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The bard of Malayalam

After a break, M.T. Vasudevan Nair is back to regale us with his finely crafted novels and scripts. P.K. Ajith Kumar

Photo: S. Ramesh Kumar

Master of words: M.T. Vasudevan Nair.

He has been telling us stories over the past five decades. The tales he narrated through his novels, short stories and films are ranked among the finest stories in Malayalam. After a break, M.T. Vasudevan Nair is back to regale us with the eng rossing story of Pazhassi Raja, the filming of which began last month.

It is his first script in six years, and he has also begun writing his first novel since ‘Varanasi.’ Excerpts from an interview M.T. gave at his house in Kozhikode.

Was health the only reason why you did not write these past few years?

It was the main reason. I had to undergo a surgery and I have also been under Ayurveda treatment. Besides, I was tied up with many social engagements.

Why ‘Pazhassi Raja’?

Many years ago, I had read a book about a soldier in Tipu Sultan’s army. In that book, Tipu pays rich tribute to Pazhassi. He asks his commanders to learn from Pazhassi, a small ruler of a small kingdom who waged a battle against the British. That set me thinking and I thought there was scope for a cinema, and I was keen to do a historical, something I had never done.

The Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 is considered the first struggle for independence, but Pazhassi had fought the British in the 1790’s, that too by organising an army of tribals in Wayanad. He was the first Indian king who rebelled against British taxation. I thought Pazhassi’s role in our struggle for independence needed to be told. Director Hariharan and producer Gokulam Gopalan are planning to show the film outside Kerala too, with sub-titles.

Kunjali Marakkar is another character from history that has fascinated me, but to make a realistic film on him would be impossible in Malayalam. How can you get so many ships?

Among the characters you presented in an unconventional light in cinema, ‘Perunthachan’ definitely merits mention. Were you influenced by G. Sankara Kurup’s ‘Perunthachan’?

G’s poem didn’t influence me at all; I thought only about the legend, when director Ajayan wanted me to write a script about Perunthachan. While working on it, I thought professional jealousy couldn’t be motive enough to kill one’s own son. There must have been another reason; that’s how Kunjikavu came into the picture. In ‘Vaishali,’ you took a small incident from mythology and turned it into a script for Bharathan.

And it turned out to be a good film too, though I thought Bharathan over-decorated it a bit, maybe because he was a painter.

You made a spectacular debut as a director, winning the National award for the best film (‘Nirmalyam’). After that you directed five films. Did you feel that if you had to devote more time to filmmaking, the writer in you woul d have suffered?

Yes. In cinema, you are often asked after directing a film ‘what is next?’ and I did not want to hear that question. Besides, you have a commitment to the producer who invests money. I was disappointed when ‘Manju,’ a film I enjoyed making, didn’t do well at the box office.

I am glad though that the last film I directed, ‘Oru Cheru Punchiri,’ recovered its cost with its first screening on television. It was also well received at the Munich and London film festivals.

Do you think you could have made ‘Nirmalyam’ today?

‘Nirmalyam’ would not have been possible today, for me or any other maker; India and Kerala are increasingly becoming less tolerant.

Are you concerned about the future of Malayalam?

Not at all. Malayalam, and all regional languages, will survive. I was telling precisely that at a seminar in Kolkata recently on ‘The Domination of English and the Crisis of Languages of the SAARC Countries.’ There is no such crisis. Malayalam has done wonderfully well for a language with a history of just 600 years and spoken by a small percentage of India’s population. Malayalam has benefited because of its inclusive nature; we have borrowed greatly from other languages and gained. And the Malayali is a great reader; see how well the translations, especially of Russian works, have been received by us.

Look at how Marques is revered here. I must perhaps be one of the first Malayalis to read his ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’; I was in the United States when its English translation was published. Somebody told me that Marques would win the Nobel Prize, so I was curious. I think Ursula is one of the most powerful female characters in world literature ever.

It was through Malayalam translations that I first discovered writers like Chekhov, who is one of my favourite short story writers; Maupassant is another. As for novels, I have always believed Dostoevsky is the greatest of them all.

I am glad to find more Indian regional books being translated into various languages. A Tamil publisher wants to translate my complete works into Tamil.

Do you see writing a screenplay as an extension of writing a short story or a novel?

No, screenplay is a different craft. When I wrote ‘Murappennu,’ I had not read a single script. In ‘Oppol,’ when I wrote the screenplay, I travelled further from my short story.

Your views on Indian writing in English?

There are some fine writers among them, like Salman Rushdie. I thought Raja Rao’s ‘Kanthapura’ was an excellent work, I liked the way he used ‘Kannada English’ in it. Ever thought of translating your works i nto English yourself?

Not seriously, but I think, maybe, I could translate some of my short stories.

Malayalam novels that have impressed you of late?

I liked ‘Alahayude Penmakkal’ by Sarah Joseph.

What do you think of the script-writers of the younger generation?

Some of them are good, like T.A. Razak.

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