English books that inspired big Bollywood movies

Any lover of literature is by default a fan of good movies. If a faithful on-screen representation of your much-loved book lights up your mood, you're undeniably a cinema lover and what gets you pumping is not just the grandeur of the pages come alive on screen, but the magnificent art of transforming written language to a visual rendition of multifarious characters, unspoken dreams and subtexts that find meaning through body language. For years, the Hindi film industry has been smitten by gripping storylines written in Indian and international literature and has successfully made numerous awe-inspiring cinemas. Here is a list of books written in the English language that inspired some big Bollywood movies. (Photo: UTV Motion Pictures)

The Citadel (Tere Mere Sapne): Written by A. J. Cronin, 'The Citadel' was adapted into a Hindi movie titled ‘Tere Mere Sapne’ (1971), directed by Vijay Anand. The novel centres around Dr Andrew Manson who comes to the countryside to assist other doctors. Disturbed by the poor sanitation condition, he conducts a scoliosis research with his wife Christine, a school teacher. His idealism soon gets the better of his surroundings and Andrew realises, after a series of predicaments, that only money will solve all his problems. The Hindi movie adaptation may have the settings and the actions following the climax a little varied, but the primary storyline remains the same and is as good a watch as the book it's based on. (Photo: Navketan Films)

Rebecca (Kohra): After widower Maxim de Winter proposes marriage to the narrator, the naive 20-year-old arrives all newly married to the large Cornwell estate. But she soon realises that de Winter might still not be over his dead wife Rebecca, whose shadow still looms heavily over the estate like a ghost that creeps every bone out of her. The novel was adapted into an Indian movie with the title 'Kohra'. Few supernatural elements were added but the thrill and chill remained intact. (Photo: Geetanjali Films)

Cracking India (Earth): Bapsi Sidhwa's 'Cracking India' is set in the backdrop of the 1947 Partition of India. The story is narrated through the eyes of a precocious child who describes horrors of Partition in a way that would send chills down one's spine. The novel is a perfect take on religious differences, intolerance, and the blossoming genocidal strife on the eve of Partition. The novel was adapted into a 1999 Indian period drama directed by Deepa Mehta under the title 'Earth'. Amir Khan, Rahul Khanna and Nandita Das together held on to the brilliant narrative of the story on screen with an outstanding treatment by director Deepa Mehta. (Photo: Hamilton-Mehta Productions)

Hamlet (Haider): Though the plot outline of Bharadwaj's 'Haider' is similar to the Shakespearean tragedy, the director also adds some Indian essence to the script which is refreshingly different. But, the spirit of the play is intact. After Haider's father is killed, his mother Ghazala, much like Hamlet's, marries his uncle Khurram. Haider spends a major part of the story arguing with himself whether Khurram killed his father. Hamlet's story finds a deep relevance in the troubled land of Kashmir with a different yet significant climax. Bharadwaj's affinity with bringing Shakespeare's tales live on screen only proves the universality of the Elizabethan dramatist and his varied subjects. (Photo: UTV Motion Pictures)

Q & A (Slumdog Millionaire): Vikas Swarup's bestselling novel centres around Ram Mohammad Thomas, a young waiter who wins a very popular quiz show and becomes a millionaire. Through a series of exhilarating stories, Ram explains to his lawyer how unending predicaments in his life gave him the answer to each question. The book was adapted into the multiple Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. (Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

The Blue Umbrella: The novel by Ruskin Bond was adapted into a movie under the same title which that went on to win the National Award for Best Children's Film. As the title suggests, the story is about a blue umbrella owned by young Binya. Ram Bharosa, a shopkeeper, wants the umbrella dearly and tries to barter it but his attempt goes in vain. After a series of events, Binya gives her umbrella to the shopkeeper who returns the favour by giving her a necklace. The movie is also a heartwarming rendition of the story with added bits of drama that add some colour to the already sweet tale. (Photo: UTV Motion Pictures)

The Namesake: Pulitzer-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri's debut novel 'The Namesake' received a brilliant faithful movie adaptation by director Meera Nair. The story follows the Ganguli family as they migrate from Calcutta to create a new life in America. It shows how their son Gogol struggles with his identity as an American-Indian, and his relationship with his parents. This lovely novel talks about the experiences of immigrants, the clash of cultures, and the tangled bonds between different generations. With Irrfaan Khan and Tabu in the leads, the movie received several international accolades along with Kal Penn's wonderful performance. (Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Victoria and Abdul: Shrabani Basu's book depicts the heartwarming tale of the real-life relationship between Queen Victoria and her Indian Muslim servant Abdul Karim. Abdul Karim, a 24-year-old young prison clerk is assigned with a task of presenting a mohur (gold coin) to the Queen on her 50th birthday. During the course of time, the Queen and Abdul develop a bond which offends royalists. With Judie Dench and Ali Fazal in the leads, the movie adaptation is just as sweet and enlightening. (Photo: Universal Pictures UK)

