The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Short story sculpted into a film

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 08, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Short story sculpted into a film

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi acceded to music director Illayaraja’s request for setting up a music university in the State.

Speaking at the launch here on Saturday of a film based on one of his short stories, he said such a university would be of use to the entire world, not just Tamil Nadu or India. Speakers at the launch of the film ‘Uliyin Osai’ (The sound of the chisel) at Prasad Studios said the film was based on ‘Sarapallam Chamundi,’ a short story Mr. Karunanidhi had written decades ago. At the Brihadeeswarar temple at Thanjavur, only 81 of the 108 karnas, or dance poses, have been recorded in the sculptures. The fictional account of why it was left incomplete forms the tale of ‘Uliyin Osai’.

The film, a historical fiction, features actor Vineet as the sculptor and Sarath Babu as Rajaraja Cholan, with Keerti Chawla and Akshaya as two heroines. Illavenil would make his debut as director.

Mr. Karunanidhi recalled Illayaraja’s suggestion, made decades ago, that the story be made into a film.

He spoke on his previous experience of writing historical pieces and expressed the hoped that ‘Ulliyin Osai’ would be made as a work of art.

Tamilians tended to forget history because they did not record it, he said. For instance, the fact that elections were held by vote in ancient Tamil Nadu could be derived from an inscription found at Uthiramerur and a Sangam-era poem comparing the disembowelment of a corpse by an eagle to the removal of palm-leaf votes from a pot.

Illayaraja said the Chief Minister was both the stone and the chisel, ‘a self-made sculpture’. He suggested that a museum for musical instruments of historical interest form part of the proposed university.

The story penned by Mr. Karunanidhi was worthy of being preserved as a historical document, actor Vivek said. Director Bhagyaraj spoke. Actors Vadivel and Manorama and lyricist Vaali were among those present.

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