KOCHI: John Paul's life was like an incomplete script. An encyclopaedia of Malayalam film industry, Paul had started writing the history of Malayalam cinema, but he couldn't finish it due to failing health.
An acclaimed screenwriter, Paul was a chronicler of Mollywood as well. And no insider in the industry could tell its story better than Paul. Many in the industry and outside relied on Paul to get information about movies, stars, producers, writers, and technicians of yesteryears.
Paul had started the preparations to write a book on Mollywood history up to 1952 a few months before he was hospitalized. He had a justification for selecting the period. It was the nascent stage of Malayalam movies and very few documents related to the period remain now. The book was expected to be a comprehensive history of Mollywood, elaborating on the stars, production houses, the changing styles of filmmaking, and advancements in movie making technology.
He had presented various programmes on TV channels focussing on Mollywood history. The episodes about Sathyan, Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair, Prem Nazir, ONV Kurup, P Bhaskaran,
Merryland Subramaniam and Kunchacko were widely acclaimed. “He could say anything related to Malayalam filmdom with utmost precision. When we have any doubts about Mollywood history, the first person we contact would be John Paul,” director Siddique said. “He was an encyclopaedia of the Malayalam film industry. After watching his programmes on Mollywood history, I had requested him to write a book on it. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be completed. It is an irreparable loss for the Malayalam film industry,” Siddique said. Several books Paul has already published speaks volumes about the lives of veterans of the industry.
Another area where John Paul had excelled was organising various cultural programmes. “He had played instrumental roles in floating various film societies,” said director Mohan.
