There was a time when auto driver M. Chandrakumar, better known as Auto Chandran, would write in his rickshaw 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.”
Chandrakumar’s newfound popularity is because his first novel Lock Up changed his life. The book has been adapted into the Tamil film 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 Chandrakumar. The film won the Best Feature Film in Tamil 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 India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
Fan following
An elated Chandrakumar has spent the last few 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.
Chandrakumar’s life is not the same any more. Although he continues to drive his auto on 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 says, before adding that he feels extremely fortunate. “What more can a writer ask for?”
The novel began in 1997, based on Chandrakumar’s own experiences as a helpless young man in Andhra Pradesh. He 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 says.
Since then, the auto driver has written more books. There’s also Boomiyai Kolaikalam Aakkum America , a collection of essays on the history of terrorism; and Kovaiyil Jeeva , a book on Communist leader P. Jeevanandam. As for the future, Chandrakumar says, “I will keep writing,” before adding, “Who can tell what will happen next? Time will do its job.”
