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This is an archive article published on December 18, 2022

How Colombian footballer René Higuita’s name ignited a cultural debate in Kerala

Popular Malayalam author N S Madhavan has contested the title of debutant director Hemanth G Nair’s upcoming film Higuita. We explain what the controversy is all about.

(L-R) Malayalam author N S Madhavan, former Colombian footballer René Higuita and a poster of Hemanth G Nair's upcoming film Higuita.(L) Malayalam author N S Madhavan has claimed he helped poplarise the word 'Higuita' in Kerala's culture, and he should have rights to its film adaptation and other titles. (Photos: N S Madhavan/ Twitter, Wikimedia Commons, Shashi Tharoor/ Facebook)
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How Colombian footballer René Higuita’s name ignited a cultural debate in Kerala
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The end of November saw a cultural debate in Kerala, beginning with Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sharing an upcoming film’s poster, and it now has the state’s intelligentsia lining up on either side of the aisle. The reason? Malayalam director Hemanth G Nair’s next film Higuita has its title being contested by acclaimed author N S Madhavan, who says it is depriving him of the rights to a movie titled after and based on his short story, also called Higuita.

Confused? We explain.

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What is the Higuita controversy?

On November 28, Thiruvananthapuram MP and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor released the first-look poster of Higuita on his Facebook page.

The next day, a Twitter user shared the poster, tagging Madhavan and saying that whenever they hear the name ‘Higuita’, the first thing they thought of is the author’s short story. Madhavan then quote-tweeted that post, wherein he first made the allegations that this film takes away his rights to the title of a movie. He also said, “I wish no writer in any language to suffer my plight.”

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However, Nair has denied any connection between his film and Madhavan’s short story and has stated that the title was a symbolic reference to former Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita. Incidentally, Madhavan’s short story was also inspired by the legendary footballer. Nair questioned how anyone could pass judgement on the film when even its preview has not been made available yet.

“Higuita is my first film. I have no plans to change its title as of now. The title was officially released on November 8, 2019, with the help of eight prominent stars in Malayalam cinema. After facing Covid-19 and many other crises, it is only now that we are getting the opportunity to release the film. I wonder why such an issue has come up now when nobody has had a problem with it so far,” Nair told reporters.

On the other hand, when speaking to the Malayalam news portal Onmanorama, Madhavan said, “Higuita was not a well-known goalkeeper. If you go through the 1986 reports, his name might have cropped up twice or thrice. The player came into Kerala’s consciousness through me. Had I not written that story, there is no logic in naming the movie Higuita. They are trying to piggyback on my story’s popularity.”

On December 2, however, Madhavan seemed to have won, with the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) reportedly rejecting the film’s title, saying that the author had filed a complaint with them. “The people behind the movie should have consulted the writer before finalising the title,” said chamber president G Suresh Kumar.

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KFCC provides title and publicity clearance certificates before a movie is submitted for certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Where is the Higuita debate headed now?

Madhavan reacted to this development with a tweet saying he was grateful to KFFC. “I wish young director Hemanth Nair and his film all success. May people flock to see Suraj-Dhyaan movie,” he added, referring to actors Suraj Venjaramoodu and Dhyan Sreenivasan.

However, Nair maintained his earlier stand that his film had nothing to do with the short story, and said that the filmmakers would now take appropriate legal action.

Prominent cultural personalities of Kerala have lined up on either side of the debate, with some saying Madhavan reserves the rights to the title, while others questioning how a living figure’s name can be the exclusive property of one man.

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Asianet News reported that Kerala Sahitya Akademi president K Satchidanandan has supported Madhavan’s claim to the title. He had also reportedly written a Facebook post defending the author, which he later deleted after getting trolled.

Leader of Opposition and Congress MLA V D Satheesan also came out in Madhavan’s support. “The Malayali public knows not only the footballer, but also that the short story written by Madhavan, which is one of the most celebrated in Malayalam literature. His grief is justified. The filmmaker should have asked for his consent,” he told reporters.

Popular novelist Benyamin, who has written books like Goat Days, took a more balanced approach to the controversy. On Facebook, he wrote that while Madhavan in no way owned Higuita, the “double standard” of filmmakers can’t be ignored.

Who is N S Madhavan and what is his short story about?

Madhavan, 74, is one of the most popular and acclaimed Malayalam authors. His 2003 novel Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal is a history of Kochi and its people and is considered his most significant work. It won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel in 2004 and was included in the long list for the 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize.

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He is also known for his short stories — a few examples are Higuita, Thiruthu, and Vanmarangal Veezhumpol. Most of his short stories chronicle the anxieties of the modern world as it clashes with the traditional way of living.

Along with this, Madhavan is a frequent commentator on football and writes travel articles. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1975 as a member of the Bihar cadre.

Madhavan is a distinguished fellow of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi and has won several awards for his work. In 1993, he won the Padmarajan Award for Thiruthu. In 2015, he was awarded the Padmaprabha Literary Prize, while 2018 saw him winning two awards: the Mathrubhumi Literary Award and the Literary Award of the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam.

Higuita, first published in 1990, is considered one of the finest Malayalam short stories of the 20th century. It revolves around a Christian priest, Father Gee Varghese, who is an ardent fan of the Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita, and takes inspiration from his hero to save a tribal girl from being trafficked. The story has also been adapted for the stage by Sasidharan Naduvil as Higuita: A Goalie’s Anxiety at Penalty Kick.

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The short story won the Odakkuzhal Award in 1994, and in 1995, the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story. It also won the Muttathu Varkey Award in 2009.

And who is René Higuita?

Born as José René Higuita Zapata in 1966, the former Colombian footballer earned fame as a star goalkeeper who had a dramatic flair. Higuita was nicknamed El Loco (“The Madman” in Spanish) for his high-risk ‘sweeper-keeper’ playing style.

He gained global stardom in the 1990 FIFA World Cup — after his farewell match in 2010, BBC wrote: “He was a pioneer when it came to his skill with the ball at his feet and in his willingness to take responsibility for situations 40 metres from goal. Before the change in the back pass rule obliged keepers to develop these abilities, he was already showing that a team is made up of 11 footballers, not of 10 players and a goalkeeper.”

Higuita reportedly invented the ‘scorpion kick’, a movement which involves the player jumping forward, positioning their legs over their head, and in doing so, kicks the ball away with their heels. The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) ranked him the 8th best South American keeper in history. He also scored 41 goals between 1985 and 2010, making him one of the top 10 highest goalscoring goalkeepers in the world.

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He was involved with Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar and was briefly arrested in 1993 on charges of profiting from a kidnapping case. However, he was released after seven months and all charges against him were dropped.

In The Two Escobars, an ESPN documentary, Higuita claimed that he was arrested for visiting Pablo when the latter was incarcerated, with the desire to thank him for turning himself in, which stabilised Colombia for a short period of time. He went on to support this theory by saying that during his own imprisonment, he was solely questioned about Pablo Escobar himself and no kidnapping case.

Arushi works with the online desk at The Indian Express. She writes on entertainment, culture, women's issues, and sometimes a mix of all three. She regularly contributes to the Explained and Opinion sections and is also responsible for curating the daily newsletter, Morning Expresso. She studied English literature at Miranda House, University of Delhi, along with a minor in Sociology. Later, she earned a post-graduate diploma in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, where she learnt the basics of print, digital and broadcast journalism. Write to her at arushi.bhaskar@indianexpress.com. You can follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram. ... Read More

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