Kesavadev emerged as one of the makers of modern Malayalam fiction. He can be referred to as the first writer to usher in the Renaissance in Malayalam literature, by writing the novel "Odayil Ninnu" ("From the Gutter"; 1942) with a rickshaw puller as its hero. Dev was in the forefront among the writers who employed new norms in the content and characterisation in Malayalam fiction. "Odayil Ninnu" came as a shocking revelation that a finest piece of literature can be produced with commonplace themes and unconventional style of prose with ordinary mortals as heroes and heroines. Apart from the fact that the appearance of rickshaw puller was a thrilling experience at that time, the he was known to have started a new trait in Malayalam literature and many writers followed suit. The novel was made into a movie with the name unchanged, by K. S. Sethumadhavan in 1965.