Filmy chakkar: Bobby Jasoos, Queen, Gulab Gang among films that will do better as TV serials

Bollywood has always been a major source of inspiration for television. Not only are show titles taken from popular songs, they are even played in the serials at strategic points to take the story ahead! Also, the tracks of several shows are based on films and sometimes even scenes are copied frame-to-frame. Recently, Zee launched a serial Neeli Chhatriwale, the story of which is similar to the hit Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal-starrer OMG! Oh My God! Speculation is rife that Vipul Shah is making a TV show based on his blockbuster film Holiday for Life Ok, while Star Plus' Diya Aur Baati Hum has just started a track that is inspired from the story of sleeper cell - where three girls are undercover terrorists - from the same film Holiday. Earlier Imtiaz Ali had made the telly version of his super hit movie Jab We Met as Love U Zindagi. That may not have worked that well but here are some films which we think can be turned into ideal TV shows..

Bobby Jasoos

Now, this concept with a female detective is just what the small-screen needs. We have serials with women as IPS officers, pilots, doctors, etc, but a jasoos is sorely missing. Not only that, the film's plot fits perfectly for a serial. Vidya Balan's Bobby, a middle-class girl who aspires to be a detective despite opposition from her family is the kind television thrives on. To start with she solves petty neighbourhood cases such as helping a guy, who eventually becomes her romantic interest, get rid of marriage proposals. Later she gets big cases like finding missing girls. In the process she dons several disguises, which is something a TV actress would love to do. The serial can be episodic and feature several cases - big and small. What say?

Gulab Gang

Two fiesty women - one a vigilante and the other a shrewd politician - a dream premise for a TV show! Add to it a motley of women - one abandoned by her husband, another a tomboy, yet another a beauty aspiring to be an actress - the makers can add more and the gang will be ready to take on the bad guys - abusive husbands, wily politicians and corrupt cops. Two big female actors should be roped in and since romance is the mainstay of soaps, a couple of strong and supportive male leads can be introduced opposite them. TV being female-centric, the makers can find innumerable cases of women who are victimised and the gang can teach them to retaliate making for some great drama.

Shaadi Ke Side Effects

Well, we have had mature romances and extra marital affairs on TV but we haven't yet had a shaadi ke side effects kind of dramedy. A story where the wife being pregnant gives the jitters to the husband as he is not ready to be a baap yet! He, however, starts reading pregnancy books and and follows his wife's routine even putting a balloon his shirt! The arrival of a baby girl sees the wife spending all her time with her newborn, while the husband tries and fails to become a family man. After a couple of hilarious situations, the plot becomes serious with the hubby leaving his wife, shifting with his friend and leading a bachelor's life. Meanwhile, another man has entered the heroine's life and things take a different turn. In short, it has all the masala a TV soap looks for. Should make an interesting watch with some good actors acting in it.

Highway

Would you believe Highway was actually based on a TV show! Written and directed by Imtiaz Ali, who also helmed the film, it featured as a part of Zee TV's Rishtey. Well, that was aeons ago, so it has scope of being made into a serial even now. It has loads of drama, thrill, action and forbidden love. And for once the guys can't complain about being secondary to the female protagonist because here the story revolves around the hero or rather the anti-hero. A girl is kidnapped on the eve of her wedding. When the gang realises her family is influential with links to the government they panic. But the leader of the gang is determined to go through the abduction and keeps moving to different cities to avoid being tracked. In a classic case of Stockholm syndrome the kidnapped girl who's had a troubled childhood falls in love with the abductor. So much so, that she refuses to go back home even when he sets her free! We are sure lots of TV heroes would like to be in Randeep Hooda's shoes and it wouldn't be all that difficult to find a nubile nymphet like Alia Bhatt. The serial is waiting to be made! Any takers?
 

