Proceedings of National Seminar on Postmodern ... - Igcollege.org

<strong>Proceedings</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Seminar</strong> on Postmodern Literary Theory and Literature , Jan. 27-28, 2012, Nanded
Books by Indian writers and writers having Indian origin have always proved appealing to Indian
film makers; it is only in recent times that there has been an increase in numbers <strong>of</strong> adaptations <strong>of</strong> Indian
author writing in English. The unforgettable brilliant film “Guide” was possibly one <strong>of</strong> the first cinematic
adaptations <strong>of</strong> an English novel by an Indian author.
As far as cinematic adaptation <strong>of</strong> novels in Indian languages is concerned special mention must
be made <strong>of</strong> the repeatedly remade and widely successful “Devdas” based on famous novel by Sarat
Chandra Chattopadhyay. In fact there are some five films with the same name, based on this novel alone.
It even got adapted to fit today’s youth by changing the tragic ending and not killing the protagonist, but
instead making him realize his folly in the critically acclaimed “Dev D”. So this is the change according
to the commercial considerations and youth centric views.
A good novel by itself is not enough; bur a director has to lean on the crutches <strong>of</strong> good dialogues
and script to create the desire impact on his audience. The originality <strong>of</strong> thought and subject matter
attracts film makers to make the film on the book. Besides, the simple narrative style <strong>of</strong> the book also
made it easy to make a film script out <strong>of</strong> the book. Nazarian Eric comments on adaptation as:
“Adapting novel into films is no easy task. The job is by no means simpler because a
story already exits. Adapting literature requires a great deal <strong>of</strong> reading, thinking,
eliminating and compressing words, character and time frames.”
Nazarian, Eric (2000). Prose and Pictures: Adapting Literature into Film.
Definitions <strong>of</strong> film adaptation include transfer <strong>of</strong> one medium to another. Film adaptation is
defined as,
“The process <strong>of</strong> changing or transforming material from one medium (novel, stage play,
short story, real life story etc) into another (i.e. film <strong>of</strong> TV)”.
Frensham, R. (Eds) (2003). Teach Yourself: Ies (3 rd Ed) Prentice Hall.
Following are few fundamental obstacles to consider while adapting a literary text into cinema/film.
1. When adapting it is important not to loose the spirit <strong>of</strong> the literary texts, because the original
meaning <strong>of</strong> that text is the reason for picking that text into film.
2. Novels about in minor characters, subplots and incidental events which add to the richness <strong>of</strong> the
work however, in film you have to concentrate on your main characters because <strong>of</strong> the time
constraints.
3. In novel characters and action <strong>of</strong>ten revealed through extended dialogue between characters. But
screen writers frequently aim for screens that eliminate the need for dialogue. The convention is
that because film is so visual, it is best not to create dialogue when the meaning could easily be
conveyed in an action.
4. Film making is essentially a co-operative team work rather than the work <strong>of</strong> an individual, such
as a novel writing. This therefore entails the necessity <strong>of</strong> demanding <strong>of</strong> high level organized
work.
5. A film is limited in the aspect <strong>of</strong> length and depth as well as the amount <strong>of</strong> material, thus, it is
forced to suggest pictorially a great many things that novel can explore in more depth.
541 PLTL-2012: ISBN 978-81-920120-0-1