P. Saravanaraja talks about the artists behind Nila Comics’ Ponniyin Selvan…

READERSVOICE.COM: You said that the comics were mainly aimed at introducing school age readers to Kalki’s 1951 novel, but what has been the typical age of readers of the comics?

P. SARAVANARAJA: I think it’s between eight and 15. We don’t have clear statistics.

RV: Do you think the comics will attract readers in other countries, maybe manga readers or animation fans, or people who just like well written stories?

P.S: Yes, of course it will be liked. As you said the story telling is the one which will attract the comic readers across the globe. We are bringing out the same in English. We have plans to translate this into Japanese.

RV:  When did you start Nila Comics in Chennai, and what were some of the lessons you learned about the publishing business?

P.S: We started off in 2017 . The major lesson learnt was, the whole book has to be released as one lot and not as series. The costing has to be economical.

RV: The comics are well illustrated and dynamic, with good expressions on the characters. How did you meet the artist M. Karthikeyan and where did you find the artists for the comics?

P.S: I have known Mr Karthikeyan for 14 years. Both of us find common ground on this subject and started this project. Artists were mainly within Tamil Nadu. They are alumni of College of Arts, Chennai.

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