Bewakoofiyan

This Sonam Kapoor-Ayushmann Khurrana starrer was a dud but given a TV spin, it is likely to do well. Add to it the fact that it was directed by Nupur Asthana who has graduated from TV to films, and it should be all the more easier. At its base is a love story that TV digs into. The hero loses his job during the recession but though he tells his girlfriend, together they decide to keep it a secret from her father. What follows is a series of incidents thas has the couple trying to hide the fact from the father leading to hilarious situations. But, all hell breaks loose when he gets to know of it. Of course, at the end everything's sorted and there's a happily ever after. TV can play out the boy meeting girl, the attraction, the nok-jhok and subsequent romance. With the recession angle there can be some serious drama. The couple's antics to hide the hero's joblessness can bring on the comic track making it a entertaining show.

Filmistaan

A story woven around the ties between India and Pakistan with Bollywood being the binding factor, this is ideal material for a TV show. Rope in a bunch of good actors, play out the struggle of an aspiring actor and his being recruited as an assistant to a documentary maker trying to capture Rajasthan. His being mistakenly kidnapped and kept hostage by terrorists across the border can be fodder for a good number of episodes. Then the endearing friendship that develops between the hostage and host of the house where he is kept will make for interesting watch. Add to it the humour, the emotion and you will be drawn into this cross-border filmi story.

Shuddh Desi Romance

Live-in relationships are still a taboo on TV. But with story lines becoming bolder and makers delving into uncharted territories like incest and transgender love it shouldn't be long before a serial based on live-in relationship hits the screen. What better than Shuddh Desi Romance, set in interior India that makes for the bulk of TV viewing? The would-be-groom Raghu running away from his wedding to hook up with a free thinking independent girl Gayatri whom he has fallen for on his way to the mandap is twisted alright but different from the routine fare on TV. Their hiding the fact of being a couple and pretending to be siblings adds to the fun quotient. Finally, when they do decide to tie the knot, Gayatri runs away! Raghu trying to get back to the girl who he originally was getting married to and Gayatri turning up - the twists and turns - makes for a lot of engaging drama. The TV makers can give it their own take to it.

Pizza

The horror genre is conspicuous by its absence on the small-screen. Yes, there have been shows like Aahat, Zee Horror Show and Shh Koi Hai, but they have been few and far between. Pizza has all the ingredients needed for a TV horror show. The hero Kunal runs a pizza outlet. He scoffs at the supernatural but people around him believe in it. His boss's wife is believed to be possessed by an evil spirit. What's more, bizarre and errie things happen when Kunal goes to deliver a pizza. Several episodes can be made on the spooky incidents detailing one every time. A parallel track of Kunal with his pregnant wife can make for some good drama. The sadhu, an exorcist can drive away the evil spirit every time only to face a new one in the next episode!

Tanu Weds Manu

Big fat weddings are a major draw on the small screen. And a title like Tanu Weds Manu should be able to capture eyeballs. It's a different thing that Tota Weds Maina failed but Tanu and Manu's shaadi should succeed. A NRI comes to India to get married, finds a bride and is all set to marry her. However, just when things are about to finalise, the girl informs him that she is in love with someone else and demands that he reject her. Reluctantly, he accedes and the marriage is called off. They meet later at a friend's wedding and become friends. Here on there are enough twists in the tale for the makers to draw it out and keep you glued. The film worked and we are sure the serial with some additions will also succeed.

Queen

This one's a perfect fit for TV. A submissive, coy, traditional girl transforming into a bold, confident woman rooted to her values is the stuff serials are made of. Add to it the lure of foreign locales - London, Paris and you have a winner. The film finished within two hours, but the serial can be played out for a long time. It can start off with the romance between the lead characters Rani and Vijay lead into the marriage preparations, that are a major draw on TV and go on to Vijay dumping the bride-to-be on the eve of the wedding. Rani's trauma and anguish can be played up gaining sympathy from one and all, her bizarre idea to go on a honeymoon alone will be an interesting twist. Her meeting a bohemian Indian girl, who helps her overcome her grief and emerge into a woman of her own can be drawn out for several episodes. Nothing can top Vijay returning to Rani and her rejecting him, but for TV viewers, they can bring another hero who will eventually win over Rani!