Bollywood Book Adaptations vs. Television Adaptations

Comments [ 13 ] By Gunia M. | 24 August 2014 | 1:24am

For all you bookworms out there, we know that your novels are very close to you. Whether you read through each page carefully to find out how a story shapes up, or sometimes simply skip to the end, but once you begin reading a book, you cannot rest until you complete it! For the non-readers out there, large filming companies are at your service! Whenever a novel becomes a best-seller, they adapt the storyline of the novel(s) onto the big or small screens. With this month's theme being Bollywood Versus Tellywood, we here at BollyCurry thought why not see how book adaptations on the two mediums have fared over the years? Below are a few books that have been adapted both on the big screen as well as the small screen.
Saraswatichandra

Written by Govardhanramn M. Tripathi over a period of fifteen years, this is a Gujrati novel broken into four volumes, telling the tale of Saraswatichandra and Kumud. In 1965, Bollywood director Govind Saraiya brought this novel to the big screen in a black and white Hindi film. In 2013, Bollywood director Sanjay Leela Bansali adapted the same novel for his debut Indian television series on Star Plus. The film and the series carry the same title as the book, and adapt the same concept into different story lines.
The film Saraswatichandra (1968) relates the story of Saras and Kumud falling in love, but being separated when Saras does not return to marry her and hence Kumud is forced to marry someone else. As fate would have it, the two are brought together once again after some time because Saras is working for Kumud's in-laws. Their memories together cannot be wished away, and the two are put in awkward situations and circumstances resulting in Saras' decision to leave. However, things darken for Kumud and she is ultimately forced to leave her husband's home. Fate does not give up just yet, and the two find their way back into each others lives, and realize that they are meant to be but they cannot unite. Kumud's husband passes away at a later stage and she is left as a widow while Saras is married to her sister.
Unlike the film, the series Saraswatichandra (2013) showcases a much more powerful love story between Saras and Kumud. While the initial separation takes place, the lovers are ultimately reunited and married. Like any other Indian serial, there are many twists and turns but one constant is Saras and Kumud's love and faith in one another.
Mahabharata

Based on the sanskrit epic of ancient India, the Mahabharat has probably been made and remade many times over the years in a variety of mediums. The book narrates the Kurukshetra war, and the fates of the Kaurava and Pandava clans. The book also contains religious material of Hinduism. In 2013, Bollywood brought this heroic tragedy to the silver screen in an animated mythological drama film, with various actors and actresses lending their voices. During the same year, Star Plus also telecasted the Mahabharata in a beautiful weekly drama version which went on for almost a year catching the hearts of a large audience.
The Twilight Saga

Penned in a series of four books, Stephenie Meyer invented the concept of a vampire falling in love with a human and the hurdles they face. Meyer's Twilight became an international best seller in no time and forced directors to make a movie based on the same plot. No sooner after all the books were published, movies began rolling out too. Each summer from 2008 to 2012, a new installation would be released at the theaters. Starting off with Twilight; New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn (divided into two movies respectively) were the other four continuations. Edward was the vampire who falls in love with the beautiful human Isabella, only to face the rage of the wolf Jacob, who also loved Isabella. Following a similar trend all the way from Hollywood to our Indian Tellywood, Pyaar Ki Yeh Ek Kahaani came into limelight for adapting the storyline. This time, it wasn't the exact same name and game, however the title roles were definitely similar. While Abhay was the attractive vampire, Pia played the gorgeous human, and then came the appealing wolf Jay, finally forming the much-awaited love triangle. If you haven't yet, you surely don't want to miss out on the Tellywood version of vampires!
The Citadel

The Citadel is written by A.J. Cronin and tells the story of a newly qualified doctor who started off as an assistant. Along with his wife, he strives to improve the life of his coal miner patients, but is swayed by the allure of easy money, resulting in distance from everyone and everything, including his wife. In 1921, Bollywood adapted the novel with their own flair in Tere Mere Sapne. In 2009, Star Plus chose to air a series with the same name, Tere Mere Sapne, also based on the same novel. While the movie was an exact adaption of the novel, the Television series was twisted and turned in a way that was suitable for its audience, although it's main concept was of the same lure of money that forces a married man from a rural village to desert his wife amidst his strive to climb the ladder of success, fame and money in the city.

Books are a beautiful medium to describe how a character feels, what he or she looks like, and makes a reader fall directly into the shoes of the character. However, is it equally as fun is to see the same being adapted on the screens? While some of us avoid the books and depend on the movies, others appreciate the writer's creativity and are never appeased with the movie/television adaptions. What's your take on this trend? We await your comments in the space below!

Writer: Amanda H.Editors: Aradhna K. and Sonia R.Graphics: Shikha A.

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