KOZHIKODE: A legal battle has erupted in Kerala’s literary circles after the daughter of legendary writer M T Vasudevan Nair filed a criminal defamation complaint against the authors and publisher of a recently released memoir that discusses the life of his former wife.
Earlier in January, Sitara and Aswathy V Nair, daughters of M T Vasudevan Nair, expressed their anguish over the contents of the book.
Aswathy has approached the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court seeking criminal proceedings against filmmaker-writer Deedi Damodaran, writer Echmukutty and publisher A V Sreekumar over the book ‘Empty Space: Bashpeekruthayude Aaram Viral.’
The complaint alleges that the book contains defamatory and insulting statements about the late literary icon and has caused serious damage to his reputation and to the dignity of his family.
The memoir, released in November 2025, blends personal recollections and essays about the life of late writer and teacher Prameela Nair, who was once married to MT.
According to the authors, the book attempts to revisit Prameela’s life, her literary work and her struggles.
However, members of MT’s family say the narrative makes unsubstantiated allegations about the writer’s personal conduct.