Devdas, Haider to Aisha: 8 Bollywood movies adapted from classic literature

Bollywood films often draw inspiration from best-selling novels. Following the literary works of authors such as O. Henry and William Shakespeare, the Indian cinema has produced films from Lootera, Haider among others. Some of these blockbusters used poetic license to subtly translate literature to the big screen and sprinkle dance sequences throughout! Here are eight Bollywood movies adapted from classic literature 

7 Khoon Maaf

The thriller film starring Priyanka Chopra in the lead is an adaptation of Susanna’s Seven Husbands by Ruskin Bond. The film was released in 2011 and is now streaming on Netflix.

Devdas

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s multi-starrer, musical romance, Devdas, was actually an adaptation of a similarly titled novel (1917) by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, and Aishwarya Rai played the lead roles. It was released in 2002 and is now streaming on Prime Video.

Parineeta

The film was an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1914 Bengali novel of the same name, Parineeta. The film stars Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan as the main leads. It was released in 2005 and is now streaming on Netflix.

Aisha

The movie was based on Jane Austen’s famous novel, Emma (1815). The book also served as the inspiration for a 1995 Hollywood film titled “Clueless.” It was released in 2010 and is now streaming on Prime Video.

Omkara

Helmed by Vishal Bharadwaj, the multi-starrer film is based on Shakespeare’s tragic Othello, written in 1603. It was released in 2006 and is now streaming on Prime Video.

Lootera

The film, starring Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha, is based on the short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, published in 1905. It was released in 2013 and is now streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.

Maqbool (2003, Amazon Prime)

The crime-drama film is based on Macbeth (1607). The movie features Irrfan, Tabu, Pankaj Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, and Piyush Mishra. It was released in 2003 and is now streaming on Prime Video.

Haider

The romance-drama film is based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1600). The film stars Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor in the main roles. It was released in 2014 and is now streaming on Netflix.

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