The black day

Born on 23rd May, 1945 in a small village, Muthukulam in Alappuzha district in Kerala, as the sixth son of Shri. Thundathil Anantha Padmanabha Pillai and Smt. Njavarakkal Devaki Amma. After his schooling at Muthukulam Boys High School, in 1959 he joined for Pre-University at Mahathma Gandhi College Thiruvananthapuram. After that he joined for Degree in University College Thiruvananthapuram opting Chemistry as his main subject and became a graduate in 1963. After his graduation, for nearly two and a half years he stayed in his home at Muthukulam and learned Sanskrit from the great Sanskrit Pandit shri Cheppad Achyutha Warrier. 

On April 26th 1965, he joined Trissur All India Radio as Programme Announcer. During this period, he started writing short stories in magazines like Mathrubhumi, and Kaumudi. On 24th March 1970, he married Radhalakshmy who worked with him in Thrissur AIR, at Guruvayoor temple. In 1968, after getting transferred to AIR, Thiruvananthapuram they stayed at Poojapura in Thiruvananthapuram.

During this period itself he became popular among literary figures. In 1972, he got that year's Kerala Sahithya Academy Award for his very first novel Nakshathrangale Kaval. In 1974, he entered the world of cinema by writing script for the film Prayanam, which was directed by Shri. Bharathan, which was the first film of Bharathan also. After that he has written scripts for many directors like IV Sasi, Mohan and K G George. Padmarajan-Bharathan tie was a big success at that time. They have launched many hit films like Thakara, Lorry, Rathinirvedam etc. Some of his short stories have been remade in other Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

His first venture as a film director was in 1978 by directing the film Peruvazhiyambalam scripted by Padmarajan himself, which bagged that year's National award for Best Regional Film and State Awards for Second Best Film and best Script writer. Following this the film Oridathoru Phayavan, written and directed by Padmarajan, which was released in 1980 got selected in the Kulalampur film festival that year and bagged awards for Best Film and Best Script writer.
As he became too busy in the film world, he was not able to go to AIR and so in 1986, he took voluntary retirement from there.

After that he was fully involved in the making films. 

Spending his whole life time in Literature and Cinema, he left this world on 23rd January, 1991 midnight in a hotel room (Paramount Towers) in Kozhikkode in a silent heart attack.

An old family photo

Giving instructions to Mammootty and Suhasini

In the sets of "Thoovaanathumbikal"

Padmarajan with his wife

Family details

Members in family are

Wife - Radhalakshmy Padmarajan.

Son - Anathapadmanabhan.

Daughter - madhavikutty

Adress

Radha lakshmi /Madhavikutty /AnanthaPadmanabhan
TC 17/584
Njavarakkal
P.R.A - 31
Poojappura
Trivandrum

