{"id":1657,"date":"2013-08-08T12:02:51","date_gmt":"2013-08-08T12:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=1657"},"modified":"2020-03-08T13:17:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-08T07:47:11","slug":"adaptations-literature-silver-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/adaptations-literature-silver-screen\/","title":{"rendered":"She Smiles Everytime Letters Marry Silver Screen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What is common between <i>Devdas, Bandini, Rudaali, Sahib Biwi Ghulam <\/i>and<i> Khushboo<\/i>?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1659\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/adaptations-literature-silver-screen\/suchitra-sen-300x223-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2123\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1659\" class=\"wp-image-1659 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/suchitra-sen-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"Suchitra Sen as Paro in Bimal Roy's Devdas (1955) (Pic courtesy: Wikipedia.com)\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/suchitra-sen-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/suchitra-sen-300x223-150x112.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1659\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Suchitra Sen as Paro in Bimal Roy&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/devdas-b-w\/p\/itmcnqjpfuneqanz?pid=AVMCNQJPFUNEQANZ&amp;affid=partholear\">Devdas<\/a> (1955) (Pic courtesy: Wikipedia.com)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Still wondering? Well, all these films figure among the most memorable performances for their lead actors. Be it Dilip Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan, <i>Devdas <\/i>will always be remembered among their outstanding performances.<\/p>\n<p>The same holds true for both Suchitra Sen and Vyjayanthimala in the Bimal Roy classic and for Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in the later version of the novel by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.<\/p>\n<p>Think of Meena Kumari and <i>Sahib Biwi Ghulam\u2019s<\/i> melancholic Chhoti Bahu comes to mind first.<\/p>\n<p>Can we think of Nutan\u2019s films and not think of the golden hearted prisoner <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/bandini\/p\/itmcz3zwyzrbffzz?pid=AVMCNZPN5NNGARGY&amp;affid=partholear\">Bandini<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>based on a story by Bengali writer Jarasandha\u00a0or\u00a0the\u00a0self-respecting &#8220;achhut&#8221; Sujata of <em>Sujata<\/em> based on a story by Subodh Ghosh? Both films by ace filmmaker Bimal Roy made a powerful social comment and were not surprisingly based on critically acclaimed literature.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Kaali ghata chhaye<\/strong><\/em> (<em>Sujata<\/em>, 1959)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pDso0RJo-0Y\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Dream girl Hema Malini minus all her fancy costumes and hairdo, plays a simple sari-clad village girl who exudes confidence and conviction in Gulzar\u2019s <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/khushboo\/p\/itmdgf55ku3nrz4t?pid=AVMCNZPN8QHKXUFK&amp;affid=partholear\">Khushboo<\/a><\/i> \u2013 clearly one of her best performances. The glamorous Dimple Kapadia&#8217;s best performance would arguably be her deglamorised\u00a0award-winning performance as the\u00a0rustic Sanichari in Kalpana Lajmi\u2019s <i>Rudaali.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>If we explore a little more on why these films brought out such heartfelt convincing performances from the actors (almost all them won awards) that they became one with the characters they played, one of the major reason is the finely etched out powerful characterization and a strong, believable storyline backed by a tight script.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Literary roots<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1661\" style=\"width: 288px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1661\" class=\"wp-image-1661 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/devdas.jpg\" alt=\"Buy Devdas DVD from Flipkart\" width=\"278\" height=\"401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/devdas.jpg 278w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/devdas-277x400.jpg 277w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/devdas-150x216.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/devdas-104x150.jpg 104w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/devdas-208x300.jpg 208w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 278px) 100vw, 278px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1661\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/devdas\/p\/itmcza538gu5vjfj?pid=AVMCNZK5GFHHUZZV&amp;affid=partholear\">Devdas<\/a>, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit was a blockbuster hit<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Look closer and you will find that all these films, and many other such films that are considered shining examples of cinematic excellence, have their roots in literature.