Hindi cinema usually stays away from books unlike Hollywood or our regional industries. But a change is taking place slowly. Anurag Kashyap’s next release, Bombay Velvet, based on Gyan Prakash’s Mumbai Fables, is part of a larger stream of films being adapted from books, irrespective of their literary merit.
Ahead of the release of Kashyap’s ambitious film, we look at the books ready for a Bollywood makeover.
Abhishek Kapoor is adapting Dickens’s landmark novel into a modern day saga. Titled Fitoor, the film will see Aditya Roy Kapoor playing the romantic lead opposite Katrina Kaif. Rekha will be essaying the eccentric character of Miss Havisham. Aditi Rao Hydari, Lara Dutta, Rahul Bhat, and Akshay Oberoi too are part of the cast.
Bollywood seems to be addicted to Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s romantic tragedy forever. This time, Sudhir Mishra is taking the story into Shakespearean territory. Titled Aur Devdas, the cast includes Richa Chadda, Aditi Rao Hydari and Rahul Bhat.
Japanese writer Keigo Higashino’s acclaimed novel, The Devotion of Suspect X will be adapted for an Indian version by producer Ekta Kapoor. A gripping murder mystery, the film will be directed by Kahaani director Sujoy Ghosh, and will have Kangna Ranaut opposite Saif Ali Khan.
The Khoobsurat couple Sonam Kapoor and Fawad Khan will be back again in Chauhan’s bestseller adaptation. The actors will play lovers from warring political families who get thrown into an election battle.
Post his first hit film, Badlapur, director Sriram Raghavan is adapting Swarup’s novel which is the tale of a young woman’s moral resilience against the corruption of modern India. If the grapevine is to be believed, Deepika Padukone has given her nod.
Pakistani journalist Saba Imtiaz’s bestselling novel, Karachi, You’re Killing Me! which has been hailed as Pakistan’s answer to Bridget Jones’ Diary is going for a Bollywood touch up with a tentative title, Delhi, You’re Killing Me!. The hunt for a young female actress to play the lead protagonist, Ayesha, is currently on.
Almost every bestseller of Chetan Bhagat has turned into box office gold. So it was no surprise when Ekta Kapoor decided to produce the adaptation of his latest novel, Half Girlfriend, with Mohit Suri as director. Rumours suggest that Kriti Sanon has been locked in as the leading lady.
Amish Tripathi’s phenomenal bestseller is being cooked in Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions for an epic scale. In most probability, Karan Malhotra (of Agneepath remake fame) will be directing it, and you can expect a big star essaying the title role.
Rohan Sippy has found his next film in Samit Basu’s sci-fi novel, Turbulence. A story that deals with Indian superheroes, the cast will be mostly from the young generation of stars.
Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Productions initially bought the right to adapt Chauhan’s novel which essentially revolves around cricket. But it didn’t go anywhere. Now producer Pooja Shetty Deora has bought it over from Red Chillies. Sonam Nair of Gippi fame is working on it.
B.A. Pass director Ajay Bahl is adapting Shōwa period Japanese novelist Akimitsu Takagi’s crime novel based on actual events of industrial espionage, into an Indian setting. Abahy Deol, Geetanjali Thapa and Shilpa Shukla will be form the main cast of the film.
(The writer is a journalist and screenwriter who believes in the insanity of words, in print or otherwise)
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