From novels to the large display: Why Tamil movie makers are drawn to literary texts

From Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan to Perumal Murugan’s Varugari, literary works have lengthy been tailored into movies, a development now facilitated by OTT platforms and movie makers with contemporary concepts

From Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan to Perumal Murugan’s Varugari, literary works have lengthy been tailored into movies, a development now facilitated by OTT platforms and movie makers with contemporary concepts

“Why can we stay so far-off from everybody within the village, thatha? Stroll quicker, I don’t need to be late for varsity.”

The dialog unfolds between a grandfather, who’s a basket-weaver, and his grandson when the previous walks him to high school. That is the opening scene in Tamil movie Seththumaan, and reveals the 2 strolling alone within the solar in an arid panorama.

“Let this finish with me, this state by which we’ve got to stay individually from the village,” the grandfather says. “Research properly; once you develop up, change into an officer. You’ll be given a automotive, a bungalow, a military of helpers. Even when a pin falls out of your desk, a helper would come operating to select it up for you.” 

A nonetheless from ‘Seththumaan‘
| Picture Credit score: Particular association

The dialog speaks volumes a few man who has been oppressed for generations. It units the temper for the movie — the writing has depth, and an understanding of the panorama and its individuals. This may be credited to author Perumal Murugan: the movie, directed by debutant Thamizh, relies on the author’s quick story Varugari.

“The story had the scope to be developed into a movie,” says Perumal Murugan, who has additionally written the screenplay. The Namakkal-based author says he loved the method. “I like making an attempt numerous artistic varieties, and it was an expertise working within the cinema medium,” he says.

Writer Perumal Murugan
| Picture Credit score: SUDERSHAN V

The development of literary works being tailored to the large display just isn’t new in Tamil cinema. However it’s extra pronounced now, because of a slew of administrators choosing up works of celebrated writers.

One such is Mani Ratnam, who’s making Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan in two components, with a multi-star solid. Elango Kumaravel, who has written the movie’s screenplay, first tailored the novel for the stage, and has accomplished over 45 reveals with a solid comprising 80 individuals. “On display, every thing is huge,” he says. “Because it options a number of main actors, there’s give attention to giving every of them display time,” he says. This includes taking some artistic liberties. “For example, a personality would possibly seem at a later stage within the novel, however we’d have launched it sooner within the movie,” he provides.

However there’s one facet that’s essential to the method. “The author would’ve given the story a key picture,” says Kumaravel. “We should establish it and guarantee it’s maintained within the movie. Additionally, each character should full its arc because it does within the novel. Solely then will the work retain the unique’s jeevan (life) and the variation might be full.”

Author Rajesh Kumar
| Picture Credit score: SIVA SARAVANAN S

Crime author Rajesh Kumar is used to individuals from the movie business knocking on the doorways of his Coimbatore residence for story concepts. His novels, a potent mixture of crime, fantasy, and thriller, are tailored for cinema. “The author and director ought to journey collectively with a view to make a profitable movie,” he feels, including that he’s open for working with devoted movie makers resembling Arivazhagan Venkatachalam, who directed the 2017 motion thriller Kuttram 23 primarily based on his novel. “We are going to quickly get collectively for a brand new movie,” says the 71-year-old, including, “I’m additionally on talks with an OTT platform for a mission primarily based on one among my novels.“

Movie historian Theodore Baskaran factors out that Tamil cinema has had literary diversifications whilst early because the Nineteen Thirties. “ Anaadhai Penn, that was launched in 1938, was primarily based on author Vai Mu Kothainayaki Ammal’s story,” he says. “Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Kalvanin Kadhali was made into a movie; Uchi Veyil by author Indira Parthasarathy was made into Marupakkam. Author Jayakanthan even directed a movie primarily based on his personal work titled Unnaipol Oruvan.”

The listing consists of works by masters resembling Ashokamitran, Pudhumaipithan, and Akilan. Baskaran factors out, “The 2, nevertheless, are fully totally different media in nature and chance. We can not evaluate them.” He provides: “When a filmmaker makes a movie primarily based on a literary work, he already has a murals in his palms: the novel.” He/she will stick with the novel, or interpret it their method.

The necessary query, Baskaran feels, is, “How is one going to indicate it visually?” He picks Mathilugal, a Malayalam movie by Adoor Gopalakrishnan primarily based on Vaikom Muhammad Basheer’s quick story, for example. “Within the story, the author says that the protagonist might scent the perfume of a girl on the opposite facet of a wall. How does one present this in a movie? Adoor does so by including a peal of female laughter within the scene.”

Most of director Vetrimaaran’s movies are diversifications of literary works: Visaranai (primarily based on Lock Up by M Chandrakumar), Asuran (primarily based on Vekkai by Poomani), his work-in-progress Vaadivaasal (primarily based on a novel of the identical identify by C S Chellappa). Literary texts, for the filmmaker, “Begin off a journey the place I’m searching for additional.”

Movie maker Vetrimaaran
| Picture Credit score: BHAGYA PRAKASH Ok

An avid reader, he says that he doesn’t go searching for a e book for inspiration. “I bookmark texts after I learn them, considering that I can return and make it into a movie when the time comes.” B Jeyamohan’s Thunaivan is one such. The author steered the quick story to him when Vetrimaaran approached him to speak about adapting one other of his novels. “He felt it resonated extra with the type of tales I used to be planning to arrange, so I’ve began engaged on it.” The movie is reported to function actor Soori within the lead.

Vetrimaaran attributes this development to the rise of OTT platforms. “They operate in a arrange just like Hollywood by which an current textual content provides credibility when a filmmaker pitches it.” Another excuse is that, “Movie makers have change into bolder; they’ve extra freedom. They don’t seem to be compelled to incorporate a love story of their movies or insert 5 songs in them.”

Vetrimaaran, nevertheless, does like to jot down his personal scripts. “However when a author’s work is extra compelling, I choose it. For he has accomplished all the bottom work and analysis. After we select their work, we take a brief reduce into years of onerous work. That is the largest reward they may give a script author.”

Does the novel crush the movie maker, making him really feel extra accountable? “Not essentially,“ says Vetrimaaran. “It is determined by the type of movie you make. I’ve heard that Alfred Hitchcock, who has tailored a number of novels, would jokingly say that he would purchase a e book, merely learn its blurb, and let it go at that,” he laughs.

Take word

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Director Vasanth’s subsequent relies on a number one Tamil author’s novel, which is below wraps for now

By- The Hindu

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