Mollywood Times (മോളിവുഡ് ടൈംസ്)

'This is the world.'

'This is Kuttikkanam.'

'This is me.'

'Vineeth Madhavan.'

'This is my story.'

'But, what you are about to see now...'

'is not my story.'

'Twenty-five kilometres away from Kuttikkanam,'

'in the hills of Vagamon, lives...'

'Kerala's most popular writer'

'and my favourite horror novelist,'

'Vaikom David, and his son Sachin Vaikom David.'

'This is their story.'

WITH LOVE, TO NEETHU

VAIKOM DAVID

- Sachin David! - Huh?

Metals used for electroplating... Which are they?

Chromium, Gold, Silver.

Oh...Okay...

Then, define electroplating.

The process of depositing a layer of desired metal

on another by using electricity.

Teacher...

- Huh! - Sachin David is being called.

Hmm...Go!

Are you into writing, like your father, Sachin?

- A little bit. - I see.

I've been saddled with the charge of the school magazine this year.

The stories and poems we've received for the Malayalam section are quite weak.

That's when I thought of you, Sachin.

After all, when Vaikom David sir's son writes something,

it cannot be bad, right?

- I will give it a shot, Teacher. - Good. Don't waste time.

It must be submitted by next week.

- Get it done quickly. - Okay, Teacher.

Teacher!

Should I write a short story or a novel?

Oh goodness, we don't have that kind of space!

A short story would do.

Mangalam weekly or Manjadi?

Manjadi.

- Peter! - Yes?

- Manjadi. - Okay.

Here you go.

Oops. I'll get that.

That's okay.

Devil's Island!

Hey, there's this one too!

- Venu Chetta... - Hmm?

Would you publish a horror novel in your children's magazine?

The last four or five pages...

are reserved for the kids' section.

If it's a short story, we can certainly publish it there.

I'm already writing a short story for the school magazine.

But this is a novel I've been planning for a long time.

If it's written by Vaikom David sir's son...

then even if it's a horror novel,

Manjadi will consider it.

What's the title?

"The Black Hands!"

- Nice. - Teacher!

Aha...

Celebrating your birthday is fine.

But if you don't submit your article by tomorrow,

I'm sending the magazine to the press without it, mind you!

- I'll definitely give it, Teacher. - Alright then.

Neethu...

Happy Birthday!

- This is the first printed copy. - Thank you!

'Devil's Island'

- Teacher, for me! - Wait...wait...

Don't rush!

- I'll call out the names... - I...I want one.

- Sachin, I got it. - I'm fed up with these kids.

- Come! - Hey...Everyone go and sit down!

Didn't you hear what I said? Go and sit.

Did you see my book review?

DEVIL'S ISLAND - NEETHU CHERIYAN

'A small kid's story'

'Where have you gone?'

Regarding your story, Sachin...

As a first timer, it's definitely a good attempt.

- But... - But??

It doesn't quite have the standard to be published in our school magazine.

Maybe we can publish your next one instead.

Now, that doesn't mean...

that you lack talent,

or that the story itself is bad.

With a little more practice,

you can write very well, Sachin.

Keep trying!

Perseverance is everything.

Pick up your father's books and read them once more.

Learn from the best!

If it's written by Vaikom David sir's son...

then even if it's a horror novel,

Manjadi will consider it.

After all, when Vaikom David sir's son writes something,

it cannot be bad, right?

After all, when Vaikom David sir's son writes something,

it cannot be bad, right?

After all, when Vaikom David sir's son writes something,

it cannot be bad, right?

Son, could you give these to your dad?

These copies of "Devil's Island" have a printing error.

Fortunately, they were only sold from a single book store in Kottayam.

We're going to recall them and get new ones printed.

Alright, then.

Sachin...Here you go!

After all, when Vaikom David sir's son writes something,

it cannot be bad, right?

It doesn't quite have the standard to be published in our school magazine.

After all, when Vaikom David sir's son writes something,

it cannot be bad, right?

Pick up your father's books and read them once more.

After all, when Vaikom David sir's son writes something,

it cannot be bad, right?

It doesn't quite have the standard to be published in our school magazine.

I had given it to Neethu.

'Devil's Island'

Dad, I wrote a novel.

It's good.

But this isn't horror.

This is pure comedy.

It's good.

But this isn't horror.

This is pure comedy.

Teacher!

Should I write a short story or a novel?

Sachin!

Open the door!

I gave it everything I had.

But I can never match my father's genius.

To live as my father's talentless...

and incompetent son...

I just can't do it anymore.

Well, of course you can't.

Because, you are my son.

Out of the 232 novels I've published, not a single one is actually mine.

I had a lover who took her own life out of heartbreak.

My batch mate from C.M.S. College,

Anuradha!

'ANURADHA'

After the funeral was over,

and her family came to clear things out,

I packed up and sent all her hostel belongings back with them.

Save for a single exception.

The novels she had written.

'THE DETECTIVE ANURAJ MYSTERIES'

She had an incredible knack for terrifying people with her prose.

I published every single one of those novels under my own name.

'THE DETECTIVE DAVID RAJ MYSTERIES'

By the time her manuscripts finally ran dry,

I had accumulated enough wealth and fame...

to hire people to ghost-write for me.

So, I began scouting for destitute literary talents whom I could easily exploit.

Now, the manuscripts I give you

to hand over to Mangalam or Manjadi every evening...

aren't written by me either.

They're actually his.

Peter's.

David Sir...!

What happened?

There's nothing to worry about anymore, David Sir.

We managed to recover eight copies sold from the Kottayam Manjadi Book store.

- How many copies were sold in total? - Ten.

Only two more left to find.

Did your dad take those two to his grave?

Without me even noticing, Peter left me a little parting gift.

In the manuscript of "Devil's Island" that I gave you to send to press,

he named the villain after me,

and named the heroine Anuradha.

Now, if people actually read this,

anyone with a bit of wisdom and maturity...

could piece together my entire life story.

And that was exactly his intention.

But what if the truth comes out?

Have you ever thought about that, Dad?

Who wrote 'Romeo and Juliet'?

William Shakespeare.

"The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet." by Arthur Brookes.

It was based on that poem...

that William Shakespeare...

created his famous masterpiece, "Romeo and Juliet."

Back then, when intellectual property and copyrights didn't exist...

this was common practice.

But in this day and age,

it would be dismissed as plagiarism or cheap copying.

Can you even fathom framing the great William Shakespeare

as a mere plagiarist?

- No. - You can't.

Because...in reality, beyond the art itself,

and surviving across centuries,

what defines his greatness...

is the reputation he has earned.

The fact that their favourite novelist cheated...

is something people simply don't want to believe.

If the creation is good,

they will deify whoever takes credit as the creator.

They don't even like to hear that it was someone else's blood and sweat.