books

Updated: Apr 23, 2015 20:10 IST

Content-oriented scripts have always been in demand. Just think, what’s better than deriving screenplays from renowned books. Nothing, right?

On World Book Day, let’s take a look at the successful Bollywood movies which were adapted from famous books.



The book by the same name has been made into a Hindi film not once but four times -- first in 1936 which was directed by PC Baura, and had KL Saigal, Jamuna Baura, TR Rajakumari in lead roles. Later, it was made again in 1955 by the legendary Bimal Roy and had superstar Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Suchitra Sen playing the main characters. In 2002, Sanjay Leela Bhansali immortalised it again in his own style with Shahrukh Khan playing Devdas. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was SRK’s Paro and Madhuri Dixit played the role of Chandramukhi. In 2009, Anurag Kashyap made the modern version "Dev D" with Abhay Deol in the lead.The 1962 Hindi movie is considered to be an all time classic. It is based on Bengali novel "Shaheb Biwi Golam" by Bimal Mitra. The story is about relationship that nurtures between wife of an aristocrat and a servant. Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari, Waheeda Rehman were seen in pivtol roles. The movie even received Ocsar nomination in year 1962.The 1965 release is based on RK Narayan's novel ‘Guide’. The super hit movie had Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman in lead roles. Story of a tour guide to a spiritual guru, the movie is still remembered for its music and acting performances.Made in 1971, starring Dev Anand, Mumtaz and Hema Malini, the movie is an adaption of The Citadel by Dr AJ Cronin.The Gulzar-directed movie made in 1982 is loosely based on William Shakespeare's play, ‘The Comedy of Errors’. It has actor Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma playing double roles.The story is about two twins and the events that take place when they meet.It's the story of a mother whose son, a Naxalite gets killed. The film is based on Magsaysay awardee Mahasweta Devi's Bengali novel Hajar Churashir Maa. It has Jaya Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Joy Sengupta, Seema Biswas playing the lead roles. The movie also won a national award in 1998.Amrita Pritam's classic literature Pinjar was envisioned on-screen by director Chandra Parkash Dwivedi in 2003. Based on sufferings faced by people on either sides of the Radcliffe Line, the movie foretells the story of a young Hindu girl named Puro abducted by a Muslim guy, Rashid.The 2006 release which had Vidya Balan in the lead role is based on a Bengali novel by the same name written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1914. The movie revolves around childhood lovers played by Saif Ali Khan, and Balan. It also had Sanjay Dutt in a pivotal role.Vishal Bhardwaj weaved his magic once again after Maqbool through an adaption of William Shakespeare's Othello. Set in Uttar Pradesh, it has Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan in lead roles. The movie was also screened at Cannes Film Festival in 2006.Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the film was one of the biggest hits of 2009.The movie is based on Chetan Bhagat's novel "Five Point Someone" and has Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Omi Vaidya and Boman Irani in it.Loosely based on O Henry’s "Last Leaf", Lootera is a love story of Pakhi Roy Chaudhary (played by Sonakshi Sinha) and Varun Shrivastav (played by Ranveer Singh). The movie set in 1950s was critically acclaimed.Set in Ahmedabad, the story is about three friends Ishaan (Sushant Singh Rajput), Omi (Amit Sadh) and Govind (Rajkummar Rao), and how their lives change after a series of events, including the Bhuj earthquake and Gujarat riots. It was adopted from Chetan Bhagat’s "The Three Mistakes of My Life".Loosely based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel Two States, the movie starring Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt was released in 2014. The love story of top B-school students from different communities on-screen made it big in terms of money.Five National Awards-winning Haider is an adaption of William Shakespeare’s book "Hamlet". The movie saw one of the best performances from actor Shahid Kapoor. It also had Shraddha Kapoor and Tabu in pivotal roles.The latest release is based on the fictional character Byomkesh Bakshy written by Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. Directed by Dibakar Banerjee, the film has Sushant Singh Rajput playing the lead character.