“In early 2000, I was approached by HG Narayana who had produced Kanoor Heggadathi, based on Kuvempu’s novel, and which won a national award. They wanted me to direct a novel-based movie and I chose SL Bhyrappa’s Mathadaana (Elections).
At that time, my TV serial Mayamruga was popular and we had just finished the project. In 1999, I contested assembly polls from Gouribidanur constituency and lost. So, when they approached me, I opted for Mathadaana, because it was similar to my story. In his book, Bhyrappa had written about a young doctor who was famous and was pushed into elections. He contested and lost; I chose this novel as it was about a man who lost elections. There were so many similarities.
At that time, IAS officer IM Vittal Murthy was heading the Department of Kannada and Culture and through him, we contacted Bhyrappa who was residing in Mysuru. In fact, Bhyrappa was my distant relative on my mother’s side. When I called him, Bhyrappa questioned me on my eligibility to direct this movie. I told him about Mayamruga, and that I had lost the Assembly polls. He told me to come to Mysuru, where I got his permission letter to adapt his novel into a movie.
The novel is based in the 1950s and I wanted to adapt it to the 1970s, and he trusted me with it. Bhyrappa knew the novel and cinema are two different platforms, and some changes are needed for the media of cinema.
His novels Tabbali Neenaade Magane and Vamsha Vriksha had already become movies by then.
It took me six months to write the screenplay and direct the movie. It was a challenge to adapt his novel to cinema, and I enjoyed doing it. After the movie was completed, Bhyrappa was invited for the premier show at Cauvery theatre.
He came and appreciated the movie, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. He had called to congratulate me. Later, he wanted to make his Vamsha Vriksha (which was a movie) into a TV serial. I wanted to make his novel Niraakarana into a movie; for various reasons, it didn’t work out.
My all time favourite is Gruhabhanga, his novel set in pre-Independence India about women’s resilience. This novel was published in 1970. I might have read it more than 30 times. Every time I read it, there are tears in my eyes. Bhyrappa’s childhood was not easy, neither was mine. There were similarities between his mother and mine. Bhyrappa was a magician with a pen. When we read his books, we don’t just read the book, but live the story.
Bhyrappa’s writings are intense. He would spend months on research before writing any novel, be it social or mythological. His intense research is seen in his writings. Even for a social novel, he would absorb temple surroundings, fishermen or any character he would portray. When he wrote Parva, which was the story of Mahabharata in the 20th century, he had been to Madhya Pradesh and stayed there for more than two months. He was there to make notes of Mahabharatha’s characters and the epic. That was the kind of intense research he would do. Bhyrappa’s novel Mandra was all about music. He was a lover of Hindustani music and had knowledge of various ragas, which can be seen in the novel. He would go to various concerts to listen to Hindustani music. His demise is a loss to the literary world.’’
As told to Ashwini M Sripad