“Those who take literature seriously will have to uplift the freedom of thought in their literary works.”– Akbar Kakkattil, Malayalam fiction Writer

Akbar Kakkattil is a malayalam short-story writer and novelist from Kerala. He is noted for his story narration with humor element. He has wrtten more than 34 books and won the Kerala Sahithya Akademi best novelist award in 2003 for his work Vadakkuninnoru Kudumbavrithantham. He also published Idam Porul Kalai, a Tamil biography of Malayalam Director Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

P A Noushad: You have visited different foreign countries; the concept and way of life of people in some foreign countries are entirely different from us. Have you noticed such differences?

Akbar Kakkattil: The concept of male and female relationship is different from us in most of the foreign countries. Here ,in our country, most of the men and women are maintaining and continuing with their marriage relationship even though both of them are not satisfied with their family life and suffering much under the bondage of marriage because they happened to marry each other without their own choice.

P A Noushad: Do the writers in Kerala including you enjoy the real freedom to create their literary works?

Akbar Kakkattil: We enjoyed such freedom before. The climate has changed now. Some type of negative tendencies are growing in our land these days, some groups are keeping a doubtful eye on everything. Those who take literature seriously will have to uplift the freedom of thought in their literary works.

P A Noushad: In their approach towards culture, the people of Kerala are giving more respect and importance to actors than directors of films. What do you think about this trend?

Akbar Kakkattil: In the world arena film directors occupy higher positions than actors; it is the fact in the history of world cinema. Unfortunately most of the people in our country are satisfying themselves with keeping their dreams about actors.

P A Noushad: Many films and serials are now a days misleading the people from truth, from the realities and values of life. Do you think some type of restrictions are needed in these areas?

Akbar Kakkattil: I cannot expect a better condition in future also. Things are going to worsen. Our world is moving such a way. But we have to uplift the values of life as much as we can as artists and as human beings.

P A Noushad: What are the most important views of life, good literary works put forward?

Akbar Kakkattil: All the good literary works aim at the virtues of humanity. Their target is to widen our mind and give deep insight about life.

P A Noushad: The writer who influenced you the most with his works?

Akbar Kakkattil: Destovsky from Russia. He presents the conflict of mind in the real sense of the term. His life was completely suitable to be a literary figure; he had suffered different types of mental conflicts in his life.

P A Noushad: Do you believe that no other writer has been born in India to bag Nobel Prize as Rabindra nath Tagore?

Akbar Kakkattil: In our Kerala itself there are ONV, Sugathakumary, Sachidanandan-they could not make their space in the international arena because of the limitation of their language. Moreover the award depends more on other factors also. Those factors are not favourable for Indian writers.

P A Noushad: The happiest moment in your life?

Akbar Kakkattil: When a reader comprehends the real stand of my story as what it intended; when I write and when the reader shares this experiences with me, I am the happiest.