We know art imitates life but there have been instances over the years that have had one form of art find its inspiration from another.
Films are known to bring the written word to life and when that word is already a classic, the interpretation gets special. Several upcoming Bollywood ventures are inspired by classics of the written word. Here’re a few of the forthcoming films that are based on well-known literary works.
Jisne Lahore Naa Dekhiya Woh Janmay Hi Nahin
Rajkumar Santoshi’s next is based on Asghar Wajahat’s book. It is based on a true story of an elderly woman — a Punjabi Hindu — who is left behind in a huge haveli in Lahore during Partition. She refuses to leave her home despite the haveli being allotted to another family. After the initial rift with the family who occupy the home, they start living together in peace. After she dies, there’s communal tension on how her last rites should be performed.
The Immortals of Meluha
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is in discussion with Amish Tripathi for the rights of Meluha. Karan Johar had initially bought the rights but could not make the film. He then surrendered the rights. Now, the writer is in talks with Bhansali.
The Krishna Key
Eros International has acquired the rights to adapt best-selling Indian author Ashwin Sanghi’s anthropological thriller, The Krishna Key, into a theatrical film and original series for their digital platform, Eros Now. Krishna Key, the third novel by Sanghi, tries to unlock the secrets of the Mahabharat and establish Krishna as a historical character rather than a mythical one.
Daas Dev
Yet another adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 novel is in the offing. Sudhir Mishra’s Daas Dev is a reverse story of the novel, with a bit of Shakespeare. If Devdas was a journey from a noble person to a Das, this is a journey from Das, who is a slave to his addictions and to the dynastic ambitions of his family, to Dev.
ON FILM ALREADY
Ramleela and Ishaqzaade
When we talk about romantic films adapted from books, Romeo and Juliet is popular in all cultures. William Shakespeare’s play has been interpreted many times on the big screen, and Bollywood is not far behind. In the last few years we saw two modern versions of this 16th century classic in the form of Ishaqzaade and Ramleela. The films starred Parineeti Chopra with Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh alongside Deepika Padukone respectively.
Maqbool, Omkara, 7 Khoon Maaf, Haider
While talking about Shakespeare’s influence on Bollywood, how can we forget his biggest fan, Vishal Bhardwaj. The filmmaker has created a trifecta in association with the literary genius and his work. Starting from Maqbool whose bloodshed was inspired from Macbeth, to Omkara that gave the tragedy Othello a rustic Indian look and finally the revenge of Hamlet, which was beautifully intertwined with the political unrest in Kashmir in Haider, we saw Bhardwaj give a spin to Shakespeare that the Bard of Avon would probably approve of. Vishal deviated a little in between as he
directed another film, called 7 Khoon Maaf, based on a short story by Ruskin Bond called Susanna’s Seven Husbands.
Hello, 3 Idiots, Kai Po Che, 2 States, Half Girlfriend
Like him or hate him, Chetan Bhagat is the face of English writing in India. It started when his One Night at a Call Centre was made into Hello. Then came the blockbuster of both the book- and movie-doms, Five Point Someone, that was loosely adopted into Aamir Khan’s blockbuster 3 Idiots. Bhagat’s 2 States and Half Girlfriend were also made into films.
