Classics spell big success
As Padmaavat, which is based on an epic poem, rakes in big numbers, we take a look at other films such as Fitoor and The Hungry that also took inspirations from classic
By now, it’s a well-known fact that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s blockbuster, Padmaavat is based on Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s epic poem, Padmavat (1540). Also, Naseeruddin Shah-Tisca Chopra starrer The Hungry is a contemporary retelling of Shakespearean classic, Titus Andronicus, which set in the extravagant surroundings of an Indian wedding.
THE BIG LINEUP
That’s not all. Talks are rife that Aamir Khan is set to star in filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s Mahabharata series, while producers Allu Aravind, Namit Malhotra and Madhu Mantena are believed to have joined hands to make the Indian epic, Ramayana, into a film, with an estimated budget of ₹500 crore. It will be a Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu trilingual.
“Classics are ‘classics’ for a reason. We all have been reading them for generations and are aware of them so, one thing is for sure: they are great stories. If film-makers can turn them into crisp, entertaining and engaging cinema, audiences are going to love it. That is why for years, a number of film-makers – from across the globe – have tried their hands at adapting classics,” says distributor Akshaye Rathi.
In the past too, Vishal Bhardwaj has successfully adapted a number of William Shakespeare’s classics such as Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet into Maqbool (2003), Omkara (2006) and Haider (2014) respectively. Abhishek Kapoor’s 2016 film, Fitoor was based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel, Great Expectations. Prakash Jha’s 2010 hit, Raajneeti was also believed to be based on Mahabharata while Baaghi (2016) took inspiration from the Ramayana.
“Fitoor (2016) was an extremely enriching project for me. It was a rare opportunity as a film-maker to create a movie that was filled with a certain kind of refined beauty and detail. You do think of your movies as your children, and they’re all different and worthy of being loved in different ways,” says Abhishek.
CHALLENGING BUT EXCITING
Bhardwaj readily admits that the “dramatic writing and characterisation” draws him towards Shakespeare. “What do we look for in the script? That the drama should be unique, it should be relatable. Look at the way Shakespeare plays with the psyche of human beings. That’s why his writing is relevant even after 450 years, and copyright is also not an issue (laughs),” he says.
But isn’t it a challenge to fit such classics into a film format? “I have anyway always made difficult films and never taken a short cut. On paper, a film may seem impossible but if you have the conviction then it cuts across. The conviction and the madness with which you make a film are important,” says Bhansali.
If filmmakers can turn classics into crisp, entertaining and engaging cinema in the film format, audiences are surely going to love it.
AKSHAYE RATHI, EXHIBITORDISTRIBUTOR