John Abraham (11 August 1937 – 31 May 1987) was a

Malayali The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They are predomina ...

Indian filmmaker,

short story writer A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

and screenwriter. His film '' Amma Ariyan'' (1986) was the only south Indian feature film to make the list of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time by

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

. ''Agraharathil Kazhuthai'' was listed among the "100 Greatest Indian Films" of all time by

IBN Live Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned ...

's 2013 poll.

Early life

John Abraham was born in

Chennamkary {{Infobox settlement , name = Chennamkary , native_name = , native_name_lang = , other_name = , settlement_type = village , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , nickname = , pushpin_map = , pushpin_label_position = ...

Kuttanadu Kuttanad ( ml, കുട്ടനാട്‌) is a region covering the Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta Districts, in the state of Kerala, India, well known for its vast paddy fields and geographical peculiarities. The region has the lo ...

in 1937. He is from the Vazhakkat branch,

of the Pattamukkil Family. He completed his intermediate studies in

CMS College Kottayam The CMS College (CMS College Kottayam) is the first Western-style college in India. Overview The college now has 17 Undergraduate and 18 postgraduate departments. There are six research centres in the college. Research work leading to the degr ...

staying with his grandfather, who nurtured John's talent in early days. After completing his degree in (history and politics) from Marthoma College,

Thiruvalla Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...

, he worked as a private college teacher and latter he joined as an

office assistant The Office Assistant is a discontinued intelligent user interface for Microsoft Office that assisted users by way of an interactive animated character which interfaced with the Office help content. It was included in Microsoft Office for Windo ...

with

Life Insurance Corporation of India Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is an Indian central public sector undertaking headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The Life Insurance Corporation of I ...

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

, Karnataka. After that he joined the FTII,

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

and there he met film-makers such as

Ritwik Ghatak Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was a noted Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily remembe ...

and

Mani Kaul Mani Kaul (25 December 1944 – 6 July 2011) was an Indian director of Hindi films and a reputed figure in Indian parallel cinema. He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) where he was a student of Ritwik Ghatak and ...

. John graduated out of the FTII with gold medals in screenwriting and film direction. He entered the film industry working as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have t ...

to Mani Kaul for the film '' Uski Roti'' (1969, Hindi). He has worked for some

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

projects that was shot in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...

, but none were released. John's first attempt in direction came in 1967 named '' Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile''. It was the

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 ...

film ''

Agraharathil Kazhuthai ''Agraharathil Kazhutai'' () is a 1977 Indian Tamil-language satirical film directed by John Abraham and written by Venkat Swaminathan. Inspired by Robert Bresson's French film ''Au Hasard Balthazar'' (1966), the film stars M. B. Sreenivasan an ...

'' (1977) that gave John recognition.

Career in film direction

He completed only four films, namely '' Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile'' (1972), ''

'' (1977, Tamil), '' Cheriachante Krurakrithyangal'' (1979,

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

) and '' Amma Ariyan'' (1986,

Odessa Collective

Under John the ''Odessa Collective'' came into existence in 1984 with a street drama in

Fort Kochi Fort Kochi, Fort Cochin in English, Cochim de Baixo ("Lower Kochi") in Cochin Portuguese creole, is a neighbourhood of Cochin (Kochi) city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the Fort Manuel of Cochin, the first European fort ...

named ''Nayykali'' (The game of dogs). ''Odessa'' was an attempt by a group of movie enthusiasts to change the history of film production and distribution by making it a collaborative effort with the public and thus act as an empowering and liberating medium. For the financing of the first film produced by Odessa, John and his friends travelled through villages and collected money from the general public. Odessa also collected funds for the film by screening Charlie Chaplin's '' The Kid''. The film, '' Amma Ariyan'' (Report to mother) (1986) was exhibited across the state of

on a non-commercial basis, an initiative kept alive, after John's death, by his colleague and co-founder of Odessa Collective, Odessa Sathyan. He started shooting a documentary based on the life of E.M.S. Namboodiripad, but never completed it. The media called him ''Ottayan'' (The Lone Tusker). He has left behind a number of complete and incomplete scripts. A collection of his stories had been published under the title Nerchakkozhi. Another collection of his stories has been published posthumously under the title ''John Abrahaminte Kathakal'' by Pakshikkottam Books,

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

in 1993.

Death

On 30 May 1987 John was admitted to the

Calicut Medical College Government Medical College, Kozhikode, also known as Calicut Medical College (CMC), is a school of medicine in Kozhikode (formerly Calicut) in the Indian state of Kerala. The college was established in 1957 as the second medical college in Keral ...

hospital following his fall from a house top after a party. He was not identified by the hospital authorities, and allegedly not given due attention and medical care, which caused his condition to deteriorate, leading to his death on 31 May. Following the allegations of medical negligence, a departmental inquiry was conducted into the incident. 26 years after John's death, social activist

B. Ekbal Dr. Ekbal Bappukunju is a public health activist, a neurosurgeon, and an academic in Kerala, India and is serving as a member of the Kerala State Planning Board since 2016. He was the Vice-chancellor of the University of Kerala during the p ...

who was a surgeon at the Calicut Medical College when John was admitted for treatment, revealed that the director could have been saved if his identity was known to the doctors at the time of admission. He said the doctors at the casualty did not know John and mistook him for a film representative when he said that he was a filmmaker. In a Facebook post, Ekbal said the doctors failed to diagnose internal bleeding suffered by John and to check his blood pressure which could have prevented him from slipping into a shock through a timely surgery."26 years after John Abraham’s death, an autopsy on Facebook"
''The Hindu''. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.

