Kamal pays tribute to writer Dominique Lapierre

CHENNAI: Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan on Sunday paid his tribute to writer Dominique Lapierre well known for his book ‘Freedom at Midnight’ which was one of the inspirations for his film ‘Hey Ram’.

“My favourite French writer Dominique Lapierre passed away a few days ago. The inspiration for the film 'Hey Ram' was the book Freedom at Midnight written by him along with Larry Collins and the stories of Saadat Hasan Manto,” he wrote in a tweet.

Noting that research for a historical film is not so easy, he said, “You have to visit libraries, archives and museums day after day putting in a lot of hard work and time. Both these books lightened my workload a lot. I have never met these writers. However, I am their student. Thus Lapierre has been the seed and the rain for a good story.”

He said that his book, City of Joy, which is set in the marginal life of Kolkata, is also famous. “Lapierre’s Is Paris Burning? was made into a movie by screenwriting geniuses Francis Ford Coppola and Gore Whittle. Dominique Lapierre, who loved India so much, donated a portion of the royalties from book sales to many charities in India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India,” he added.