On May 14, filmmaker Zoya Akhtar and streaming platform Netflix announced a new film, The Archies, an adaptation of the American cult comic books. The much-hyped project, co-written by Akhtar and Reema Kagti, is scheduled to release on the OTT platform in 2023.
This isn't the first time a book, novel or comic has been adapted for film. The trend has been popular in Indian cinema with movies like Omkara (2006), The Namesake (2006), 3 Idiots (2009), 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), and Kai Po Che (2013) having been translated successfully from the written word to celluloid.
Recently, Sony Pictures acquired the film rights of Chetan Bhagat's 2016 novel One Indian Girl. Two of his earlier books, 3 Mistakes of My Life and 2 States, have also been made into films.
Here are some recent and upcoming book-to-film adaptations:
The Great Indian Murder, streaming on Disney + Hotstar
This crime drama show, helmed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, is based on Vikas Swarup's bestselling novel Six Suspects. After a political scion is killed, there are six suspects surrounding the murder, and several versions form the crux of the story.
Actor Pratik Gandhi, who featured as CBI officer Suraj Yadav in the show, believes the biggest advantage of making a film on a book is that its storyline and overall structure are already in place.
"The characters and the setting have already been defined," Gandhi told DH. "So that makes it easier for the makers to visualise it. And if a book is already successful or a bestseller, it is easy to gauge the audience's reaction to an extent."
"While reading a book, you start visualising everything. However, in a film, you see an interpretation of the book. I enjoy both as different creative experiences. An unsuccessful book can turn out to be a successful film and vice versa."
Gangubai Kathiawadi, streaming on Netflix
Within a week since it was released on OTT on April 26, Gangubai Kathiawadi became the number one non-English film on Netflix globally. Based on a chapter of Hussain Zaidi's book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai, the film stars Alia Bhatt in the lead role. It chronicles the life of Gangubai Kathiawadi, a young girl who was duped and sold to a brothel but ends up being a mafia queen who works for the betterment of sex workers. The film is directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and stars Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz, and Seema Pahwa.
Mismatched, streaming on Netflix
Season 1 of Mismatched, starring Prajakta Koli, Rohit Saraf, Rannvijay Singha and Vidya Malvade in leading roles, garnered colossal popularity. Based on Sandhya Menon's book When Dimple Met Rishi, the web show is a coming-of-age drama and romantic series. The second season of the show is in the works.
Vishal Bhardwaj's franchise based on Agatha Christie's book
Classic foreign literature has always been filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj's inspiration. After adapting several of William Shakespeare's works to film, Bhardwaj has now acquired the official rights to a book by the world's best-selling crime novelist, Agatha Christie. His film franchise will depict an entirely new pair of investigators solving crimes and murders. Further details of the project are still under wraps.
Nagesh Kukunoor’s series on B Ramalinga Raju
After the success of Scam 1992, based on the life of stockbroker Harshad Mehta and his Indian stock market scam in 1992, director Nagesh Kukunoor is all set to make a series on B Ramalinga Raju, former Chairman and CEO of Satyam Computer Services, who was involved in a scam of Rs 7,000 crore. It will be based on the book The Double Life of Ramalinga Raju by Kingshuk Nag. The project is in the development stage and will stream on Sony LIV.
Upcoming spy drama based on John Le Carre's The Night Manager
The Indian adaptation of John Le Carre's spy drama The Night Manager is already in the works. It follows the story of a former soldier who works as the night manager of a luxury hotel but is employed by a government espionage organisation to get into the inner circle of an arms dealer. The book was earlier adapted in 2016 as a British mini-series wherein Tom Hiddleston played the lead character. The project was a massive hit across the globe. While it was earlier reported that Hrithik Roshan would headline the project, it is now being said that Aditya Roy Kapur has replaced him.
(Gurpreet Kaur is a journalist who writes on lifestyle, entertainment and culture)