Mullanezhi Neelakandan Namboothiri (Malayalam: മുല്ലനേഴി നീലകണ്ഠൻ നമ്പൂതിരി), popularly known as Mullanezhi, was a Malayalam poet, playwright, lyricist and actor from Thrissur in Kerala state of India. He had been awarded the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award twice: in 1995 for the drama Samathalam and in 2010 for the poetry collection Kavitha. He also received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist in 1981 for the film Njavalpazham. He has penned more than 69 songs for 22 movies and also acted in films like Uppu, Piravi, Kazhakam and Neelathamara.

Biography

Mullanezhi was born in Mullanezhi Mana, Avinisseri, Ollur on May 16, 1948. Though he began to write poems from his childhood, it was Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon, who discovered the poet in him and guided him in his life and career. Vyloppilly was also instrumental in prompting him join for Vidwan course, and thus to become a school teacher. He started his career as a teacher from Ramavarmapuram Government High School.

Throughout his life Mullanezhi wrote poems in which he was able to create a curious and fascinating blend of traditions: he belonged to the ‘old school' and had a firm grounding in Sanskrit and the folk traditions in music and literature. In his writings, this rootedness comes into vibrant contact with the new and the radical. He didn't deride his past or tradition in order to embrace the best of modern currents. Mullanezhi's important collections of poems are Mohapakshi, Raapattu, Naaranathupranthan and Penkoda. Mullanezhi was also a theatre activist. He led Agragami Theatres and wrote many plays, some of which have been collected in the anthology ‘'Samathalam. In theatre, he was inspired by the social reformist movement inaugurated by the likes of V. T. Bhattathiripad, M. R. Bhattathiripad, and Premji. He won the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award for his drama Samathalam in 1995 and his anthology of poems in 2010. He served as a director board member of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi from 1980 to 1983.

He became a film lyricist in 1976, by penning the song "Karukaruthoru Pennanu" for Njavalpazhangal by Azeez. He penned four songs in K. P. Kumaran's Lakshmi Vijayam, under the music direction of Shyam. Mullanezhi owns the pride of having worked with a variety of music directors like G. Devarajan, M. B. Sreenivasan, Raveendran, K. Raghavan, A. T. Ummer, Johnson, Jerry Amaldev and Vidhyadharan. His last film was Indian Rupee. He has penned more than 69 songs for 22 movies.

Mullanezhi entered the world of acting through the drama, Chaverppada (1970) in which he acred alongside Premji. He acted in a few films including Piravi, Uppu and Kazhakam.

He died on 22 October 2011 due to cardiac arrest. He was survived by wife Savithri and three children.