From Book to Silver Screen: 10 Bollywood Adaptations Better Than Novels

 

From Book to Silver Screen: 10 Bollywood Adaptations Better Than Novels

When the imagination that emerges from the pages of a book comes to life on the screen, the film often has a deeper impact on the audience than the original text. The combination of literature in Bollywood is very old, but some films have broken the limited scope of literature and reached a unique height on the silver screen. The list of 10 such notable Bollywood adaptations is given below:

* Maqbool (2003): Vishal Bhardwaj presented William Shakespeare's immortal tragedy 'Macbeth' in the context of the Mumbai underworld. The performances of Pankaj Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Tabu create an intense psychological tension even more than the original play.

* Omkara (2006): This film, based on Shakespeare's 'Othello', perfectly depicts the real world of politics and crime in Uttar Pradesh.  Saif Ali Khan's transformation into the role of 'Langra Tyagi', in particular, gives a new dimension to the original literature.

* Haider (2014): The way the story of 'Hamlet' is depicted against the backdrop of the political complexities of Kashmir is world-class. Shahid Kapoor and Tabu's impeccable performances make the film a modern masterpiece.

* Devdas (2002): Although there have been several works on the classic novel by Sharatchandra Chatterjee, the royal atmosphere, eye-catching sets and the duo of Madhuri-Aishwarya-Shahrukh seen in this version by Sanjay Leela Bhansali take the sadness of the original story to an epic level.

* Parineeta (2005): Based on Sharatchandra's novel, directed by Pradeep Sarkar, the romanticism of 1960s Kolkata and the music of Shantanu Maitra make it as enchanting and timeless as the original novel.

 * 3 Idiots (2009): This film was inspired by Chetan Bhagat's novel 'Five Point Someone' and was made by Rajkumar Hirani. Leaving the narrow frame of the original book, the way the film highlights the flaws of the Indian education system and the main philosophy of life is much more influential than the book.

* Lootera (2013): O. Henry's famous short story 'The Last Leaf' was adapted into a large canvas by Vikramaditya Motwane. Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha's fine performances and Amit Trivedi's background music give the story a unique poetic form.

* Kai Po Che! (2013): The film, based on Chetan Bhagat's novel 'The Three Mistakes of My Life', is much more mature and sensitive in its screenplay, friendship and depiction of the Ahmedabad riots than the original novel.

 * Saat Khun Maaf (2011): Vishal Bharadwaj adapted Ruskin Bond's short story 'Susanna's Seven Husbands' into a full-length film. Priyanka Chopra's incredible performance takes it to a new level as a dark thriller.

* Raazi (2018): Based on Harinder Sikka's novel 'Calling Sehmat', this film by Meghna Gulzar breaks the stereotype of patriotism. Alia Bhatt's human and emotional conflict as the spy Sehmat is much more alive in the film than in the original book.

While literature limits ideas to imagination, skillful direction and acting transform that idea into visual magic. These 10 films prove that with the right approach, screen adaptation can go a long way beyond the original work.

Is there a movie on this list that you like, or do you think there should have been more?