Karanth's 'Mookajjiya Kanasagalu' to be made into film

Eminent Kannada writer the late K Shivaram Karanth’s Jnanpith award-winning novel ‘Mookajjiya Kanasugalu’ (1977) is being adapted to silver screen and the film is being directed by acclaimed filmmaker P Sheshadri.

“The adaptation of Mookajjiya Kanasugalu (Mookajji’s dreams) into a film is a dream come true,” Sheshadri said while interacting with reporters after the muharat of the film at Aralikatte temple.

“It is to bring a novel of such a difficult magnitude live onto the medium of film,” Sheshadri, who was planning to make a film on the novel for the past two years, said.

He said the occasion is just right for his directorial venture as the novel completes 50 years in October. “The preface for the novel was written in October 1968. The novel later won the Jnanpith award (1977). Thus, it is a fitting time for the film world to celebrate the novel’s literary success,” Seshadri added.

The shooting of the film is planned in and around Udupi, Shettibettu house in Parkala and cave in Nanacharu. It will be completed within 45 days. Well-known theatreperson B Jayashree is the lead protagonist Mookajji.

Theatre artiste Aravind Hublikar will play the role of Subraya.

He said that like-minded producers and well wishers from the film world have launched ‘Navyachitra Creations’ to make non-commercial films.

“An initiative of this kind is needed, as ideas on making the films based on award-winning novels are being rejected. No one comes forward to produce such movies. Thus, the team went ahead and created its own production house based on cooperative principles. Ten producers are members of the production house,” he said.

Sheshadri recollected working on ‘Bettada Jeeva’, another famous novel of Karanth. His other works ‘Chomana Dudi’ and ‘Sarasammana Samadhi’ have also been made into films.