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, literature and cinema have had a close relationship for decades, perhaps since the very inception of the cinematic medium. Several films that have been path-breakers in cinema have drawn their story ideas from literature. While some have kept true to the original literary work, some others have adapted the storyline to a different context while keeping the essence of the story intact.<\/p>\n<p>Needless to say, the credit goes largely to the filmmaker to select a literary piece that has cinematic appeal, turn it into a script and screenplay and add his own ingenuity to create situations that would help depict the literary descriptions in visual format.<\/p>\n<p>For the sake of this article, if we limit our study only to the influence of Bengali literature in mainstream Hindi cinema (the term \u2018Bollywood films\u2019 was coined by the media much later), we find that the directors who drew inspiration from literature did give us landmark films, some of them now considered classics.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>Mitwa Lagi Re Yeh Kaisi<\/strong><\/em> (<em>Devdas<\/em>, 1955) SD Burman \/ Sahir Ludhianvi \/ Talat Mahmood<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/218py1kN1AU\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1662\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/adaptations-literature-silver-screen\/sarat-chandra-chattopadhyay-300x200\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3862\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1662\" class=\"wp-image-1662 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/sarat-chandra-chattopadhyay-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/sarat-chandra-chattopadhyay-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/sarat-chandra-chattopadhyay-300x200-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1662\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarat Chandra&#8217;s love for literature made him take up writing from his early teens and gradually his novels and stories held up a mirror to the turbulence in the Bengali urban society as well as rural hinterland.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Sarat Chandra\u2019s enduring influence<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One writer who perhaps has been explored most by filmmakers is legendary Bengali litterateur Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and I am not talking about only <i>Devdas <\/i>here (which incidentally was first made by Pramathesh Barua with K L Saigal in the lead role, followed by Bimal Roy and recently by Bhansali). Although Bhansali deviated a lot from the main storyline making full use of the \u201cdirector\u2019s creative license\u201d, he did stay true to etching the pathos of unrequited love in the film.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Sarat Chandra was a master in creating powerful women characters and by interpreting his works, Hindi cinema got some notable examples of women playing roles of substance, rather than simply shedding tears, and singing songs as they do in a typical hero-dominated run-of-the-mill potboiller.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1663\" style=\"width: 295px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1663\" class=\"wp-image-1663 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/apne-paraye.jpg\" alt=\"Buy Apne Paraye from Flipkart\" width=\"285\" height=\"403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/apne-paraye.jpg 285w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/apne-paraye-283x400.jpg 283w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/apne-paraye-150x212.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/apne-paraye-106x150.jpg 106w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/apne-paraye-212x300.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1663\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/apne-paraye\/p\/itmcp6fpng3k5zjg?pid=AVMCPF2YNPNFRPXH&amp;affid=partholear\">Apne Paraye<\/a> is a story about a well-to-do joint family, their bonding, love and relationships<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Bimal Roy who arguably ushered in neo-realism in the mushy, larger-than-life Hindi cinema, was always at the forefront of adapting literature into celluloid. And not surprisingly, he fell back on the most popular Bengali novelist Sarat Chandra time and again. This perhaps was because not only did\u00a0Sarat Babu&#8217;s novels have a lasting and compelling social context and purpose, they also had an unmistakable cinematic appeal in the plot, characterisation, dialogues and situations.