Books That Inspired Popular Bollywood Films
Whether you write a book, a song or a script, you always draw inspiration from somewhere. It can be the work of your favourite author or director. Inspiration, like creativity, has no boundaries.
Be it to educate or to entertain, books are full of substance and real wisdom. They are a natural fit for Bollywood filmmakers to get inspiration from and convert their text into movies that we can never get enough of.
Here we list popular Bollywood films that were inspired by books!
1. Five Point Someone
Film: 3 Idiots
3 Idiots is directed by Raju Hirani and adapted from the best seller novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. The film took on the Indian education system that concentrates more on your mark sheet as opposed to making students capable and well-educated. 3 idiots went on to break all box office records and became the highest grossing bollywood movie.
Credits: Nira Pad News
2. Saheb Bibi Golaam
Film: Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam
This 1962 version of Sahib, Biwi Aur Ghulam was produced by the talented Guru Dutt and is based on Saheb, Bibi Aur Golam, which was written by the Bengali author, Bimal Mitra. The book is a classic example of modern Indian literature that portrays the gradual decline and breakdown of the feudal system. Guru's masterpiece and Meena Kumari’s thundering performance still remains as one of Hindi cinema’s most enduring classics.
Credits: Upper Stall
3. Devdas
Film: Devdas
Written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Devdas (2013) was the third Hindi version of the novel by the same name. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's third feature sets in the early 1900s, where a young man named Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan) comes back to India after having spent the past ten years in London. The family matriarchs remember his relationship with his ex-love Paro (Aishwarya Rai) and refuse to give their consent. What happens next is the downhill story of Devdas. Worth a watch!
Credits: Deccan Chronicle
4. The Guide
Film: Guide
This evergreen film is based on the critically acclaimed novel The Guide written by R K Narayan. Award-winning performances by Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman made the movie more memorable. The screenplay of Guide had a different ending than the novel. The filmmakers did this to make it more interesting for the moviegoers.
Credits: Lallan Top
5. Hamlet
Film: Haider
The movie is inspired by Hamlet and Haider is the last part of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare trilogy. There is even a gravedigger song with Haider meditating on life and death with a skull and the famous ‘to be or not to be’ speech as ‘Main rahoon ki main nahin.’ This Shakespearean revenge tale enjoyed huge success in India and overseas. Well-adapted and a must-watch at least once!
Credits: Bolly Brit
6. Romeo and Juliet
Film: Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
Based on the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Ram-Leela narrates a romance saga between the two star-crossed lovers. Director-writer Sanjay Leela Bhansali takes this age-old idea of two lovers from opposite faction and instills it with a magical outburst of colours and imagery. Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone burn the screen down with their performance that made us want to see this pair more often.
Credits: Upper Stall
These Bollywood movies have done justice to their scripts and even helped the non-readers enter the world of literature. To this end, we say 'keep them coming'. Do you have any favourite? Comment in the section below.
