Kochi: Mollywood iconic script – writer Dennis Joseph (64), passed away due to heart attack in Kottayam on Monday. His movie scripts created hits at box office one after the other in the 1980s and 1990s in the Malayalam film industry.

Joseph’s 35 year-long-career, he has scripted 45 films among which three of them were directed by him. Altogether he has directed five films. Two of his directorial ventures ‘Adharvam’ (1989) and ‘Appu’ (1990) were scripted by Shibu Chakravarthi and Sreekumaran Thampy respectively.

Joseph’s scripted films made Mammootty and Mohanlal as superstars of Mollywood forever. While he saved the sagging career of Mammootty with the smashing blockbuster New Delhi (1987), he firmly put Mohanlal on the perch as a superstar with the runaway hit Rajavinte Makan (1986).

And both the films and their protagonists – G Krishnamurthy and Vincent Gomez have aged perfectly like wine and enjoyed by the audience from all generations even now whenever they are telecast by television channels.

Dennis Joseph’s racy scripts, gave life to the filmmakers to bask in the limelight of success gifted from the stalwarts like K G George (Kadhakku Pinnil), Bharathan (Pranamam) I V Sasi (Arthana), Hariharan (Oliyampukal) and Sibi Malayil (Aakasha Doothu) to rank newcomers.

Dennis Joseph was born in 1957 in Ettumanoor in Kottayam; he started his career as a sub-editor in a magazine. He was the nephew of actor late Jose Prakash and that helped him in getting an entry to Mollywood.

He started his career as script writer for film Sandhya (1985) and directed Jeasy’s Eeran. Dennis soon became one of the most sought-after scriptwriters of Mollywood with the stupendous success of Nirakkoottu (1985) directed by Joshiy with Mammootty in the lead.

The trio soon became one of the hit combinations of Malayalam cinema. Dennis Joseph has scripted 13 movies helmed by Joshiy. Among these 13, Mammootty played the lead role in 12 including the multi-starrer No.20 Madras Mail while Suresh Gopi was the hero of Bhoopathy (1997).

His movies other than ‘Rajavinte Makan’, he has also associated with Thampi Kannanthanam and Mohanlal for the political thriller Bhoomiyile Rajakkanmaar (1986), Vazhiyorakkazhchakal (1987) and Indrajalam (1990).

The hit chart of Dennis also includes Sangham (1988), Nair Saab (1989), No: 20 Madras Mail (1990), Kottayam Kunjachan (1990), Indrajalam (1990) and Akashadoothu (1993). He was working on the script of a new film Power Star directed by Omar Lulu with Babu Antony in the lead role.