Awards

• 1975

Best script - Filim Fans - Prayanam

• 1977

Best script Film Fans, Film Critics- Itha IvideVare

• 1978

Best Script - State- Rappadikalude Gaadha, Rathinirvvedam

Best Script - Film Fans - Rappadikalude Gaadha, Rathnirvvedam

• 1978

Second Best Film, Best Script & Director - Peruvazhiyambalam

Best Script, Best Regional Film - Central - Peruvazhiyambalam

• 1979

Best Script - Film Fans - Thakara

• 1982

Best Film, Best Script - International (Kualalumpur) - Oridathoru Phayalvan

Best Film - Gulf award, Filim Critics - Novemberinte Nashtam

• 1984

Best Film - State - Koodevide

Best Script - Film Critics - Koodevide

Best Director - Pournami Award - Koodevide

• 1985

Best Script - State, Film Critics - Kanamarayathu

• 1986

Best Script - Film Critics - Namukkuparkkan munthirithoppukal

Best Story - Film Chamber - Thoovanathumbikal

Best Script - Film Critics - Nombarathipoovu

• 1989

Best Script - State, Film Critics - Aparan, MoonnamPakkam

Best Director - Film Fare - Aparan

• 1990

Best script - State, Film Critics, Film Chamber - Innale

• 1991

FAC award - Njan Gandharvan

Films

1. Peruvazhiyambalam [Highway shelter] (adapted from his novel) (1979)
2. Oridaththoru phayalvaan [Once upon a time, a wrestler] (1981)
3. Kallan Pavithran [Pavithran the thief] (1981)
4. Novemberintaey nashtam [The loss of November] (1982)
5. Koodevide [Whither the nest] (adapted from the Tamil novel Moongil pookkal by Vaasanthi) (1983)
6. Parannu parannu parannu [Soaring soaring soaring] (1984)
7. Thinkalaazhcha nalla divasam [Monday, an auspicious day] (1985)
8. Nammukku paarkkaan munthiri thoppukal [Vineyards for us to dwell] (adapted from the novel Nammukku graamangalil chennu raappaarkkaam [Let us go and dwell in the villages] by K. K. Sudhakaran) (1986)
9. Kariyilakkaattu polaey [Like a zephyr of dry leaves] (1986)
10. Arappatta kettiya graamaththil [In the village which wears a warrior's belt] (1986)
11. Deshaadanakkili karayaarilla [The migratory bird never cries] (1986)
12. Nombaraththippoovu [The sorrowful flower] (1987)
13. Thoovaanathumbikal [Butterflies of the spraying rain] (adapted from his novel Udhakappola [A bubble in water]) (1987)
14. Aparan [The other] (adapted from his short story) (1988)
15. Moonnaampakkam [On the third day] (1988)
16. Season (1989)
17. Innalaey [Yesterday] (adapted from the Tamil novel Jananam [Birth] by Vaasanthi) (1990)
18. Njaan gandharvan [I, the celestial lover] (1991)

Screenplays

1. Prayaanam [Progression] (Bharathan) (1975)
2. Ithaa ividaey varaey [Look! Till here] (I. V. Sasi; adapted from his novel) (1977)
3. Rathinirvedham [Venereal disenchantment] (Bharathan; adapted from his novel) (1978)
4. Raappaadikaludaey gaadha [The song of the Nightingales] (K. G. George) (1978)
5. Nakshathrangalaey kaaval [The stars alone guard me] (K. S. Sethumadhavan; adapted from his novel) (1978)
6. Vaadakakkoru hrudhayam [A heart for rent] (I. V. Sasi; adapted from his novel) (1978)
7. Sathraththil oru raathri [A night in an inn] (N. Sankaran Nair) (1978)
8. Thakara [Weed] (Bharathan; adapted from his novel) (1979)
9. Lorry (Bharathan) (1980)
10. Kochchu kochchu thettukal [Minor mistakes] (Mohan) (1980)
11. Shalini entaey koottukaari [Shalini, my friend] (Mohan) (1980)
12. Idavela [Interval] (Mohan) (1982)
13. Eenam [Tune] (Bharathan) (1983)
14. Kaikeyi (I. V. Sasi) (1983)
15. Kaanaamarayaththu [Beyond the horizon] (I. V. Sasi) (1984)
16. Ozhivukaalam [Vacation] (Bharathan) (1985)
17. Karimpinpoovinakkaraey [Across the sugarcane flowers] (I. V. Sasi) (1985)
18. Ee thanuththa veluppaankaalaththu [In these cold wee hours] (Joshi) (1990)

Novels and short stories (excluding filmed ones)

1. Onnu randu moonnu [One, two, three]
2. Jalajwaala [The watery fire]
3. Nanmakaludaey sooryan [The sun of virtues]
4. Vikramakaaleeshwaram
5. Shavavaahanangalum thedi [In search of biers]
6. Manjukaalam notta kuthira [The horse which longed for winter]
7. Kaivariyudaey thekkaey attam [The southern end of the bannister]
8. Kazhinja vasanthakaalaththil [During last spring]
9. Prathimayum raajakumaariyum [The statue and the princess]
10. Prahaelika [Conundrum]
11. Pukakkannada [Smoke glasses]
12. Mattullavarudaey venal [The summer of others]
13. Syphilisintaey nadakkaavu [The path of syphilis]
14. Rithubhedhangaludaey paarithoshikam [The reward of vicissitudes]
15. Lola Milford enna American penkidaavu [Lola Milford, the American maiden]