<\/p>\n<p>Take <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/parineeta\/p\/itmdfy8wsq92yezf?pid=AVMCNPZ6GKHM8C9G&amp;affid=partholear\">Parineeta<\/a><\/i> for example, where this young girl Lolita stands true to a secret commitment she gave to her lover despite all odds. This Sarat Chandra novel by the same name, was also made thrice in Hindi cinema &#8211; Bimal Roy cast Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumar in his interpretation of the novel; the Jeetendra-Sulakshna Pandit starrer <i>Sankoch<\/i> was another adaptation of the novel and recently Pradeep Sarkar\u2019s adaptation of <i>Parineeta<\/i> launched Vidya Balan and gave Saif Ali Khan and Sunjay Dutt a wonderful opportunity to give sterling \u2018off-image\u2019 performances.<\/p>\n<p>Many more of Sarat Chandra\u2019s works found expression in cinema and all of them put women in the driver\u2019s seat but mercifully had not been labeled as the archetypal \u201cwomen-oriented films\u201d. Kamini Kaushal played the devoted and courageous Biraj in Bimal Roy\u2019s <i>Biraj Bahu<\/i>, based on Sarat Chandra\u2019s novel\u00a0<i>Biraj Bahu<\/i>; Dilip Kumar-Nalini Jaywant starrer <i>Shikast wa<\/i>s based on <i>Palli Samaj<\/i>; while Ashok Kumar-Leela Chitnis starrer <i>Bandhan<\/i> was inspired from <i>Dutta.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GoJTtmFWXVY\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Hema Malini\u2019s portrayal of the loving but fiercely self-respecting Kusum in <i>Khushboo <\/i>(based on <i>Panditmoshai<\/i>) is a path-breaking example of the courage of conviction of a simple village belle.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3926\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3926\" class=\"wp-image-3926\" src=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/swami.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/swami.jpg 637w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/swami-400x222.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/swami-150x83.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/swami-300x167.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3926\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Basu Chatterji&#8217;s Swami, starring Shabana Azmi and Girish Karnad<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Basu Chatterji is another director who explored Sarat Chandra\u2019s literary masterpieces in the cinematic medium. The poignant tale of a young girl married off to a middle-aged man <i>Swami <\/i>(based on <i>Swami<\/i>) and the beautiful family drama <i>Apne Paraye<\/i> (based on <i>Nishkriti<\/i>), both had Shabana Azmi in the central role. His <em>Zevar<\/em> was also based on a Sarat Chandra story <em>Darpa Churna<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, Shabana Azmi also played the lead in <i>Anokha Bandhan<\/i>, which explored an innocuous and deep emotional bonding between Annapurna and her adolescent, mischievous but golden-hearted brother in law Ram. This film was based on Sarat Chandra\u2019s <i>Ramer Sumati<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>Sarat Chandra inspired filmmakers down South too as well &#8211; <em>Nishkriti<\/em> found a Telugu adaptation in <em>Todi Kodallu<\/em> (1957) and his novel\u00a0<em>Vipradas<\/em> was also adapted into a Telugu film <em>Mana Desam<\/em> (1949) which introduced the Telugu superstar and future chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, NT Rama Rao.<\/p>\n<p>Rabindranath Tagore&#8217;s popular novel <em>Naukadubi<\/em> had a few screen adaptations as well &#8211; <em>Milan<\/em> (1947) had amazing music by Anil Biswas while <em>Ghunghat<\/em> (1960) had a top of the line star cast. In Telugu, <em>Naukadubi<\/em> was adapted as <em>Charandasi<\/em> (1956), starring NTR and ANR along with\u00a0Anjali and Savitri &#8211; the top stars of Telugu cinema.\u00a0\u00a0<em>(Complete information on various adaptations of in South Indian cinema, courtesy: <a href=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/geeta-dutt-queen-of-bhaav-gayaki\/\">Pakanati Lakshmi Priya<\/a>)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But the most talked about Tagore adaptation was the Rituparno Ghosh-directed <em>Chokher Bali\u00a0<\/em>(2003), the bilingual film starring Aishwarya Rai in the lead role.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Pal bhar mein yeh kya ho gaya<\/strong><\/em> (<em>Swami<\/em>, 1977)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L1CtXM15K0U\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Vastly different mediums<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Admittedly, literature and cinema are two vastly different mediums. To put it very simply, while literature as an art form allows for an individualistic effort, cinema, on the contrary, is a collective effort of specialists drawn from a diverse range of creative and technical areas.