When imagination coloured a black & white era

Family time was not a formal affair yet. Amma’s filter coffee aroma and her animated discussions about the latest novel of Ramanichandran made mornings that much more refreshing. While we were still denied entry into the world of Ramanichandran, we would often overhear amma drawing parallels between her current heroine and the last in a discussion with her cousins or neighbours. 

To women of the generation, those who had not yet begun working, who had no television sets or even telephone lines, Ramanichandran and Rajesh Kumar brought in that slim ray of light through a window that would always remain largely shut.  

They offered a parallel world where the women and sometimes men could live — and fantasize about anything from their costumes to their previous lives. The worlds offered were varied. If Ramanichandran spoke of romance, Rajesh Kumar and Pattukottai Prabhakar took  readers through a maze of thrill and excitement. 

Indira Soundarrajan instilled in them the fear of past lives and reincarnations; Subha (the pen name of duo Suresh and Balakrishnan) told racy, gripping thrillers while Pushpa Thangadurai delved into intense family dramas.  They were the heroes and heroines of 1980s - the ones who gave colourful reprieve to those black ‘n’ white days. If titles were anything to go by, these were some of what Ramanichandran dished out: Chandini , Bhanumathi , Mangalyam Thanthunane , Avanum Avalum , Atharku Oru neramundu… Rajesh Kumar’s titles sent a chill through the spine. Sample this: Ka daisi Sottu Ratham, Dhinam Dhinam Thigil , Sigappu Roja , Velvet Killer . 

With over 1,000 novels to his credit, Rajesh Kumar was easily the most prolific writer in the country, while Ramanichandran who penned over 125 novels, remains the unchallenged queen of Tamil pulp fiction. 

Besides novels that were published on periodical basis, the writers also wrote serials and short stories in popular vernacular magazines making them a household name in the state. The popularity of the pulp fiction genre got its due acknowledgement on a global platform when Chennai-based Blaft publications translated a selection of stories into English in 2008. 

The anthologies were runaway hits - what with reviews and stories appearing in Washington Post and US National Radio. But Tamil’s answer to James Hardly Chase soon met its moment of nemesis in television. I was rudely awakened to the deteriorating popularity of pulp fiction when my mother failed to show enough interest about a television show I was appearing on, alongside her favourite Ramanichandran. 

The queen of pulp fiction had not retired yet and I was gushing to a nonchalant Ramanichandran about her fan but back home, amma took it all rather lightly. It didn’t take much time to figure out that amma, along with millions of readers, had effortlessly moved on to soap operas that had now begun to appear on all television networks. 

Soap operas or mega serials today have almost all the ingredients of a pulp novel – romance, crime, treachery, loyalty, sentiments and what not. For those who can’t stomach the entire gamut of emotions packed into an episode, there is always the option of dedicated shows - Marma Desam for crime, Kaadhalika Neramillai for romance, among others. 

Maybe it’s not entirely fair to blame audiences for shifting loyalties, as all they appear to have done is continue to follow their favourite writers – albeit in a new medium. 

One can hardly miss the name of Pattukottai Prabhakar in the credits of at least one television serial that is aired on any given day. The popular writer has worked in over 70 serials besides a few films. The script for Marma Desam was penned by past life Indira Soundarrajan, while several of Rajesh Kumar’s spine chilling novels have been made into two-hour chinna thirai cinema telecast for a popular TV channel. 

The duo Subha has earned a name for themselves in the Tamil film industry by working on scripts for various thrillers including Ayan and Thani Oruvan . I distinctly remember how an aunt of mine, on her deathbed was very worried about actor Bhanupriya’s predicament in Vaazhkai – a hugely popular mega serial in early 2000s. 

She was the same aunt who was as excited about a Ramanichandran heroine and her deftness in handling domestic issues. The spaces for pulp fiction began to shrink in magazines too. The change was evident and inevitable. Readers traded in mental imagery for the visual pleasure of seeing the stories get recreated on screen. 

Sometimes when I join my parents in watching a serial they absolutely love, I am left puzzled by their interest in them. Serials offer one-tenth of what the novels did, leaving very little to imagination. I believe the success of pulp fiction lay in those fascinating images that would come alive in my mind as I eagerly lapped up every line before being caught by an elder. 

Sometimes I secretly wish I could go back those times where flights of fantasy fuelled the reading habit.