There was a time when auto driver M. Chandrakumar, better known as ‘Auto’ Chandran, would write in his auto during his free time. But he cannot do that any more. “People keep approaching me to talk,” he says, over the phone from Coimbatore. “Now, I lock myself at home if I want to write.”
Chandran’s first novel Lock Up changed his life — it was adapted into movie Visaranai by director Vetrimaran under the banner of actor Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films.
Released earlier this year, the movie received rave reviews — and accolades poured in from all quarters for Chandran. The film won the Best Feature Film in Tamil award at the 63rd National Film Awards and premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. The team can now add another feather to its cap — Visaranai is now set to enter the 89th Academy Awards as India’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film.
An elated Chandran has spent all of the last couple of days answering his phone. “I received over 350 calls from friends, well-wishers and littérateurs,” he says.
“I’m extremely thankful to my team, including Vetrimaran, Dhanush, and late editor Kishore. They took my story to so many people, and now, it’s travelling across continents,” he says.
Chandran’s life is not the same any more. Although he continues to drive his auto in the streets of Coimbatore, his circle of friends and admirers has grown manifold. “I have interacted with over 10,000 college students so far,” he adds. He feels like he has been extremely fortunate. “What more can a writer ask for?” he states.
Chandran started writing Lock Up in 1997, based on his experiences as a helpless young man in Andhra Pradesh. Chandran was picked up by the police in a case of doubt and spent two torturous weeks in a lock-up. The atrocities he faced under police custody scarred him so much that even writing about it years later took an emotional toll on him. “I finished writing it only in 2002, and it was published in 2006,” he recalls.
Having finished two more novels, what’s next? “I will keep writing,” says Chandrakumar.
“Who can tell what will happen next? Time will do its job.”