<\/p>\n<p>One of the biggest challenges thus for any filmmaker trying to turn a literary piece into cinema, particularly so if it is a well-known tome, lies in characterization. While all that the writer needs to do to delve into the minds of the characters, pour out their innermost thoughts and create moods, environment and situations, is to describe the same in words, the filmmaker\u2019s challenge is manifold.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1664\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/adaptations-literature-silver-screen\/nutan-in-bandini-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3869\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1664\" class=\"wp-image-1664\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/nutan-in-bandini.jpg\" alt=\"Nutan in Bandini\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/nutan-in-bandini.jpg 500w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/nutan-in-bandini-400x295.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/nutan-in-bandini-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/nutan-in-bandini-150x111.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1664\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nutan essayed the role of Kalyani in Bimal Roy&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/bandini\/p\/itmcz3zwyzrbffzz?pid=AVMCNZPN5NNGARGY&amp;affid=partholear\">Bandini<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>To portray the emotional upheavals undergoing in the innermost selves of the characters, the filmmaker has to create visual imagery and symbolic gestures, add dialogues, create moods through appropriate use of light and sound effects and camera angles or build situations which would allow the actor to portray those emotions.\u00a0Bimal Roy undoubtedly was a master craftsman at transplanting literature into cinema complete with the imagery and symbols that writers have the liberty to use but filmmakers often do not.<\/p>\n<p>Can we ever forget that heart-rending scene in <i>Bandini<\/i> (based on a story by Jarasandha) where Kalyani (Nutan) is lighting a stove to make tea and in the house behind her, a blacksmith is beating a hammer into the fire with a relentless \u201cclang\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>As the stove lights up almost in rhythm with the fire in the background, we can see Kalyani\u2019s smouldering eyes depicting her inner turbulence on finding out her lover (Ashok Kumar) had married the eccentric rich woman, whom she had been nursing with patience and care despite all her ill manners.<\/p>\n<p>Almost in a trance, she puts poison in the tea she made for that woman and her agony is so apparent that not even for a moment do we look upon her as a murderer. Just as it takes a master storyteller like Jarasandha to create a courageous character like Kalyani, it needs a superb craftsman like Bimal Roy to portray her convincingly on celluloid.<\/p>\n<p>The climax of the film is aptly captured in one of the most evocative and romantic songs ever. The strength of Bimal Roy&#8217;s expertise as a master of symbolism coupled with Nutan&#8217;s deep understanding of Kalyani&#8217;s character along with <a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/s-d-burman\/\">SD Burman<\/a>&#8216;s masterful melody and rendition all serve up to make this song and scene unforgettable.<\/p>\n<p>Bimal Roy uses a folk song sung by a tea-seller in the climax of Bandini to make two estranged lovers meet in a wonderfully sensitive depiction of unrequited love finally finding fulfillment.\u00a0The unassuming tea-seller making tea in his \u201cGood Luck Tea House\u201d by the harbour is blissfully unaware of how his <em>\u2018Bhatiali\u2019<\/em> song (sung with immense pathos by <a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/s-d-burman\/\">SD Burman<\/a>) that talks of how a woman is pleading to a <em>majhi<\/em> (boatman) to help her cross the river to meet her beloved, is crumbling the last shreds of grievances and doubts in Kalyani (Nutan) as she finds her lost love Shekhar (Ashok Kumar) after many years, now broken and plagued with TB.<\/p>\n<p>The closing shot of the film is of the steamer chugging off into the horizon leaving behind a long trail of smoke. The lines \u201c<em>Mera kheenchti hai aanchal, man meet teri har pukar, O re maajhi<\/em>\u2026\u201d linger in the background as the steamer bellows its whistle. Can you think of a better symbol?<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Ore majhi, mere saajan hain us paar<\/strong><\/em> (<em>Bandini<\/em>, 1963)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P1nryb8xa_o?