Locked up in realism

The moment the Tamil film ‘Visaranai’ (Interrogation) was announced as India’s entry to the Oscar’s, the writer of the hard-hitting novel ‘Lock Up’ on which the film is based is back in the news. M Chandrakumar popularly known as Auto Chandran is not as easy to get as he is busy given the fact that he still drives an auto.

When one finally gets him on the telephone he gets talking in chaste Tamil! ‘Visaranai’ was produced by Dhanush’s production house (Wunderbar Films) and Grass Root Film Company and helmed by Vetrimaaran (the director who has lapped up four national awards for his films including ‘Visaranai’).

“I came to know through Facebook a day before yesterday (Wednesday night) that ‘Visaranai’ was selected for the Oscars. My reaction was normal. I expected this. Vetrimaaran Sir also called. The next day the newspapers and others carried the news,” Chandran says and feels that the subject of the film is the reason for the selection as it is universal.

‘Lock Up’, the novel written by Chandran, recounts the 13 days he spent in lock-up facing police brutality for no crime he committed. The incident happened when he was in his 20s in Guntur in 1983, where he was working and arrested along with four others wrongly. “I came to Vijayawada and was struck by the beauty of the river Krishna and then I was told I could find a job in Guntur so I went there.

I had to recount all that and relive that pain I had experienced when I wrote the novel between 1998 and 2001 on the advice of my friend Gnani.” That incident broke his body but not his mind, which was alive and throbbing with the emotions. So there was realism in the narrative. In fact, when Chandran began writing it he stopped in between for quite some time wondering if he should really do it.

After some time he resumed again and finished it in 2001. “I showed it to my friend Udayakumar and he brought it out in a novel form with punctuation. In fact, one day when I was speaking to Gnani about this he asked me to pen it down as I narrated to him. Finally, it was published in 2006.

It is a “manitha urimai kaviyam” (Human rights book).” The book was heart-wrenching and rightly so won the “Best Document of Human Rights Award” by a human rights body headed by Justice VR Krishna Iyer.

Gnani, (who is in the film industry), gave the book ‘Lock Up’ to Vetrimaaran, who felt a film has to be made on this. Dhanush came on board and the film Visaranai was made. “The film was made as it is from the book. I was there on the sets for about two weeks. I could not meet Dhanush, actors and others were respectful. They respected me as a writer and had read ‘Lock Up’ and were affectionate towards me. The film did in a better way what I wanted to tell through the book!”

The book highlighted the atrocities meted out to the voiceless and Chandran laments that nothing much has changed in the last few decades. In fact “the situation is scary and frightening”.

The mundane occupation of driving is also a window to creativity. For this auto driver, who is also a writer, life offers myriad experiences through his passengers also. “I feel fresh. It’s a new experience every day and I don’t feel tired. Chandran found himself as a writer and blossomed.

He has written six books after ‘Lock Up’ and is now ready with a crime thriller. Chandran has also penned two film scripts, which are being looked at. He has also acted in a few Tamil films which are to release shortly.

Chandran ends the conversation on a highly optimistic note “‘Visaranai’ will win the Oscar Award!”

By: Radhika Rajamani