he won the Kerala State Television Award for screen play, for the tele-series ''Sararaanthal'' (The Lantern), broadcast in
Doordarshan
Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...
.
He received his second state television award for ''Mikhayelinte Santhathikal'' (Descendants of Mikhayel), in 1993.
Several works followed, which included ''Dr. Harischandra'' (1994), ''Roses in December'' (1995), ''Charulatha'' (1999), ''Aathma'' (2000), ''Edayanum Mankidavum'' (2003), Megham (2004), ''Mantharam'' (2005), ''Aa Amma'' (2006), ''Pakalmazha'' (2009) and ''Daivathinu Swantham Devootti'' (2012), the last one winning State television award for the best Series.
He has also won the script writing competition held nationwide by
National Film Development Corporation of India
The National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) based in Mumbai is the central agency established in 1975, to encourage high quality Indian cinema. It functions in areas of film financing, production and distribution and under Ministr ...
, for ''Naattukaaryam'', in 1993.
Mathews' foray into big screen was in 1986 with the story of
Thanthram
''Thanthram'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language drama film, directed by Joshiy and produced by Mathew George. The film stars Mammootty, Urvashi, KPAC Lalitha and P. C. George. The film was remade in Telugu as '' Chettu Kinda Pleader'' (19 ...
(the Plot), a
Mammooty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, H ...
starrer.
This was followed by ''
Puthran'' (the Son),
a sequel to the successful tele series, ''Mikhayelinte Santhathikal''.
The next was
Kutty Srank
''Kutty Srank'' ( en, The Sailor of Hearts) is a 2010 Indian Malayalam arthouse film directed by Shaji N. Karun. Mammootty played the title role for the film. The film was produced by Reliance Entertainment under the banner of Big Motion Pict ...
, directed by
Shaji N. Karun
Shaji Neelakantan Karun (born 1 January 1952) is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film ''Piravi'' (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Kerala ...
,
which won him the
National Film Award for Best Screenplay
The National Film Award for Best Screenplay is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one o ...
for the year 2010.
''Antichrist'', a
Lijo Jose Pellissery
Lijo Jose Pellissery (born 18 September 1978) is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. Known for his unconventional approach in directing, his films are characterized by nonlinear storylines and very long takes. His best ...
project, with
Prithviraj,
Fahadh Faasil
Fahadh Fazil (8 August 1982) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and has appeared in few Tamil and Telugu films. He has acted in more than 50 films and has received several awards, including a Natio ...
and
Indrajith in lead roles,
was put on hold after initial discussions.
The next project,
Ee.Ma.Yau
''Ee.Ma.Yau'' (Malayalam: ഈ.മ.യൗ) is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language independent tragedy film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by P. F. Mathews. It stars Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Pauly Valsan, Bitto Davis, Kainakary ...
, a
Lijo Jose Pellissery
Lijo Jose Pellissery (born 18 September 1978) is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. Known for his unconventional approach in directing, his films are characterized by nonlinear storylines and very long takes. His best ...
film,
was released in May 2018 and the film received good critical reviews.
Another Lijo Jose Pellissery film has also been announced, with Mamootty in the lead role.
Mathews also sat in the jury panel of the
Kerala State Film Awards
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 ...
for the year 2016.
Personal life
Mathews, a recipient of the
KCBC
KCBC (770 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a Christian talk and teaching radio format. It is Licensed to Manteca, California, with radio studios and offices in Oakdale. The station is owned by the Crawford Broadcasting Comp ...
Yuvaprathibha (Young Talent) award (1999), is married to Shobha
and the couple has two sons, Unni Mathews and Anand Mathews, both of whom are part of the 'Karikku' team.
He has been employed with the Advocate General's Office, Ernakulam,
and has since superannuated from service.
Awards and recognitions
Literary works
Tele-series and Documentaries
Filmography
See also
*
List of Indian writers
This is a list of notable writers who come from India or have Indian nationality. Names are sorted according to surname.
A
B
C
D
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
...
References
Further reading
*
*
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, P. F.
Malayalam screenwriters
Screenwriters from Kochi
Malayalam novelists
Malayalam-language writers
1960 births
Indian male novelists
Indian male short story writers
Living people
Don Bosco schools alumni
University of Kerala alumni
20th-century Indian short story writers
20th-century Indian novelists
21st-century Indian novelists
21st-century Indian short story writers
Indian male screenwriters
Indian television writers
Novelists from Kerala
20th-century Indian male writers
21st-century Indian male writers
Best Original Screenplay National Film Award winners
Male television writers