BOLLYWOOD MOVIES BASED ON NON-INDIAN LITERATURE

By Milana Prakash (Team Creative)

While Bollywood’s latest trend appears to be to adapt every book that Chetan Bhagat releases, adapting literary works on the big screen is not a new phenomenon. Bollywood is constantly on a look-out for ‘inspiration’, and written works are always a go-to, owing to their textual richness and detail. The selection of books is not confined just to Indian authors and often storytellers seek inspiration from works written by non-Indian authors.

Some popular Bollywood films that have been book adaptations (written by non-Indian authors) are:

1) Aisha (2010): This Sonam Kapoor starrer, which opened to mixed reviews, was an adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ (1815). Set against a plush upper class backdrop in Delhi, it mirrors the Highbury society, where Aisha plays Emma, the titular protagonist from Austen’s novel.

2) Lootera (2013): Vikramaditya Motwane’s masterpiece, starring Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha, may not have been a quintessential Bollywood hit, but was appreciated widely by most critics. Lootera was a remake of ‘The Last Leaf’, by the noted American author, O. Henry.  Set against the picturesque backdrop of Manikpur and Dalhousie, the film captured the essence of the original story and at the same time, managed to adapt it to the Indian cultural sensibilities.

3) Saawariya (2007): Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor’s debut film, Saawariya, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was an adaptation of the Russian author, Dostoevsky’s short story ‘White Nights’. The film had a dismal run at the box office, but is still remembered for having launched two of Bollywood’s highly celebrated actors today.

4) Kohra (1993): Kohra directed by Biren Nag, starring Waheeda Rehman, Biswajeet and Lalita Pawar, was an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’. While the film added a supernatural twist to it, which wasn’t a part of Maurier’s novel, it does revolve around Manderley and the iconic Mrs. Danvers (played by Lalita Pawar).

5) Omkara(2006): Quite a few of Vishal Bharadwaj’s films have been adaptations of Shakespeare’s popular works. Like ‘Omkara’, which was adapted from ‘Othello’, ‘Haider’, which was adapted from ‘Hamlet’, and ‘Maqbool’, an adaptation of ‘Macbeth’. Audiences and critics alike have appreciated all three films and these have gone on to win several awards. Bharadwaj has been praised immensely for his ability to adapt Shakespeare’s plays to suit the Indian cultural nuances so aptly.