P. N. Menon
Encyclopedia
P. N. Menon was an Indian film director
and art director
in Malayalam cinema
.
in Kerala
, he completed his studies at Thrissur
and from School of Art in Chennai
. He came to Chennai
when he was only 20 years old. He couldn't find any job in Chennai
, so travelled to Salem and become a production boy in a Studio. But, after two-and-a-half years, the studio was shut down and went back to Chennai
. He got back to sketches, then painting, then doing magazine covers. One of his designing assignments was for one of Producer B. Nagi Reddy
's magazines. The production house was so impressed with his talent that when they bought Vahini Studio in 1951, Nagi Reddy
's son appointed him as a paid apprentice in the painting department.
He got a job as an art director in an English play produced by the daughter of the then Andhra Chief Minister. They had three performances in Delhi
, one for the then Vice president
Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
, another for Prime minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
and the third for Army Chief
Field Marshal
K M Cariappa
. Ninamaninja Kalpadukal
was his first movie Malayalam movie as the art director and his debut in the field of film direction in the 60s with the film Rosie
(1965).
based on M. T. Vasudevan Nair
's script and released in 1970. It won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film
. Menon's boldest film is Kuttiyedathi (Eldest Sister), again based on a short story by M. T. Vasudevan Nair
.
Perhaps his most successful commercial film was Chembarathi
(Hibiscus
) which was based on a script by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan
and starred newcomers like Raghavan, Sudhir and Roja Ramani
(Sobhana) along with veteran actors like Madhu
and Rani Chandra
. Another script of Malayattoor Ramakrishnan
named Gayathri which was directed by him was awarded the President's Special Film Award
Medal for National Integration. Menon's film Malamukalile Daivam
, has won National Award
too.
After a long period of absence lasting more than a decade, he directed a film, Nerkkuneraey ("Face to Face"), in (2004).
His wife's name was Bharathi Menon and they had two daughters. He died on 9 September 2008, at a private hospital in Kochi.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
in Malayalam cinema
Malayalam cinema
The Cinema of Kerala or Malayalam cinema refers to the film industry in the Indian state of Kerala, which makes films in the Malayalam language. Malayalam movies typically portray social or family issues and are considered more realistic than films from other parts of India. Malayalam cinema has...
.
Early life
Born in a poor family in a small town called VadakkaancheryVadakkaanchery
Vadakkaanchery is a small town in the Thrissur district of Kerala....
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, he completed his studies at Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
and from School of Art in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. He came to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
when he was only 20 years old. He couldn't find any job in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, so travelled to Salem and become a production boy in a Studio. But, after two-and-a-half years, the studio was shut down and went back to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. He got back to sketches, then painting, then doing magazine covers. One of his designing assignments was for one of Producer B. Nagi Reddy
B. Nagi Reddy
Bommireddy Nagi Reddy was a Telugu movie producer from Pottipadu Village in the Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh. He set up Vijaya Vauhini Studios in Chennai, which was then Asia's biggest film studio. As his elder brother had the same initials and was known as B. N. Reddy, Nagi Reddy was...
's magazines. The production house was so impressed with his talent that when they bought Vahini Studio in 1951, Nagi Reddy
B. Nagi Reddy
Bommireddy Nagi Reddy was a Telugu movie producer from Pottipadu Village in the Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh. He set up Vijaya Vauhini Studios in Chennai, which was then Asia's biggest film studio. As his elder brother had the same initials and was known as B. N. Reddy, Nagi Reddy was...
's son appointed him as a paid apprentice in the painting department.
He got a job as an art director in an English play produced by the daughter of the then Andhra Chief Minister. They had three performances in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, one for the then Vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , OM, FBA was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was the first Vice President of India and subsequently the second President of India ....
, another for Prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
and the third for Army Chief
Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army
The Chief of the Army Staff is the commander and usually the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army. The position is abbreviated as COAS in Indian Army cables and communication....
Field Marshal
Field Marshal (India)
The rank of Field Marshal is the highest possible rank in the Indian Army. Only two Army appointments have been made by the Government of India since independence in 1947. An equivalent rank existed in the British Indian Army before 1947...
K M Cariappa
Kodandera Madappa Cariappa
Field Marshal Kodandera "Kipper" Madappa Cariappa OBE was the first Indian Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army and led the Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947.He is among only two Indian Army officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal Field Marshal...
. Ninamaninja Kalpadukal
Ninamaninja Kalpadukal
Ninamaninja Kalpadukal is a 1963 Malayalam language film directed by N. N. Pisharody and produced by Shobhana Parameswaran Nair. The lead role is played by Madhu, who debuted with this film. The film is based on a novel by Parappurath and portrays the trials the Indo-China war...
was his first movie Malayalam movie as the art director and his debut in the field of film direction in the 60s with the film Rosie
Rosie (1965 film)
Rosie or Rosy is a 1965 Indian Malayalam film written by P. J. Antony and directed by P. N. Menon. It stars Prem Nazir, Vijaya Nirmala, T. S. Muthaiah, D. K. Chellappan, Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair, P. J. Antony and Kaviyoor Ponnamma. The famous song "Alliyambal Kadavilannarakku Vellam" — composed...
