Page - 50 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 07/02

50 | Genoveva Castro www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/2, 31–53 acters of the Rāmāyaṇa are reversed.60 Such is the case of the Tamil poem by Puluvar Kulantai entitled Irāvaṇan Kāviyam, published in 1946, in which Rāvaṇa is the noble cultured Dravidian protagonist and Rāma the cunning villain. Śūr- paṇakhā is depicted as an innocent maiden molested by Rāma. After rejecting him, she is punished.61 As in Ratnam’s film, the narrative here also requires the transformation of Śūrpaṇakhā in order to make a case against Rāma. Sympathy for Rāvaṇa’s experiences and emotions is still present amongst recent South Indian writers. In 2004, the contemporary poet K. Satchidanan- dan published a poem called “Come unto me, Janaki”, in which Rāvaṇa, who is dead, expresses his intense love for Sītā in heaven.62 Thus, Kampan’s work set an important precedent in the reinterpretation of the villains, accentu- ating their feelings. We can see that Ratnam’s interpretation is based on the devotional literary culture of the South, in which the emotions of the demons are amplified and validated, while also taking inspiration from so- cio-political interpretations of the epic. Conclusion As Stam states, when classical works are adapted, the story is transformed, turned around, and critically rewritten. Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa is a narrative in which the rightful rulers fight against pure evil, but where the villain has the same stature as the hero. Although Rāvaṇa is evil in Kampan’s text, the demon becomes a suffering lover living a tragic story. Such emotional rendering has proved appealing, especially for a Tamil audience. Motivated by a political aim, Ramasami looked for Rāma’s faults and Rāvaṇa’s virtues. Tamil Rāmāyaṇas such as Irāvaṇan Kāviyam transposed the narrative into a contemporary context. Thus, Raavan (2010) did not take a completely new approach, but rather was influenced by diverse readings of the Rāmāyaṇa, the feelings of Rāvaṇa, contemporary political issues, and the celebration of outlaws in a country with profound social divisions. Ratnam’s adaptation criticizes the good/evil dichotomy of the Rāmāyaṇa and raises questions about the complexity of issues concerning otherness. It is not clear who is the hero and who the villain. The demon attains at times 60 Zvelebil 1988, 132. 61 Zvelebil 1988, 132. 62 Richman 2008, 215–218.