Five Bollywood Films Based On Books: How Many Have You Explored?

Five Bollywood Films Based On Books: Writers and readers have expressed scepticism when it comes to screen adaptation of books, whether it be a classic novel or pulp fiction. They tend to compartmentalise these two sections of art. But time and again, cinema has proven that adaptations of books can work wonders. For instance, Vishal Bharadwaj's Haider, which is a film on Kashmir and the rivalry which takes the tone of the political climate there. It is based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

In 1999, Salman Rushdie said, "Books and movies are different languages, and attempts at translation often fail." After several failed starts, an adaptation of the book, Midnight's Children, into film was made and released in 2012, which was directed by Deepa Mehta, who has made some critically acclaimed cinema-like Fire, 1947 Earth and Water.

In recent years, The Suitable Boy, a web series on Netflix was released in 2020. It is directed by Mira Nair and Shimit Amin. It, too, was an adaptation from Vikram Seth's book with the same title. Critics pointed out the clumsy use of language for communication between characters and a stuffed eight-episode series that tried to fit in 1,488 pages book.

Suggested Reading: The White Tiger Review: An Incredible Adaptation Of A Controversial Novel

However, this constant tussle between a good adaptation and mediocre visuals keeps going on in art. Directors and actors come with their own sense of translation of what emotions a book and its writer holds. This sometimes strikes the right chords and other times miss the mark. But in recent years, with Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms becoming a major source of entertainment, there has been an influx of films that are adapted from books.

Here is a list of Five Hindi films that were adapted from books:

The White Tiger

Priyanka Chopra in The White Tiger, Picture Credit: Priyanka Chopra/ Twitter

The film starred Adarsh Gaurav, Rajkumar Rao and Priyanka Chopra. It is available on Netflix. The film is an adaptation of Arvind Adiga's award-winning book of the same name. It managed to bring the book alive on the screen. The story revolves around the protagonist Balram, who is from a backward caste village. Both the book and the film shows his journey from the beginning to the end of becoming a successful entrepreneur. It is a commentary on India's class and caste system, rural and urban distinction. The film was nominated for Oscars in 2021, under the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

The Girl On The Train 

Actor Parineeti Chopra in the Indian adaptation of “The Girl on the Train”.

The film is the adaptation of a 2019 film with the same name by Emily Blunt. It has been adapted from the book by the same name by author Paula Hawkin. It stars Parineeti Chopra as the lead actor. She plays the role of Meera, who is a divorcee who has Amnesia. She also is an alcoholic. The storyline revolves around Aditi Rao Hydari's character Mobi Mehta, who goes missing. The film was released on Netflix on February 26, this year. The other cast includes Kriti Kulhari, Avinash Tiwary and Ishita Dutta.

Ray 

Netflix’s Anthology 'Ray' releasing today

It is a collection of four short films which has been adapted from Satyajit Ray's writings. As Ray's majority writings were thriller and crime, the anthology revolves around it too. The four short films are- Hungama Hain Kyon Barpa, Forget Me Not, Bahrupiya and Spotlight. Out of which, the film that made the most buzz was Hungama Hain Kyon Barpa, which was directed by Abhishek Chaubey. The film starred Manoj Bajpayee and Gajraj Rao. It is adapted from Barin Bhowmick's Ailment, written by Ray. It was about a man with kleptomania, which is a condition where the person has a recurring need to steal. The anthology was released on June 25, this year, on Netflix.

Cobalt Blue

The film is an adaptation of a novel by the same name written by Sachin Kundalkar. It is a story of a brother and a sister falling in love with the same person played by Prateik Babbar. It routes the discovery of sexuality to the complicated relationships between the siblings and the man they both have fallen for. The film also stars Anjali Sivaraman and Neelay Mehendale. The film is set in the early 90s.

Gangubai Kathiawadi 

A still from the film Gangubai Kathiawadi

The film is about the real-life mafia queen Gangubai, who was a brothel owner and championed the rights of sex workers operating in the Hiramandi red light area. The film is based on the chapter of the book Mafia Queens Of Mumbai by Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges. The film is directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and casts Alia Bhatt as Gangubai. It is scheduled to release in theatres on February 18, 2022. In March, Bhansali was summoned by the Mazagaon Court on a defamation case filed by Gangubai's adopted son Babuji Rawji Shah, who had filed the case against the writers of the book too.