A newspaper advertisement about a forthcoming film titled Madhorubhagan, published in a Tamil daily, evoked a protest on Monday from Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who has disowned his novel bearing the title and quit writing following protests from some caste outfits. Making it clear that he had not given anyone the right to use the title or the story for a film, Mr. Murugan, who now leads a reclusive life, reiterated his stand that he had quit literature altogether.
“It distresses me to see that there are many who want to turn my situation to their advantage,” he said in a statement in a reference to his being hounded by groups that believe his novel had offended the honour of women of their caste. Historian and Mr. Murugan’s friend, A.R. Venkatachalapathy, took exception to the attempt to use the novel’s title for a film. He said it was condemnable that some people were seeking to exploit the misery of a writer who was pushed to a corner.
