Lajo Jose – Writer and Screenwriter from Malayalam known for his crime thrillers

Lajo Jose is a popular Malayalam writer known for his crime thriller and mystery novels. Some of his popular novels include Coffee House, Hydrangea, Ruthinte Lokam, Rest in Peace, Orange Thottathile Athidhi and Kanya Maria. His popular work Ruthinte Lokam has been adapted on celluloid for 2024 mystery thriller, Bougainvillea with minute changes. The movie marked his debut as screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. The movie starring Jyothirmayi, Kunchacko Boban and Fahadh Faasil, directed by Amal Neerad received favourable reviews and was a box office hit.

Lajo Jose quit his full-time job to focus on writing

Lajo Jose hails from Kottayam. After his education, he worked in insurance sector for a while, before quitting the job to concentrate on writing. Though he focussed on writing screenplays too, he didn’t succeed in this field. However, his crime thrillers made him a popular writer of present times.

His first novel, Coffee House, was published in May 2018

Coffee House was his first work, followed by Hydrangea, which was a success. After that all his works got noticed and several editions have been published. He has credited to giving new life to Malayalam thriller novels in the new times. He always gives importance to detailing the characters while writing the novels. He came to spotlight after his popular work Ruthinte Lokam got adapted for 2024 thriller film, Bougainvillea. He was credited as the co-script writer of the film. The film was well received by critics and audience alike.

Lajo Jose – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. He held the position of a regional manager at Max Life Insurance, when he quit the job in 2015.

2. His first two works – Coffee House and Hydrangea are part of the Esther Emmanuel series. Later the name ‘Esther Emmanuel’ was used for Jyothirmayi’s character in Bougainvillea, though the real character name from which the film was adapted was Ruth.

3. When Ruthinte Lokam was adapted on celluloid for 2024 mystery thriller, Bougainvillea, most of the character names were changed.