Yes, literature sells on TV!

What’s common between the TV shows Bandini, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah and Lapataganj? Well, all these have been adapted from Indian novels or other literary works. After Bollywood, now it’s the turn of the TV industry to seek inspiration from popular Indian literature.

Anooj Kapoor, business head of Sab TV, says, “Indian literature is full of compelling stories. Adapting them for the small screen is a great idea since they were all written keeping Indian sensibilities in mind. Also, they are totally different from the saas-bahu sagas that have cluttered television.”

Three of Sab TV’s shows are based on popular writings. The comedy show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is based on the book Duniya Na Undha Chasma written by columnist and journalist Taarak Mehta. Lapataganj is inspired by the writings of Shri Sharad Joshi, an eminent Hindi satirist. Smriti Irani’s first attempt at comedy Maniben.Com is based on a Gujarati screenplay of the same name.

Kapoor adds, “The works that we have adapted are about real people that the common man can identify with. We are looking at adapting more novels from Indian literature, especially Marathi.”

Other channels like NDTV Imagine, Star Plus and Sony are following suit. Bandini on NDTV Imagine is based on the Gujarati novel Retpankhi. Star Plus’s Sajan Ghar Jana Hai is based on Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Devi Chaudhurani, one of the most famous novels of the pre-independence era. Yash Raj’s new TV show Mahi Way on Sony seeks inspiration for its lead female character from Advaita Kala’s debut novel Almost Single.

Sukesh Motwani, fiction head of Zee TV, says, “Certain stories in Indian literature are timeless and not era-specific. These can easily be adapted. The characters should have enough conflicts in relationships which is not era-bound and can find acceptance even in today’s times.”

Producer JD Majethia agrees. He says, “While adapting a novel, the only catch is to choose the right storyline. The trend of adapting novels for TV shows is a good thing. It is gathering momentum because people are getting fed up of saas-bahu sagas.”