Tamil cinema has a strong tradition of drawing from the vast repertoire of literary sources. While cinema in its infancy could rely on mythological themes, the modernization of the society called for a contemporary approach to the choice of scripts. But, Tamil literature once again rose up to the challenge and has provided several gems which were made into fine movies. C.N. Annadurai could be considered the first modern Tamil writer whose stories reflected the prevailing ills in the society of those days. He was also a talented dialogue writer. His lines were fiery with the passion for social reform. Then came his protégé, Kalaignar Karunanidhi. This doyen of Tamil literature has written the screenplay and dialogues for several hit films. Parasakthi, Manohara, Poompuhar etc. are some of the memorable ones. Karunanidhi’s felicity with the language was showcased so well that the dialogues were often used as propaganda for political issues. Such was his command.

Kannadasan made a greater name as a lyricist as he was basically a poet but he has also written some good stories which were made into films. Then, came Jayakanthan. He is a writer with an immense sense of social consciousness. He has written novels hitting out at several malpractices and hypocrisies in the society. After Jayakanthan, we have Balakumaran and Rangarajan alias Sujatha. While the former two are dedicated novelists, Sujatha is known more as a skilled scriptwriter.

In the postmodern context, it is often felt that serious literary practitioners shy away from films because they perceive the medium to be frivolous. There could be some truth. But then, just as Annadurai and Kalaignar brought a sea change in Tamil films, these talented writers must come forward and make their contribution available. Only then can the medium act as a catalyst for disseminating good literary trends. An encouraging sign is the effort by Jayamohan in Kasturiman. Litterateurs should break away from their holier-than-thou attitude and approach cinema with the perspective of partnership. Only then both can grow. In this regard, it is advisable to look at Malayalam film industry which has a strong bond with literary giants like Thagazhi Sivasankaran Pillai, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Kamala Das, etc.