Legacy

According to one reviewer, John Abraham has influenced an entire generation of filmmakers to think and create content beyond the ordinary. He's one of the founding fathers of Independent Cinema in Malayalam.

Filmography

;Documentaries * 1967: ''Koyna Nagar'' – Director (in English) – Unreleased * 1969: ''Priya'' – Director (in Hindi) – (John's Diploma film at FTII,

) * 1969: ''Hides and Strings'' – Director (in English) ;Feature films * 1972: '' Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile'' (''This Way, Students'') – Director (in

) ** Screenplay: M Azad — Cast:

Madhu Madhu ( Sanskrit: ) is a word used in several Indo-Aryan languages meaning ''honey'' or '' sweet''. It is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ''*médʰu'', whence English ''mead''. Metaphorical use ''Madhu'' has been used for millenni ...

Adoor Bhasi K. Bhaskaran Nair (1 March 1929 – 29 March 1990), known by his stage name Adoor Bhasi, was an Indian actor and film director from Kerala. Adoor Bhasi was almost always cast as the man who stands next to the hero. His hilarious actions and ro ...

, Manorama, S. V. Ranga Rao,

Jayabharathi Jayabharathi is an Indian actress. She is a two-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for best actress. Jayabharathi's first leading role was given by director P. Bhaskaran for his movie Kattukurangu in 1969. Later she became one of ...

, S. P. Pillai – Cinematography:

Ramachandra Babu K. Ramachandra Babu (15 December 1947 – 21 December 2019) was an Indian cinematographer of over 125 films, out of which most are Malayalam films. He also worked for films in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Arabic and English languages. He served as ...

– Music: M. B. Sreenivasan * 1977: ''

'' (''Donkey in the Elite Colony'') – Director and Screenwriter (in

) ** Screenplay:

Venkat Saminathan Venkata or Venkat may refer to: * Venkata (hill) or Venkatadri, one of the seven sacred peaks of Tirumala hill in Andhra Pradesh, India ** Venkateswara ("the Lord of Venkata"), a form of the Hindu god Vishnu Places in India * Venkatagiri, Nello ...

– Cast: M. B. Sreenivasan, , Swathi, Savitri, Raman Veeraraghavan – Cinematography:

– Art Director: Jeevan Thomas — Music: M. B. Sreenivasan * 1979: '' Cheriyachante Kroorakrithyangal'' (''Cruelties of Cheriyachan'') – Director and Screenwriter (in Malayalam) ** Cast:

Kaviyoor Ponnamma Kaviyoor Ponnamma is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television. She began her career performing in theatre dramas before foraying into cinema. She has also acted in TV serials and commercials and has playback singing cre ...

, Poornima Jayaram, Abraham Joseph,

Venu The ''venu'' (Sanskrit: ; /मुरळि; ''muraļi'') is one of the ancient transverse flutes of Indian classical music. It is an aerophone typically made from bamboo, that is a side blown wind instrument. It continues to be in use in the ...

– Cinematography:

Madhu Ambat Madhu Ambat is an Indian cinematographer. With a career spanning over 40 years, he is one of the most prolific cinematographers in Indian cinema. He is best known for his work in films such as ''Amaram'', '' Anjali'', and '' Makaramanju''. He c ...

– Music:

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

* 1986: '' Amma Ariyan'' (''Report to Mother'') – Director and Screenwriter (in Malayalam) ** Cast:

Joy Mathew Joy Mathew (born 20 September 1961) is an Indian film and theatre actor.He is also a film director, playwright and screenwriter.He predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Career Joy Mathew is best known for playing the lead role in John Abra ...

, Maji Venkitesh,

Nilambur Balan Nilambur Balan was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies. He was one of the prominent supporting actor in late 1960s and 1970s in Malayalam movies. He has acted in more than 50 movies. Biography He was born at Vatakara. He was a theater artist b ...

, Harinarayanan, Sara Thomas – Cinematography:

– Music: Sunitha

Books

* ''Nerchakkozhi'' (1986) * ''John Abrahaminte Kathakal'' (1993)

Awards

National Film Awards: * 1977 – Best Feature Film in Tamil – ''

'' * 1987 –

Special Jury Award Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

– '' Amma Ariyan''

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 Ch ...

: * 1979 –

– '' Cheriyachente Kroora Krithyangal''

Awards in memory of John Abraham

* John Abraham Award for Best Malayalam Cinema : Instituted by

Federation of Film Societies of India Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) is the umbrella body of film-screening societies in India. FFSI is currently a member of the International Federation of Film Society that has its Central Office in Paris. The international organisatio ...

– Kerala since 1998, distributed annually. * John Abraham National Awards for Documentary and Short Features : Awards for best documentary and short feature screened in the SIGNS, festival organised by

– Kerala since 2005.

References

External links

*
Profile
at Cinemaofmalayalam

at Weblokam

John Abraham: New Indian Cinema's most creative representative

Yours Truly John – Trailer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham Abraham, John Abraham, John Abraham, John Indian male screenwriters Malayali people Malayalam film directors Malayalam-language writers Malayalam screenwriters Malayalam short story writers Film and Television Institute of India alumni Kerala State Film Award winners Accidental deaths from falls Screenwriters from Kerala 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian film directors Indian male novelists People from Alappuzha district 20th-century Indian short story writers Indian male short story writers 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Novelists from Kerala Writers from Kozhikode 20th-century Indian male writers Special Jury Award (feature film) National Film Award winners Filmmaking pioneers 20th-century Indian screenwriters