Noted author S. Hareesh has ruled out the cinematic adaptation of his much acclaimed work Meesha, which was adjudged the best novel in the recently announced Kerala Sahitya Akademi awards.
He revealed this while speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the Kochi leg of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) on Thursday. Mr. Hareesh said though some had evinced interest in such a proposal, he was not interested in it. Lijo Jose Pellissery had adapted Mr. Hareesh’s short story Maoist for his film Jallikettu last year.
The writer predicted a revival of the adaptation of literary works in Malayalam cinema. “There are many good stories in Malayalam that could be made into movies. Stories of Abin Joseph, G.R. Indugopan, and Vinay Thomas are some that come to mind,” Mr. Hareesh said.
He added that there need not be any friction between the filmmaker and the author of a literary work being adapted for the big screen. “Just as I am inspired by life’s incidents to write, a literary work is just an inspiration for a filmmaker. And, a filmmaker has full creative freedom when it comes to the adaptation of a literary work. If you are not comfortable with it, then better do not give the rights to adapt your work,” said Mr. Hareesh who felt that the author himself doubling up as scriptwriter for the cinematic adaptation was not an imperative.
He said that Mr. Pellissery was interested in the madness of the mob while adapting his work Maoist for Jellikettu. “He made it very clear from the outset,” recalled Mr. Hareesh.
On whether he harbours a wish to direct a movie at some point, the affable writer said he would rather do things he knew. Not a regular at IFFK, Mr. Hareesh was at the venue of the fest for watching Mr. Pellissery’s latest movie Churuli that was screened on Thursday.
