Kerala has produced some of the great journalists the country has ever seen. But most people are unaware of the invaluable contributions that these stalwarts have given to the media industry. For eg, most people have heard about M T Vasudevan Nair the novelist, scriptwriter and director but how many know that he was a journalist first, who played a great role in the success of Mathrubhumi. Many have heard about former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, but how many know about the Indian journalist who interviewed this historical figure. That man is V P Ramachandran. The list of such eminent journalists with roots in Kerala is pretty long. And Kerala Media Academy has launched an ambitious project to document the lives and careers of these greats in film. The project was sanctioned by the Government of Kerala and the target is to produce 25 docu-fiction films. The projects will be directed by prominent Malayalam film directors.
In the first phase, films on nine media personalities will be released.

1. Sashikumar – The docu-fiction on the founder of Asianet, India’s first private regional channel, will be directed by T K Rajeevkumar

2. Yesudasan – The life and works of the veteran cartoonist, whose wit and clever puns won the appreciation of former chief ministers K Karunakaran and E K Nayanar, will be directed by Sibi Malayil

3. M T Vasudevan Nair – The story of the internationally-acclaimed and the scenarist of some of the best in Malayalam cinema will be directed by Priyadarsan

4. V P Ramachandran – The career and life of the veteran journalist who witnessed some of the epochal political times in India and one of the few journalists to interview Idi Amin will be directed by Shiny Jacob Benjamin

5. Sivan – The life and times of this pioneering photojournalist in Kerala who mastered the artistic and commercial side of photography will be directed by his equally famous son Santhosh Sivan

6. K Mohanan – The story fearless journalist who found ways to surmount the draconian restrictions of Emergency and exposed many corruptions through his searing reports will be directed by Sajeev Pazhoor

7. K M Roy – The life of veteran journalist, whose insightful weekly column Irulum Velichavum (Light and Shadows) made him a household name for decades, will be directed by Pradeep Nair

8. Udaya Tara Nayar – The glitzy career of the former editor of Screen film magazine, who brought gravitas to the otherwise fluffy nature of cinema journalism, will be directed by Anjali menon

9. B R P Bhaskar – The veteran journalist and human rights activist’s inspiring life and career will be directed by Dr Biju