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1665\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/adaptations-literature-silver-screen\/sahib_bibi_gulam-300x214\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3871\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1665\" class=\"wp-image-1665 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/sahib_bibi_gulam-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"Sahib Bibi Gulam\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/sahib_bibi_gulam-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/sahib_bibi_gulam-300x214-150x107.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1665\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Meena Kumari plays Chhoti Bahu in this classic film based on Bimal Mitra&#8217;s epic novel <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/sahib-biwi-aur-gulam\/p\/itmdb6u6qjrbnzmf?pid=AVMDB6MGMNHWR5U6&amp;affid=partholear\">Sahib Biwi Aur Gulam<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Similarly, despite all her alcoholism, we can never hold <i>Sahib Biwi Ghulam\u2019s<\/i> Chhoti Bahu (Meena Kumari) guilty of indignity or ineptitude.<\/p>\n<p>Remember how fiercely protective she is of her dignity even in a drunken stupor, when she rebukes Bhootnath (Guru Dutt) for trying to hold her from falling down.<\/p>\n<p>Just as Meena Kumari\u2019s powerful portrayal etches Chhoti Bahu in our memory, Guru Dutt\u2019s sensitive handling of the classic novel by Bimal Mitra which explores the decadent feudalistic society of Bengal, makes <i>Sahib Biwi Ghulam <\/i>\u00a0a cinematic milestone.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>Na Jao Saiiyan Chhuda Ke Baiyan<\/strong><\/em> (<em>Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam<\/em>, 1962) Hemant Kumar \/ Shakeel Badayuni \/ Geeta Dutt<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TCDbIT13MRY\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Another Bengali novel that saw multiple screen adaptations was Manilal Banerjee\u2019s Bengali novel <em>Swayamsiddha<\/em>. The story of a courageous and determined young woman married off to a scion of a zamindar who had been forcibly oppressed into mental instability and her relentless struggle to make her husband become educated and self-reliant was first adapted in Bengali cinema in a film by the same name, starring Deepti Roy in the lead role (1947).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3925\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3925\" class=\"wp-image-3925\" src=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/bahurani.jpg\" alt=\"bahurani\" width=\"400\" height=\"314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/bahurani.jpg 780w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/bahurani-400x314.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/bahurani-150x118.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/bahurani-768x603.jpg 768w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/bahurani-300x235.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3925\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mala Sinha and Guru Dutt in Bahurani (1963) (Pic: Google Image Search)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Shanta Apte played the lead role in the first Hindi screen adaptation titled <em>Swayamsidhha<\/em> (1949) followed by Mala Sinha and Guru Dutt playing the lead roles in <em>Bahurani<\/em> (1963).<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, other regions were adapting this story too with Savitri playing the lead role in the Telugu version <em>Ardhangi<\/em> (1955) and its Tamil version too in the same year. The Telugu version especially adapted it to the Telugu social milieu. <em>Mallammana Pavaada<\/em> (1969), starring B Saroja Devi, was the Kannada version of this story that was sending a powerful message of women\u2019s empowerment through the cinema medium. Ten years later, there was an Oriya film <em>Gowri<\/em> (1979) on the same theme starring Mahashweta Roy. Bengali cinema came up with another version of <em>Swayamsiddha<\/em> in 1975 starring Mithu Mukherjee in the lead.\u00a0The Hema Malini-Jeetendra starrer <em>Jyoti<\/em> (1981) was a popular adaptation of the same story yet again in Hindi films. <em>(Complete information on various adaptations of Swayamsiddha courtesy: <a href=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/geeta-dutt-queen-of-bhaav-gayaki\/\">Pakanati Lakshmi Priya<\/a>)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The devil-may-care attitude and indomitable courage of the lead female character was an outright winner with the\u00a0audiences all through the decades\u00a0irrespective of the fact whether the film was in black-and-white or in colour.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Enhancing visual appeal<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To enhance the visual appeal of the film, some filmmakers have even taken the story idea and transplanted it into a different location, Rajasthan being a particular favourite owing to its colourful costumes and expansive, scenic locales.