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Dennis Joseph (20 October 1957 – 10 May 2021)[1][2] was an Indian scriptwriter and director known for his work in Malayalam films. He was active during the 1980s and early 1990s. He frequently collaborated with directors Joshi and Thambi Kannanthanam. He is known for scripting films including Nirakkoottu (1985), Rajavinte Makan (1986), Shyama (1986), New Delhi (1987), No.20 Madras Mail (1990), Kottayam Kunjachan (1990), Indrajaalam (1990), Akashadoothu (1993), Palayam (1994), and F.I.R. (1999). He also directed five films, including Manu Uncle, which won the National Film Award for Best Children's Film in 1988 and the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Children's Film in 1989.

Dennis Joseph
Dennis Joseph in 1980
Born	(1957-10-20)20 October 1957 Ettumanoor, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Died	10 May 2021(2021-05-10) (aged 63) Ettumanoor, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Alma mater	Deva Matha College, Kuravilangad (B.Sc.)
Occupation	Scriptwriter, Director, Journalist
Years active	1985–2021
Spouse	Leena
Children	3

Early life

Dennis was born on 20 October 1957 in Ettumanoor, Kottayam, Kerala, India, to M. N. Joseph and Eliyamma Joseph.[3] His father worked in the Indian Air Force, while his mother worked as a local teacher.[4] However, he was also born into a film-making family, being a nephew of actors Jose Prakash and Prem Prakash.[5] He was also the nephew to Francis Prakash, who would go on to be a producer of the 1974 film Shapamoksham.[4] He attended the Ettumanoor Government High School, followed by Deva Matha College, Kuravilangad, where he studied for a BS.c. degree in chemistry.[3][4]

Career

Dennis's career began at the Malayalam-language film magazine Cut Cut, where he worked as a sub-editor to the cartoonist B. M. Gafoor. During his stint at the magazine, he interviewed prominent actors in the Malayalam film industry, as well as spending time at filming locations.[4] Dennis made his debut into cinema in 1985, as the scriptwriter for the Jeassy film Eeran Sandhya, a film which saw Mammootty star alongside Shobana, Rahman and Joseph's uncle Jose Prakash.[4][5] He followed this by writing the screenplay for Nirakkoottu, also in 1985.[3] Directed by Joshiy, Nirakkoottu, whose cast included Mammootty, Urvashi, Lizzy and Sumalatha, told the story of a prisoner who seeks revenge for his wife's murder.[6]

Nirakkoottu was a success, leading Dennis to write a series of other films in the subsequent years. This included Rajavinte Makan, loosely adapted from Rage of Angels, a novel by Sidney Sheldon, which was released in 1986. Directed by Thampi Kannanthanam, this film was a huge success at the box office. Appearing as Vincent Gomas, a crime boss, Mohanlal successfully mesmerized the moviegoers and the film raised his stardom.[7] Similarly, after around many flops, Mammootty was in the darkest days of his career in the period 1986–87, when Dennis scripted New Delhi.[8] Directed by Joshiy, this film was also a loose adaptation of an English novel, Irving Wallace's The Almighty. Completely shot in and around Delhi, and went on to become the comeback film of Mammootty.[9]

In 1988, Dennis made his directorial debut with critically acclaimed Manu Uncle starring Mammootty,^{[citation needed]} and the film featured a comedic police officer played by Suresh Gopi.[10] It won the National Film Award for Best Children's Film in 1988 and the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Children's Film in 1989.^{[citation needed]}

Dennis continued writing scripts throughout the 1990s and 2000s; his last released film to date being 2013's Geethanjali, directed by Priyadarshan. He then took a hiatus from writing until 2020 when he announced a collaboration with director Omar Lulu on a film called Power Star.[11]

Personal life

Dennis was married to Leena and had three children – Elizabeth, Rossy, and Jose.[4]

Death

He died on 10 May 2021, in Kottayam following a heart attack.[3][12][5][13][14]

Filmography

[15][16]

As writer

Year	Title	Director	Notes	Ref.
1985	Eeran Sandhya	Jeassy		[4]
	Nirakkoottu	Joshiy		[17]
1986	Sayam Sandhya			[18]
	Aayiram Kannukal			[19]
	Shyama			[citation needed]
	Nyayavidhi		Dialogues Only	[18]
	Veendum			[5]
	Pranamam	Bharathan		[20]
	Rajavinte Makan	Thambi Kannanthanam		[17]
1987	New Delhi	Joshiy		[17]
	Bhoomiyile Rajakkanmar	Thambi Kannanthanam		[citation needed]
	Kathakku Pinnil	K. G. George		[18]
	Vazhiyorakazchakal	Thambi Kannanthanam		[19]
1988	Dhinarathrangal	Joshiy		[21]
	Thanthram			[5]
	Sangham			[19]
1989	Nair Saab			[22]
1990	Indrajaalam	Thambi Kannanthanam		[citation needed]
	Kottayam Kunjachan	T. S. Suresh Babu		[19]
	No.20 Madras Mail	Joshiy		[23]
	Oliyampukal	Hariharan		[20]
1991	Thudar Katha	Himself		[24]
1992	Kizhakkan Pathrose	T. S. Suresh Babu		[25]
	Mahanagaram	T. K. Rajeev Kumar		[26]
	Maanyanmar	T. S. Suresh Babu		[27]
1993	Sarovaram	Jeassy		[28]
	Arthana	I. V. Sasi	Story Only	[citation needed]
	Akashadoothu	Sibi Malayil		[20]
	Gandharvam	Sangeeth Sivan		[5]
1994	Palayam	T. S. Suresh Babu		[29]
1995	Agrajan	Himself		[24]
	Indian Military Intelligence	T. S. Suresh Babu		[30][31]
1997	Bhoopathi	Joshiy		[32]
	Shibiram	T. S. Suresh Babu		[33]
1998	F. I. R.	Shaji Kailas		[34]
2002	Phantom	Biju Varkey		[35]
2004	Vajram	Pramod Pappan		[11]
2005	Thaskara Veeran			[11]
	December	Asok R. Nath		[citation needed]
2006	Chirattakalippattangal	Jose Thomas		[36]
2007	Abraham & Lincoln	Pramod Pappan		[citation needed]
	Ayur Rekha	G. M. Manu		[37]
2009	Kadha, Samvidhanam Kunchakko	Haridas Keshavan		[38]
	Patham Nilayile Theevandi	Joshy Mathew		[36]
2010	Kanyakumari Express	T. S. Suresh Babu		[28]
2013	Geethanjali	Priyadarshan	Dialogues Only	[11]
2014	Thomson Villa	Abin Jacob		[20]
TBA	Power Star	Omar Lulu		[11]

As director

Year	Title	Notes
1988	Manu Uncle	Written by Shibu Chakravarthy
1989	Adharvam
1990	Appu	Written by Sreekumaran Thampi
1991	Thudar Katha
1995	Agrajan

References

External links

• Dennis Joseph at IMDb

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