Sudhakar P. Nair (14 January 1956 – 17 July 2020), popularly known as Sudhakar Mangalodayam, was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature and a story and screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He was known for his popular novels as well as for the screenplay of '' Njan Ekananu'', a 1982 Malayalam language film. He was the author of over 50 novels and wrote the story for films such as ''
Kariyilakkattu Pole
''Kariyilakkattu Pole'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language mystery thriller film written and directed by P. Padmarajan. It is based on the radio drama ''Sisirathil Oru Prabhatham'' by Sudhakar Mangalodayam, the plot follows DySP Achuthanku ...
'', ''
Nandini Oppol
''Nandini Oppol'' is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Mohan Kupleri and produced by Joe Mon. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Sudhakar Mangalodayam and stars Nedumudi Venu, Geetha, Siddique and Ganesh. The ...
Sudhakar Mangalodayam was born Sudhakar P. Nair in
Velloor
Velloor (also known as Mevelloor) is a village in the Vaikom Taluk of the Kottayam district in Kerala, India.
Location
Regular bus services are available to the towns Vaikom, Piravom, Ernakulam and Kottayam. Velloor - Thonnalloor Cherukara Bri ...
, in
Vaikom
Vaikom () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala. It is located north of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, V ...
, in
Kottayam district
Kottayam () is one of List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Kerala, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettu ...
of the south Indian state of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...
, to Parameswaran Nair and Janakiamma. After schooling at St. Ignatius School,
Kanjiramattom
Kanjiramattom in Ernakulam District, Kerala, India is a suburban area of the City of Kochi lying approximately 25 km southeast to the City of Kochi. The place is known for the Arayankavu Devi Temple And Sheikh Fariddudin Mosque and its pro ...
, he did his college education at
NSS College, Ottapalam
N.S.S College, Ottapalam is an institute of higher education in Ottapalam, India. The college was founded in 1961. It was funded by donations and was consecrated by Swami Vishadanandha, President of Sree Ramakrishna Ashram, Palappuram, and was ...
from where he obtained his graduate degree. He started writing during this period, starting with radio plays. Later, he served as an assistant to noted film director,
P. Chandrakumar
P. Chandrakumar is an Indian film director, cinematographer, and film distributor who worked in Malayalam cinema. He is known for introducing the Malayalam cinema with Malayalam softcore pornography, soft porn culture from late 80's. His film Ad ...
. Soon, he started writing novels and published them as serials in periodicals, sometimes writing up to nine novels simultaneously.
Sudhakar Mangalodayam, who followed the literary style popularized by such writers as MT Vasudevan Nair, wrote over 50 novels which include ''Murappennu'', ''Nandini Oppol'', ''Koodappirappu'', ''Maunasarovaram'', ''Namam Japikkunna Veedu'', ''Padasaram'', ''Safalam'', ''Chitta'', ''Thillana'', ''Amma'' and ''Kungumappottu''. His foray into films was with '' Njan Ekananu'', a 1982 film directed by
P. Chandrakumar
P. Chandrakumar is an Indian film director, cinematographer, and film distributor who worked in Malayalam cinema. He is known for introducing the Malayalam cinema with Malayalam softcore pornography, soft porn culture from late 80's. His film Ad ...
, for which he wrote the story, screenplay and dialogues. Subsequently, he wrote the story for three more films, '' Vasantha Sena'' (1985), ''
Kariyilakkattu Pole
''Kariyilakkattu Pole'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language mystery thriller film written and directed by P. Padmarajan. It is based on the radio drama ''Sisirathil Oru Prabhatham'' by Sudhakar Mangalodayam, the plot follows DySP Achuthanku ...
'' (1986) and ''
Nandini Oppol
''Nandini Oppol'' is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Mohan Kupleri and produced by Joe Mon. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Sudhakar Mangalodayam and stars Nedumudi Venu, Geetha, Siddique and Ganesh. The ...
'' (1994).
Sudhakar was married to G. Usha and the couple had a daughter, Sreevidya. He died on 17 July 2020, at the age of 64, succumbing to age-related illnesses; his wife had predeceased him.