Indian auto driver heads to own film screening in Venice

He is an auto driver. He's headed to the screening of his own film at Venice Film Festival.

At first glance, 53-year-old M Chandrakumar from Coimbatore in Indian state of Tamil Nadu would seem like an average auto rickshaw driver. Popularly known as Auto Chandran, he has been invited ti the European festival to attend the screening of a film based on his novel.
His book Lock Up was published in 2006 and received the 'Best document of human rights' award in the same year by a human rights body.
The Tamil movie Visaranai has been inspired by his novel Lock Up will be premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. The film is an experimental Tamil thriller which has been produced by actor Dhanush. This is the first Tamil film to be featured in the competition.
From Auto Chandran to Author Chandran
A class 10 drop-out, Chandran says he has always loved writing to express his views and to record his life experiences.
So when does Chandran write? He usually finds the time to write when he waits for passengers or at traffic jams.
After he ran away from home when he was young, he began living on the earnings of odd jobs he did, until he became an auto rickshaw driver.
It all started when he was faced with abuse in Andhra Pradesh, India. According to Chandran, his friends and he were arrested and tortured by the police, and brutally beaten for 13 days without any reason.
These experiences inspired him to write his first novel in where he described the helplessness of the poor and how there is no protection for people like him.
After he finished writing the novel, a friend who was part of the film industry shared it with Vetrimaaran. The director, impressed with Chandran's story agreed to make a film based on the novel. Vetrimaaran not only credited the film to Chandran but also invited him to the film festival which runs from September 2 to September 12.
He has written over six books yet, Boomiyai kolaikalam aakkum America, a collection of essays on the history of terrorism and Kovaiyil Jeeva, a book on Communist leader P Jeevanandam.

• India