(1965).
Career
P N Menon's Olavum TheeravumOlavum Theeravum
Olavum Theeravum is a 1970 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon. It has been credited with helping to bring about a "flowering of art-house films that have today become the defining quality of Malayalam cinema", with being Malayalam cinema's "breakthrough into realism", and as "a watershed in the...
based on M. T. Vasudevan Nair
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Madathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair , popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was born in Kudallur, a small village in the present day Palakkad District, which was under the Malabar District in the Madras Presidency of the British Raj...
's script and released in 1970. It won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film
Kerala State Film Award for Best Film
The Kerala State Film Award for Best Film winners:- References :* * Specific...
. Menon's boldest film is Kuttiyedathi (Eldest Sister), again based on a short story by M. T. Vasudevan Nair
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Madathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair , popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was born in Kudallur, a small village in the present day Palakkad District, which was under the Malabar District in the Madras Presidency of the British Raj...
.
Perhaps his most successful commercial film was Chembarathi
Chembarathi
Chembarathi is a 1972 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon and written by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan. It was produced by S. K. Nair, a famous literary personality and the founder of Malayalanadu weekly. It stars Madhu along with newcomers Roja Ramani, Raghavan and Sudheer in major roles. It was a...
(Hibiscus
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
) which was based on a script by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan
Malayattoor Ramakrishnan
Malayattoor Ramakrishnan was a prominent Malayali novelist of the 20th century from Kerala state, South India. He is credited with having authored several important works in Malayalam literature, including novels, short stories and biographical sketches...
and starred newcomers like Raghavan, Sudhir and Roja Ramani
Roja Ramani
Roja Ramani is a South Indian movie actress who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. She was a child star in her debut movie Bhakta Prahlada , and was popular during the 1970s and early 1980s. She has acted in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam movies...
(Sobhana) along with veteran actors like Madhu
Madhu (actor)
Madhavan Nair , commonly known by his stage name Madhu is an actor in Malayalam cinema. He was a prominent lead actor during the 60s and 70s. He has also directed and produced films, and at one time he owned Uma film studio.-Early life:...
and Rani Chandra
Rani Chandra
Rani Chandra was a Malayalam film actress and winner of the Miss Kerala Title. She died in a plane crash in 1976. She acted in several landmark films such as Nellu , Bhadrakali and Swapnadanam .-Career:Her first film, Anjusundarikal, was widely accepted by the audience...
. Another script of Malayattoor Ramakrishnan
Malayattoor Ramakrishnan
Malayattoor Ramakrishnan was a prominent Malayali novelist of the 20th century from Kerala state, South India. He is credited with having authored several important works in Malayalam literature, including novels, short stories and biographical sketches...
named Gayathri which was directed by him was awarded the President's Special Film Award
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
Medal for National Integration. Menon's film Malamukalile Daivam
Malamukalile Daivam
Malamukalile Daivam is a 1983 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon. The film is set in a tribal village in Kerala where religious superstition and ignorance maintain stasis. A relatively intelligent boy escapes its oppressive confines and later returns, determined to bring enlightenment to the...
, has won National Award
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
too.
After a long period of absence lasting more than a decade, he directed a film, Nerkkuneraey ("Face to Face"), in (2004).
His wife's name was Bharathi Menon and they had two daughters. He died on 9 September 2008, at a private hospital in Kochi.
Filmography
- RosieRosie (1965 film)Rosie or Rosy is a 1965 Indian Malayalam film written by P. J. Antony and directed by P. N. Menon. It stars Prem Nazir, Vijaya Nirmala, T. S. Muthaiah, D. K. Chellappan, Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair, P. J. Antony and Kaviyoor Ponnamma. The famous song "Alliyambal Kadavilannarakku Vellam" — composed...
- Olavum TheeravumOlavum TheeravumOlavum Theeravum is a 1970 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon. It has been credited with helping to bring about a "flowering of art-house films that have today become the defining quality of Malayalam cinema", with being Malayalam cinema's "breakthrough into realism", and as "a watershed in the...
- KuttyedathiKuttyedathiKuttyedathi is a 1971 Malayalam language film directed by P. N. Menon and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. Widely regarded as one of the best South Indian films made in the 1970s, Kuttyedathi is woven around the life of a girl, who is an ugly duckling with tomboyish tendencies, and who is...
- Mappusakshi
- Panimudakku
- ChembarathiChembarathiChembarathi is a 1972 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon and written by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan. It was produced by S. K. Nair, a famous literary personality and the founder of Malayalanadu weekly. It stars Madhu along with newcomers Roja Ramani, Raghavan and Sudheer in major roles. It was a...
- Chaayam
- Darsanam
- Gayathri
- Mazhakkaaru
- Udayam Kizhakku Thanne
- Odakkuzhal
- Taxi Driver
- Archana Teacher
- Kadamba
- Asthram
- Malamukalile DaivamMalamukalile DaivamMalamukalile Daivam is a 1983 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon. The film is set in a tribal village in Kerala where religious superstition and ignorance maintain stasis. A relatively intelligent boy escapes its oppressive confines and later returns, determined to bring enlightenment to the...
- Padippura
- Nerkku Nere