V ekkai , translated into English as Heat , was the first novel that the Sahitya Akademi-winning Tamil writer Poomani wrote. The heat that his book generated can be felt even now, 38 years after it was published. It was translated into English by N. Kalyan Raman last year. And a few months ago, it was made into a film, Asuran , directed by Vetrimaaran.
Though the film was successful, Poomani is not too happy with the political colour given to his story. “It is the story of a teenage boy who takes revenge for the murder of his elder brother. His intention was not to
kill, only to chop off the hand of Vadakooran, the antagonist in the novel,” says Poomani, whose works are set in karisal bhoomi or the semi-arid and rain-fed regions of southern Tamil Nadu. Excerpts from an interview:
More than three decades have passed since you wrote the novel. How do you feel about its form and content today?
I am satisfied with the form. The story is told from the perspective of a teenage boy. The narration is based on his exposure to life.
Are you happy with the translation?
While I am happy, I must say that proficiency in two languages alone cannot do justice to a translation. The translator should have an idea of or exposure to the landscape and existential conditions of the people living there. For translating a literary work, that is more important than knowledge of the language.
While the film adaptation has been highly appreciated, you seem to be unhappy. Why?
In the film, Dhanush falls at the feet of every villager. He is also forced to carry chappals. Those are all different stories.
There are no panchami lands (lands reserved for Dalits) in our areas, as shown in the movie.
The film has retained the novel’s larger framework, but developed its own story. My friends advised me to keep quiet, because if I had said anything then, it would have embarrassed the film crew.
I did not want to discourage them at that time. I trusted them.
Can you mention some of the changes made in the movie?
Even the cultural language of the novel has been changed. The book has sharp and short dialogues: those are missing in the film.
Many more characters are murdered in the film. And the film has murdered the novel.
Both the novel and the film are interpreted as a battle between Dalits and landlords. Your comments.
Vekkai is not a Dalit novel. It centres on the agony of a teenage boy and in my book I have not given the boy a caste identity. The idea of a Dalit identity is imported from Maharashtra.
The novel was written and published long before the term came into vogue in Tamil Nadu. The filmmakers have treated Vekkai and Asuran on a par with Kabali and Pariyerum Perumal . Literature does not need caste politics; it goes beyond that.
Then what is the way out for communities seeking to liberate themselves from the clutches of oppressors?
Liberation from what? There was caste even before the time of the Mahabharata . It is intricately woven into the culture of the country. It came from the temple tradition. How do you achieve liberation? By breaking statues? Don’t forget that in some places, the scheduled castes are the oppressors.
kolappan.b@thehindu.co.in
