: Playwright Girish Karnad’s observations about late writer U.R. Ananthamurthy at the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF) that concluded here on Sunday drew flak from a Kannada writer and a film maker.
Mr. Karnad and noted painter S.G. Vasudev had presented their views on the life and work of Ananthamurthy at the inaugural day of the BLF.
Though Mr. Karnad’s stress was an objective analysis of the legacy of artists and literature, many of his comments were interpreted to be critical of the writer’s legacy. Mr Karnad made the comments at a session following the screening of a documentary on Ananthamurthy, which Mr. Karnad dubbed as hagiographic.
Taking exception to the observation that many works of Ananthamurthy were unreadable, Chairperson of the Kuvempu Bhasha Bharati Authority K.V. Narayan sought to know the yardsticks Mr. Karnad applied to assess the works. Acknowledging many contradictions in Ananthamurthy’s life, he said: “it is not proper to speak lightly about a writer after his death.” He also said Mr. Karnad did not relate to the common people through his works.
Similarly noted filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli also took exception to the observation regarding his documentary Ananthamurthy: Not a Biography, but a Hypothesis .
Clarifying that he had not projected a larger than life image of Ananthamurthy, he said the documentary was a search. “If he has any apprehensions about my film, let him make another documentary on Ananthamurthy,” he added.
