Literature continues to inspire Bollywood

NDTV: "The latest inspiration for filmmakers appears to lie in books, as is evidentr from the trend seen in recent releases. Parineeta, which hits theatres next week, is based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel which is over 90 years old and has been brought to the screen many times.

Also in the cans is Munshi Premchand's book Bazaar-e-Husn, translated onscreen as 1918 Benares A Love Story, which is about a married woman who is forced into prostitution. The list is endless. Pritish Nandy's Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam is based on Bimal Mitra's book, Vishal Bharadwaj's The Blue Umbrella is inspired by Ruskin Bond's book, and Mira Nair's The Namesake is based on a book by Jhumpa Lahiri.

The much hyped Shahrukh Khan-starrer Paheli, which will be out in three weeks, is also based on Vijayadhan Dehta's Folktale. Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy was based on Bibhutibhushan Bandhopadhyay's books. Premchand's books Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Sadgati, Gaban, Godaan and Heera Moti have been made into films before. Saratchandra Chattopadhyay too has had 17 of his books made into Hindi and Bengali films. Clearly, the ongoing trend is not a new one, and what remains to be seen is whether it will be successful. "