DD Chandana launches daily serial based on Kumvee’s acclaimed novel ‘Aramane’

Kum. Veerabhadrappa’s acclaimed novel Aramane has been adapted into a television serial. Kannada channel DD Chandana (Doordarshan) has launched the serial with the same name. National Award-winning filmmaker Mansore is the director behind the project, with theatre veteran B. Jayashree essaying a prominent role.

The serial marks the return of a well-known literary adaptation in DD Chandana. In the past, Girish Karnad had helmed screen adaptations of Poornachandra Tejaswi’s Chidambara Rahasya, Shantinath Desai’s Om Namo and Devanur Mahadeva’s Kusumabale as serials on DD Chandana.

Rare experiment

“I see Aramane as one of the rarest experiments in Kannada literature,” Mansore told The Hindu. The Nathicharami (2018) director said DD Chandana had invited National Award-winning filmmakers to pitch novels that could be adapted to the small screen. “A committee was formed to review the applications, and it approved my interest to make Aramane into a daily tele-serial,” he said.

Aramane is a historical novel set in colonial Ballari featuring British administrator Thomas Munro. Highlighting the struggles of marginalised voices, the novel is hailed for its realistic depiction of 19th-century rural society. Kum. Veerabhadrappa, popularly known as Kumvee, explores the life, culture, and conflicts of the working class. Set around Ballari district, Aramane blends folklore with British-era modernisation.

Magic realism

“During my discussions with Mansore, I told the director to try and make the serial closer to reality,” Kumvee told The Hindu. “It’s an epic story with elements of magic realism. So, it will be challenging for the makers to adapt as it is. They might have to make some compromises, but the idea is to tell a story in an engaging fashion.”

Mansore echoes Kumvee’s thoughts, saying his aim is to connect with the masses without diluting the essence of the novel. “It’s a 700-page, complex novel. It mixes history, mythology, and fiction. We have tried to simplify the storyline by splitting it into multiple tracks and focusing on the main characters.”

Describing the challenges of adapting Aramane, Mansore said, “It’s a 200-year-old story. So, it’s not easy to find a house or set that depicts the time period. We had to work on the costume design that represents the era.”

Kumvee said he is curious to see how the audience interprets the serial. “Be it any adaptation, the director takes a thread from the original story and builds his screenplay. Eventually, the audience has the full freedom to judge the translation from page to screen,” he said, adding that it’s important that the television industry supplies quality entertainment in the mainstream setup.

Set in Ballari

Explaining why the novel is unique, Mansore said, ”We have had novels based in Mysuru, Dharwad, Kalaburagi and Malenadu. But a popular work with Ballari as the background is rare. For me, Aramane is as important as Kusumabale. The serial is an important step in the Kannada small screen space.”

The serial, based on the Sahitya Academy-winning novel, is currently being telecast on DD Chandana from Monday to Friday at 7.30 pm.