New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) Age-old stories like those told in Ramayana and Mahabharata will be rewritten and retold in every era, says writer Anand Neelakantan, who is known for his interpretation of Indian epics from the perspective of the antagonist.
The 49-year-old rose to fame with his 2012 mythological fiction, “Asura: Tale of the Vanquished”, which depicted the tale of Ramayana from the perspective of Ravana. His another bestseller, “Ajaya”, also depicts the epic of Mahabharata from the point of view of Duryodhana.
Calling himself more of a “storyteller” than a novelist, Neelakantan said “Indian civilisation” does not believe in “one god, one religion, and one book”.
“It is not the first time somebody is reinterpreting or rewriting it, every Ramayana is different, every Mahabharata is different. There are more than 1000-1200 Mahabharatas and 300-340 Ramayanas.This is a tradition continuing from the last 2000-3000 years, or more than that in different languages,” Neelakantan told PTI in an interview.
The author said retelling an old story in a slightly different manner was never considered “blasphemy”.
“Traditionally, it was never that, which is why we have got so many Ramayanas and Mahabharatas. It’s an all accepting culture. And more will be written, it’s not going to end. Every era, every generation, it will be written again as per the needs of that generation and as per the viewpoint of the writer or the poet,” he said.
Neelakantan takes pride in the fact that in his retellings, he does not deviate from the original plot and only reinterprets it from the perspective of the central character.
“I never deviate from the plot. I don’t put elements into it which are not there. I only change the perspective of telling. It’s not a plot change where Duryodhana wins. It’s only the thought process, I try to get into the mind of the character and try to interpret it.” The writer explained that the scriptures were traditionally taught in a way that urged students to use logic to interpret the texts and arrive at their own truth.
“Even in ‘Gita’, Krishna says I told you the deepest of truths but you use your logic, you use your analysis. And then do what is right. So that has been the concept. So when I write it, I get into the character and try to tell the story from that angle,” the author of Bahubali Trilogy said.
Giving the example of Mahabharata, Neelkantan said the epic is actually a “great debate” on “dharma” (on the nature of truth) and not just a story about good versus evil.
“Mahabharata is a grand debate on dharma, it constantly shifts. If you read it or hear it as a folk tale and all, even in the conventional telling, the perspective keeps shifting. When Duryodhana speaks, you feel he is right, when Yudhishthira speaks you feel he is right. Same with Ramayana.
“Everywhere (now), it is only the simplified telling, which came after the television that it started imitating the typical westernised telling of duality, of good vs bad, heaven vs hell, god vs satan. Here, it is much deeper than that.” Neelakantan, who has also written television shows including “Siya Ke Ram”, “Sankat Mochan Bahubali Hanuman”, and “Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat”, said he likes to expand his horizon by venturing into different media like audiobooks, TV and films.
“I tell myself I am a storyteller. The medium and the language don’t matter to me. I may tell the story through a television show, or through an audiobook. When I am writing an audiobook, it’s again a relearning process because all the cues should be through your ears. So I write accordingly. The moment I define myself as a storyteller there is a lot of freedom,” he said.
The author, who attended the recently-concluded Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival, came out with his latest book, a retelling of the love story of Nala-Damayanti from the latter’s perspective in April.
Neelakantan said he would try to make “Nala Damayanti” into a film. An audiobook on the story of “Amba”, an audio series on many forms of Krishna, and two big-banner films are in the pipeline.
“I also have two children’s books coming. I have one more non-fiction book called ‘Asura Marga’, a self help book on how to live like an ‘asura’, and why ambition and jealousy is good. Then I have two films coming up, I have three shows which have gone on floors,” he said.
The writer will also has plans to come up with a book on old Tamil epics that were located in ‘Kumari Kandam’, a mythical lost continent of ancient Tamil civilization.
“It is very similar to Shiva Purana but with something different based on the sunken continent of Kumari Kandam. As per our purana, the Manu’s flood happened, this is a story before that. Where our puranas start, there the Tamil puranas end. So I am bringing that, the first Shiva, Adiyogi’s story,” Neelakantan said. PTI MAH BK BK
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