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Unni R.

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Unni R.

Pen Names: Unni R.（Pen name used by P. Jayachandran）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1971-04-12 （Kottayam district, Kerala, India）
Nationality
India
Languages
Malayalam, English
Residence History
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India (current) → Kottayam (birthplace)

Career

Occupations
short story writer, screenwriter, actor (supporting), producer, sub-editor
Active Years
1994-
Influenced By
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Madhavikutty (Kamala Surayya)

Education

Kudamaloor LP School
Country: India
Primary education
CMS College High School
Country: India
Secondary education
CMS College Kottayam
Country: India
Tertiary education (details unknown)
Baselius College, Kottayam
Country: India
Tertiary education (details unknown)

Awards

Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay
2015
Work: Charlie
Organization: Kerala State Government
Result: 受賞
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story
2020
Work: Vaanku
Organization: Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Geetha Hiranyan Endowment
2006
Work: Ozhivu Divasathe Kali
Organization: Kerala literary endowment
Result: 受賞
Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award
Work: Kottayam 17
Organization: Abu Dhabi Sakthi
Result: 受賞
Mohan Raghavan Award for Best Script
Work: Charlie
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ozhivu Divasathe Kali (An Off-Day Game)

2006 Short story collection

A collection exploring local social relations and latent violence; one story was adapted into the film of the same name.

rural societypower and violenceinterpersonal relations
Adaptations
  • [Film] An Off-Day Game (Ozhivudivasathe Kali) / Sanal Shashidaran (2015)
Translations
  • Parts translated into English

Kali Nadakam

2006 Short story collection

Short stories dealing with theatricality and human impulses.

dramaviolencehuman desire

Kottayam 17

2010 Short story collection

A series of linked stories set in Kottayam, exploring intersections of town and rural life.

regional identitymemorysociety

Kathakal

2012 Short fiction collection

A representative collection of short stories.

everyday lifesocial flawshumor and pathos

Oru Bhayankara Kamukan

2016 Novel

A novel thematizing desire and sensuality; film project announced (TBA).

desiresexualityindividual loneliness
Adaptations
  • [Film (planned)] Oru Bhayankara Kamukan

One hell of a lover

2019 Selection of short stories (English translation)

A selection of Malayalam stories translated into English by J. Devika (Eka, 2019).

translationcross-cultural reception

Bibliography

  • Ozhivu Divasathe Kali
  • Kali Nadakam
  • Kottayam 17
  • Kathakal
  • Oru Bhayankara Kamukan
  • Chumbikkunna Manushyar Chumbikkatha Manushyar (Essays)
  • Prathi Poovankozhi (novel)
  • One hell of a lover (English selection, trans. J. Devika)

Adaptations

  • Ozhivudivasathe Kali (film adaptation)
  • Vaanku (short story adapted to film)
  • Charlie (screenplay credit)

Translations by Author

Translations of Works

  • Some works have been translated into English and Tamil (e.g. One hell of a lover)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
modern Malayalam short-fiction stylerealist prose often laced with black humor
Recurring Motifs
local/rural community and latent violencedesire and solitudeconflicts of masculinity

Legacy

Unni R. is an important contemporary Malayalam short-story writer whose works have influenced popular culture through film adaptations. His stories have been translated into English and Tamil and reached a broad readership.

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptations of short stories (Ozhivudivasathe Kali, Vaanku, etc.)
  • Contribution to film screenplays (Charlie, etc.)

Quotes

  • His short stories excavate deeper social realities from the details of everyday life.
    Source: Reviews / secondary sources (unspecified)

Trivia

  • Born P. Jayachandran.
  • Short story 'Vaanku' won Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and was adapted into a film.
  • Worked as a producer at Asianet.