Besides The Zoya Factor, a list of best book adaptations in Bollywood

Before the opening day collection for the Abhishek Sharma directorial is revealed, here’s a list of some of the best-remembered Bollywood adaptations of books and short stories, and how they fared at the theaters.

Raazi (2018)

Alia Bhatt won several awards for Raazi along with singer Harshdeep Kaur.

Harinder Sikka’s Calling Sehmat (2008) was adapted by Meghna Gulzar. Its story was a true account of an Indian spy who gets married into a Pakistani family of military officials to extract information for her country before the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Alia Bhatt played Sehmat in the hugely successful film.

Half Girlfriend (2017)

Half Girlfriend starred Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.

Chetan Bhagat’s most recent film adaptation was based on his novel of the same name (2014). It is the story of a guy from Bihar who falls in love with his college mate and later goes on a quest to win her travelling from his hometown to London. The film had an average run at the box office.

Fitoor (2016)

Fitoor was directed by Abhishek Kapoor.

All one remembers about Fitoor is the performance by Tabu, Katrina Kaif’s red hair and Amit Trivedi’s beautiful compositions. The film set in Kashmir was based on Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations (1861). It, however, failed to impress the audience.

2 States (2014)

2 States was directed by Abhishek Varman and starred Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor in the main lead.

The romantic comedy was adapted from Chetan Bhagat’s novel 2 States: The Story of My Marriage (2009). It traces the story of a couple from different states of India and the hardships they face before the marriage. The movie was Bhagat’s fourth book adaptation. It was a commercial and musical hit.

Lootera (2013)

Lootera was directed by Vikramaditya Motwane.

Based on O. Henry’s short story The Last Leaf (1907), it was set against the backdrop of the Zamindari Abolition Act in 1950s. It tells the story of a conman Nandu, who poses as an archaeologist to woo Paki, the daughter of a Bengali zamindar. Lootera is remembered for its impactful screenplay and music.

Kai Po Che (2013)

Sushant Singh Rajput, Rajkummar Rao and Amit Sadh starred in Kai Po Che.

Another one from Chetan Bhagat’s collection, this one was based on the book The Three Mistakes of My Life (2008). It revolved around three friends and how their life gets affected by the aftermath of Godhra incident and the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. The film was a critical and commercial darling.

7 Khoon Maaf (2011)

7 Khoon Maaf also starred Annu Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan among others.

Priyanka Chopra plays the lead in this dark comedy based on Susanna’s Seven Husbands by Ruskin Bond. The Vishal Bharadwaj directorial revolves around a femme fatale, Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes, who kills her seven husbands in an unending quest for love. Despite underperforming at the box office, the film earned a lot of critical acclaim.

3 Idiots (2009)

3 Idiots starred Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi.

Rajkumar Hirani adapted Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone. The coming-of-age film revolved around three engineering students and how their friendship changes due to the education system and competition. It was one of the biggest hits of 2009.

Saawariya (2007)

Saawariya was narrated from the point of view of Rani Mukerji’s character, Gulabji.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali introduced Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in this adaption of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s short story White Nights (1848). It revolves around a guy who falls in love with a woman but his love remains unrequited as the woman awaits the return of her lover, with whom she reunites in the end. The film was a box office disaster.

Omkara (2006)

Omkara had a noteworthy ensemble cast including Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi.

Vishal Bharadwaj’s penchant for adapting William Shakespeare’s stories is not unknown. His hit adaptation of 17th-century novel Othello gave Saif Ali Khan, a new lease of life after he played the cunning and memorable Langda Tyagi.

Parineeta (2005)

Parineeta also starred Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan and Raima Sen.

Another adaptation of a Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay work, this one was based on his 1914 Bengali novella of the same name. The hit romantic drama was directed by Pradeep Sarkar and marked Vidya Balan’s debut in Bollywood. It revolved around friends-turned-lovers Lalita and Shekhar, who defy societal and family odds to seek each other.

Maqbool (2003)

Maqbool was called one of the best recent works of Pankaj Kapur.

Vishal Bhardwaj roped in actors like Pankaj Kapur, Irrfan Khan and Tabu for this adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth (1606). The film initially did not have a successful run but went on to attain cult status in Bollywood. This was the first of Bharadwaj’s “Shakespeare trilogy”.

Pinjar (2003)

Pinjar also starred Manoj Bajpayee, Sanjay Suri and Sandali Sinha, among others.

Amrita Pritam’s Punjabi novel of the same name (1950) is set during the Partition of India and revolves around a Hindu girl whose family denounces her after she is abducted by a Muslim man. Perhaps one of the best works of Urmila Matondkar, it won immense critical acclaim including a National Award.

Devdas (2002)

While SRK played Devdas, Aishwarya played Paro and Madhuri portrayed Chandramukhi.

This adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Devdas (1917) had a dream cast of Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial was the most expensive film of its time. It became the highest-grossing Indian film of the year.

Guide (1965)

Vijay Anand directorial Guide was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007, 42 years after its release.

Based on the novel The Guide (1958) by RK Narayan, it shows the transformation of a tour guide to a holy man. It is remembered for the award-winning performances by Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman, along with memorable music by SD Burman. Guide was ranked at number four by Time magazine in its list of Best Bollywood Classics.