Acclaimed Malayalam screenwriter and director Dennis Joseph dies

Dennis Joseph, one of Malayalam cinema's most acclaimed screenwriters, died of a cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Kottayam on Monday night. He was 63.

Dennis, who wrote blockbusters in the 1980s and 1990s starring Mohanlal and Mammootty, began his career in the early eighties as a journalist with a film magazine. By 1985, he had made the leap to penning screenplays, writing the Mammootty-starrer Eeran Sandhya. He went on to write some of Malayalam cinema's most iconic films including Nirakkoottu (1985), Rajavinte Makan (1986), Shyama (1986), New Delhi (1987), Sangham (1988), No 20 Madras Mail (1990), Kottayam Kunjachan (1990), Akashadoothu (1993) and Palayam (1994).

Besides writing scripts, he also directed five movies, of which Manu Uncle fetched him the National Film Award for Best Children's Film in 1988.

Mammootty and Mohanlal, whose careers were shaped by Dennis, took to social media to pay tribute to their friend.

Sharing a throwback picture with the veteran on Instagram, Mohanlal hailed Dennis as the king of the screenplay world. "As I write these lines for my beloved Dennis, it feels like a flood of memories is come out of nowhere, restricting my hand. Dennis was the king of the screenplay world. I'm the one who was lucky enough to give life to so many characters who were born as the children of the king. Dennis had a love that hid in a gentle smile and never expected anything in return. There are so many vibrant stories on the silver screen, the waves of emotional turmoil. I cannot express my bond with him in words,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Mammootty wrote, "I am deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Dennis Joseph. The brother-like friend, who was with me in my time of growth and during my desperate times, is no more, and he will be remembered through all the films he wrote and directed. I wish you eternal peace."

Many actors from the current generation of Malayalam cinema also honoured the legend on social media.

Dennis's last project was the Priyadarshan film Geethaanjali (2013), which starred Mohanlal. He is survived by his wife Leena and children Elizabeth, Rossy and Jose.