Book to screen
There is currently a new gold rush in the world of books in India, and its called ‘Screen Adaptations’. Writers, publishers and literary agents have a new glint in their eyes while they beat a path to the doorsteps of film studios and web platforms. They now harbour the expectation that the rights of their respective books will get snapped up for figures hitherto unheard of in the hallowed literary circles.
Classic Indian literature has been adapted to screen from time to time, but the powers that be in the entertainment industry have generally ignored contemporary fiction. But, the recent successes of films and web shows adapted from newer books have proved that today’s writers understand the pulse of the audience. Most importantly, they write in the new relaxed and casual idiom that Indians have adopted as common parlance.
At first, the powers that be in the entertainment industry were still not sure about contemporary fiction, because it was only Chetan Bhagat’s books that were doing well as celluloid romcoms. But, the floodgates have opened in the wake of the success of the recent adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s book, Calling Sehmat, into the blockbuster spy-thriller film, Raazi, and Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games into a hit Narcos-style international web series.
Now, hope is springing somersaults in the breasts of every new author with a half-decent book. Things are so crazy that I recently had an author of a dry, academic, non-fiction book ask me in all seriousness how much his book would fetch for web series rights.
The kitchen-politics dominated TV serial scenario in India has also opened up to fiction books, particularly in the mythology genre. But, between television serials, films and web series, most writers seem to be weighing in towards web series, as they eschew the censorship and the brevity that Indian TV and films demand. Sacred Games is a good example of a book’s material being mined for unfettered, multiple show-seasons. It’s no wonder that authors, especially those with a series, find themselves at the receiving end of lucrative deals.
And it’s about time, too. For far too long in our country, writing has been regarded as a profession not worth pursuing, because it was not possible to earn a livelihood from it. It is early days yet, but the tide seems to be turning. With the adaptation of their books to the screen, hopefully, we might someday spot Indian writers laughing their way to the bank.