<\/p>\n<p>Two films that immediately come to mind are Gulzar\u2019s <i>Lekin<\/i> (inspired from Rabindranath Tagore\u2019s <i>Khudito Pashaan <\/i>or<i> Hungry Stones<\/i>) and Kalpana Lajmi\u2019s <i>Rudaali (<\/i>inspired from Mahashweta Devi\u2019s story by the same name), both beautifully shot in the desert landscape with spectacular sets and costumes and haunting music. Incidentally, in both these films, women have the upperhand in terms of characterisation and also screen space.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1666\" style=\"width: 269px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1666\" class=\"wp-image-1666\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/hazaar-chaurasi-ki-maa.jpg\" alt=\"Jaya Bachchan in Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa\" width=\"259\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/hazaar-chaurasi-ki-maa.jpg 360w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/hazaar-chaurasi-ki-maa-320x400.jpg 320w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/hazaar-chaurasi-ki-maa-300x375.jpg 300w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/hazaar-chaurasi-ki-maa-150x188.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/hazaar-chaurasi-ki-maa-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2013\/08\/hazaar-chaurasi-ki-maa-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 259px) 100vw, 259px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1666\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jaya Bachchan as Sujata Chatterjee in Govind Nihalani&#8217;s adaptation of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flipkart.com\/hazaar-chaurasi-ki-maa\/p\/itmdyj2reds3ezus?pid=AVMDYJ2QKBC3UECK&amp;affid=partholear\">Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa<\/a>(1998)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There are a number of other instances of Bengali literature inspiring Hindi cinema, even in recent times, such as Govind Nihalani\u2019s <i>Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Ma<\/i>, adapted from Mahashweta Devi\u2019s novel <i>Hazaar Churashir Ma<\/i>, which had Jaya Bachchan excelling in the central role of the distressed mother who discovers an unknown side of her revolutionary son\u2019s life after he is killed in a police encounter.<\/p>\n<p>This space is too small to discuss all such films that drew heavily from literature. But one thing is certain. All films need a story, and literature has provided cinema with convincing stories that bind together real, recognizable characters, and talk about things that are true to life.<\/p>\n<p>Particularly, in a male-dominated industry, where attempts to make women-centric films are immediately billed as \u201coffbeat\u201d, literature gives scope to filmmakers to turn the spotlight on women characters who become inspiring examples of courage and conviction.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More to read in Critique<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/inhabiting-passionate-spaces-reframing-of-intimacy-in-50s-bengali-romantic-films\/\">Inhabiting Passionate Spaces: Reframing of Intimacy in 50\u2019s Bengali \u2018Romantic Films\u2019<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/demystifying-the-popular-item-number-trend-indian-cinema\/\">Demystifying The Popular Item Number Trend: Indian Cinema<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/displaced-nationalism-popular-indian-films-disconnect-with-the-nation\/\">Displaced Nationalism: Popular Indian Film\u2019s Disconnect with the Nation<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Buy the award-winning classic films from Flipkart<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>More to read in our <a title=\"International Women\u2019s Day Special\" href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/specials\/womens-day-special\/\">International Women&#8217;s Day Special<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Literature and cinema have had a close relationship for decades, perhaps since the very inception of the cinematic medium. Several films that have been path-breakers in cinema have drawn their story ideas from literature. While some have kept true to the original literary work, some others have adapted the storyline to a different context while keeping the essence of the story intact.<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[792],"tags":[907,908,909,60,389,665,910,911,912,703,913,914,915,916,641,714],"class_list":["post-1657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-critique-on-films","tag-aishwarya-rai","tag-bandini","tag-bimal-roy","tag-bollywood","tag-cinema","tag-gulzar","tag-hema-malini","tag-jaya-bachchan","tag-literature","tag-meena-kumari","tag-nutan","tag-sahib-bibi-gulam","tag-sanjay-leela-bhansali","tag-sarat-chandra-chatterjee","tag-sarat-chandra-chattopadhyay","tag-shabana-azmi"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}