Adaptation of literary works to cinema is as old as the medium of celluloid itself. Filmisation (like translation of a literary work) is a process of giving visual form to words with the help of sound, music, dialogue, acting and other elements. Filmmakers continue to make films based on literary works which they like and connect with the most. Whenever a filmmaker adapts a literary work to cinema, which he loves and adores , he is bound to face criticism from those who regard the particular piece of literature as a classic and cannot tolerate their images getting distorted. Finally, one has to accept the fact that a film based on a literary work is the personal vision of a filmmaker, be it an accurate imitation or a visual abstraction.
Filmisation of literary works is not new to the eight-decade old Kannada cinema, which can be described as an offshoot of professional theatre, one that depended heavily on literature. Most filmmakers made films based on novels and short stories because of their content and relevance. Filmmakers including, Chaduranga, Girish Karnad, B.V. Karanth, G.V. Iyer, M.S. Sathyu, Pattabhirama Reddy, Shankar Nag, Nagabharana, Puttanna Kanagal, Girish Kasaravalli, Prema Karanth, Kavitha Lankesh, P. Sheshadri, Lingadevaru Halemane, and very recently Sumana Kittur, Kiragurina Gayyaligalu have transformed literary works to visuals and have received both appreciation and criticism in equal measure. Response to Marikondavaru, a full-length feature film based on three famous short stories by eminent writer Devanuru Mahadeva is no different, therefore.
Recently, Marikondavaru was chosen as the second best film by the jury of the Karnataka State Film Awards. It is significant that Shivarudriah earlier made Amaasa, also based on another short story by Devanuru Mahadeva in 2001. Besides being screened in the Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the film got a state award. K. Shivarudiah, who is enamoured by the works of Devanuru Mahadeva mustered courage to combine the writer’s three landmark stories: Marikondavaru, Grastaru and Dambaru Bandudu to make Marikondavaru with the tagline Samaanateyatta Kanasu Kaanutta. Noted personalities from theatre and film including, Lakshmipathi Kolara (script), Shashidhara Adapa (art direction), Pramod Shiggaon (costume), Isaac Thomas (music), Murali Krishna (cinematography), Suresh Urs (editing) have joined hands in the endeavour. Basavaraj Devanuru, the brother of the writer is the co-script writer. A.S. Venkatesh and M. Gururaj Shet have produced this film under their Akshara Creations banner. To make a film based on Devanuru Mahadeva’s short stories, the filmmaker must be able to grasp the hidden irony in the text. The writer opens up the exploitation in the Dalit world without making it sloganistic.
Marikondavaru (Those Who Sold Themselves), after which the film is titled, was published in Sankramama, a journal edited by playwright and poet, Chandrashekara Patil.
This story is about existence and exploitation. Dambaru Bandudu (The arrival of asphalting) is about exploitation of natural resources. Moodala Seemeyalli Kole Gile Ityadi (Murder in Mudalaseeme etc…) speaks of the mental death of a Dalit labourer. All the three stories, in a way, trace the life of the Dalit community and at the same time, that of the insensitive upper caste.
Why did Shivarudriah decide to make films based on Devanuru’s stories -- from Amaasa to Marikondavaru? “Mahadeva is one of the most significant writers of our times, one who depicts with pointed irony both the suffering as well as the resilience of Dalits within the caste hierarchy. His stories make one realise that the exploitation of Dalits is not only economic, but social. The intense nature of his works is what ignited me to adapt them,” says Shivarudriah.
“Some thirty years ago, I, along with Dalit poet Siddalingiah, approached another Kannada filmmaker Shankarappa to direct the film, but the project did not materialise because of technical reasons. Finally, I took up the challenge ,” he says. All that Mahadeva had to say was: “Don’t make films keeping awards in mind.” The film is extensively shot in and around Nanjangud, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.
Mahadeva uses the Nanjangud dialect of Kannada as the ‘kernel’ of his writing and for him language is not just his skin but his senses too. It appears that Shivarudriah was in a dilemma on whether to structure his entire film on the dialect or not. In the confusion, he fails to maintain a definite pattern in the dialogues and loses an opportunity to make the film unique.
But Mahadeva is of the opinion that words and visuals are two different worlds. Sensitivity of the filmmaker depends on creating something new, as the stories are just a pretext. For instance, he had suggestions how certain scenes should be shot. Mahadeva is all praise for Dilip Raj, who essayed role of Kittappa in Marikondavaru. “When I first saw him on the location, I was apprehensive whether he would be fit for that role. But the actor excelled. Similar is the performance of Sardar Satyna in the role of Beera. Dialogue delivery by Sulile Kumar could have been more natural, instead of poetic.
“It is a wonderful experiment. Shivarudraiah who has played the police inspector also proved that he is a good actor,” said Mahadeva, after watching the movie.
One suggestion by Mahadeva touched the hearts of many assembled. “The film should have been dedicated to light boys, as the role of lights is pivotal in film making,” the writer observed.
Of course, Shivarudraiah is open for criticism and he agreed to make the changes suggested by the writer and other filmmakers.
