Politician behind Madhavikkutty’s Islam conversion; Kamal’s next film to drop bombshell?

Renowned Malayalam filmmaker and Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal, who is all set to make a biopic on writer Madhavikkutty ( Kamala Suraiyya/Kamala Das) said that his film will leave no stones unturned when it comes to the eventful life of the boldest woman writers India has ever produced.

 

The conversion of Madhavikkutty into Islam in the fag end of her life had created a controversy, especially because of the rumoured involvement of a politician in the whole episode. Madhavikkutty, who was born a Hindu and an ardent lover of Lord Krishna, died a Muslim.

Will Kamals film reveal the name of the politician who forced her to convert?

In conversation with Jimmy James of Asianet News, Kamal assured that the film will be faithful to Madhavikkutty’s life and hence, everything including the episode of conversion, which was a very important incident in her life and the related issues would definitely be in the film.

 

"I am doing a complete film on Madhavikkutty. So I can't ignore those references. Moreover, all the controversy broke over the conversion and I can't help referring to it," Kamal said. 

 

Watch the interview in Malayalam

 

Recently, Kamal had a fight with Madhavikkutty’s Canadian friend Merrily Weisbord who wrote ‘The Love Queen of Malabar, Memoir of a Friendship with Kamala Das,' after he criticized the book. The book has many lies, he said in an interview to Mathrubhumi. He was apparently referring to the conversion of the late writer and the politician who’s said to have had an affair with her.

 

Angrily reacting to Kamal, Weisbord questioned the film maker’s right to challenge the integrity of her book. Instead of trying to malign her, Kamal should focus on his film so that it would benefit those who study Kamala Das and her writings, she had retorted. 

 

In a statement given to Mathrubhumi, Weisbord, writer based in Montreal, said her book  'The Love Queen of Malabar, Memoir of a Friendship with Kamala Das,' was based on her long friendship with the writer and 70 hours of conversation. The audio record of the conversations are with the Concordia University and would be available for researchers.

 

Also read: Vidya Balan prepares for Kamala Surayya biopic
 

The Canadian had also suggested that the pressures from the sons of the late writer must have prompted the filmmaker to deride her book. 
 

The book had some highly sensational episodes on the love life of the poet who publicly announced her decision to convert to Islam and accept the name Kamala Suraiyya. The book revealed that the writer was prompted to convert by an Indian MP with whom she fell in love. Later, the politician dumped her, pushing the old writer into a life of dejection and forced confinement, the book said.   

 

Since Kamal promised that his film will have ‘everything’ on Madhavikkutty, let’s wait for the film to expose the ‘Indian MP’.