Othello (Omkara): 'Othello' was written by William Shakespeare and was adapted into the Hindi movie titled ‘Omkara’ in 2006. 'Omkara' is set in a conservative Indian village, whereas 'Othello' is set in a Venetian culture between 1500 and 1750. Othello/Omkara is a respected chieftain of a gang of outlaws. Cassio/ Keshav and Iago/ Ishwar and his two trusted men. Omkara falls in love with Dolly/Desdemona and marries her, and eventually kills her out of jealousy and a violent inferiority complex. Though the setting differs by year and culture, Bharadwaj manages to successfully portray the Shakespearean tragedy in an Indian scenario, with subtle variations but keeping the magic intact. (Photo: Eros Entertainment)

Emma (Aisha): Jane Austen's popular book also served as a plot for the Bollywood movie starring Sonam Kapoor. The novel follows Emma Woodhouse who assumes herself as a brilliant matchmaker and is always trying to ship people around. Mr Knightley, her friend, does not approve of her work. In the meantime, Emma realizes her love for Knightley. The movie adaptation is set in Delhi with Aisha (Emma) from an upper-class locality and her likewise friends. The film got mixed reviews, but nevertheless generated a lot of interest for Austen in the Indian context. (Photo: Eros International)

The Guide: R. K. Narayan's Sahitya Akademi Award-winning book 'The Guide' was adapted into a movie starring Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman and Leela Chitnis in the lead roles. The story centres around Raju, a corrupt tour guide who falls for a married woman named Rosie, who has a dream to become a dancer someday and to be free of her marital bondage. Raju cons his way into becoming her manager when Rosie becomes famous and eventually gets bankrupted and jailed. After his release, he tries fooling gullible villagers into believing that he's a saint and in a turn of events, Raju is expected to keep a fast. The villagers' trust and his faith in himself ups Raju's spiritual level. The movie adaptation does ample justice to Narayan's story with the only difference in the ending which was originally left open-ended in the book. (Photo: Navketan Films)

Titus Andronicus (The Hungry): This gruesome revenge tragedy was the result of a collaboration between William Shakespeare and George Peele. The play 'Titus Andronicus' gets a modern-day Indian twist in Bornila Chatterjee's thrilling reworking. The primal appeal to all the raw and bloody nastiness of the play is surprisingly retained in the movie, which gives it a gory and gut-wrenching dimension. Titus Andronicus captures the queen of Goths Tamora and kills her eldest son, which earns him Tamora's unending hatred and her promise of revenge. In “The Hungry,” the story is updated to an estate in modern-day India, where a marriage of convenience around a business partnership turns into an all-consuming battle. (Photo: Microwave International)

White Nights (Saawariya): Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 'White Nights' was adapted into a magical screen rendition by Sanjay Leela Bhansali titled 'Saawariya'. Narrated by a third person, Dostoevsky's story follows a man in love with a woman, who yearns for another man and gets betrothed to him. The gist of the movie is the same as that of the story, but the setting is wonderfully different which its own types of character development and musical elements. Even though it did not do wonders at the box office, the movie only revealed how Bhansali was clearly enamoured by Dostoevsky and 'White Nights'. (Photo: Sony Pictures)

The Godfather (Sarkar): Both Mario Puzo's ‘The Godfather’ and Ram Gopal Verma's Hindi adaptation ‘Sarkar’ follow a man working above the law to maintain an elaborate criminal enterprise, while still employing a certain moral code within his kingdom. This compelling tale that discovers consequences that come with power is a true classic. Mafia lord Don Vito Corleone becomes Subhash Nagare in the Hindi movie, played by Amitabh Bachchan. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

Three Mistakes of My Life (Kai Po Che): Chetan Bhagat's third novel, which was adapted into a movie with Bhagat as the scriptwriter, focuses on cricket, business, and religion. Set in Ahmedabad, the story revolves around three energetic young men Govind, Ishaan and Omi. Drawing inspiration from real events during the Bhooj earthquake and the Godhra riots in 2002, the novel is a heartfelt tale of friendship and love, determination, and the catastrophic effects of religious and communal dogmatism. Kai Po Che is a faithful adaptation of the novel. (Photo: UTV Motion Pictures)

The Japanese Wife: Kunal Basu's story revolves around a man with modest means who has a Japanese pen pal. During the course of their letter-writing sessions, they fall for each other's words and also exchange wedding vows over the letters. After some days a widow along with her 8-year-old son comes to stay with him, which creates a ripple in their well-worded relationship. Adapted by Aparna Sen into a beautiful movie, 'The Japanese Wife' showed us an overwhelming performance by Rahul Bose and how well Kunal Basu's narrative was weaved into the fabric of the movie. (Photo: Saregama Films)

The Last Leaf (Lootera): Inspired by O. Henry's short story, the Bollywood film 'Lootera' is a love story, part mystery, part thriller. O. Henry's story follows two artists, one of who suffers from pneumonia and believes she'll die when the last leaf of a tree she's been observing will fall. The tragic short story was adapted with much newer additions in the movie rendition to add drama, a bittersweet note, and to punctuate the beautiful language of the story in cinema. Actors Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha added to the brilliance of the story. (Photo: Balaji Motion Pictures)