KOZHIKODE: Film critic, writer, and film society activist Chelavoor Venu passed away on Monday. He was 81. Venu was under treatment for age-related illnesses at a private hospital in Kozhikode for the past week.
With over half a century of contributions to various social fields, Chelavoor Venu was a significant figure in the contemporary history of Kozhikode. Venu was deeply influenced by the social and cultural movements of the 1970s and 1980s, two decisive decades in Kerala’s social life.
He formed lasting friendships with prominent figures across generations and fields, including M Govindan, Kadammanitta, Kakkanadan, S K Pottekkatt, M T Vasudevan Nair, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and so on.
Born on March 1, 1944, in Chelavoor village near Kozhikode, Venu showed an early interest in politics, literature, and culture. He wrote his first review for the movie Umma while he was in Class VIII. The review was published in Chandrika Weekly. This early start led to the publication of over a dozen books under his name. Drawn to Left-wing politics during his student years, Venu got involved in the state leadership of Left-wing student and youth organisations.
Venu’s journalism career began with the biweekly literary and cultural magazine ‘Yuvabhavana’ in 1965. He later worked as a scriptwriter for Kozhikode Akashvani on a contract basis. He also worked as an assistant to director Ramu Kariat in Madras (now Chennai) before returning to Kozhikode with dreams of producing world-class films. To pursue this dream, Venu turned to journalism, launching the sports magazine ‘Stadium’ in 1967 and the psychology magazine ‘Psycho’ in 1969, the latter of which remains a celebrated chapter in Malayalam journalism.
Even in death, Venu’s approach was distinctive. He insisted on no public homage, and per his wishes, he was cremated at Puthiyapalam public crematorium at 5 pm on Monday. Venu is survived by wife, Sukanya.