It’s no secret that Bollywood films get inspiration from the most unexpected place. Over the years novels and famous written literature has attracted an increasing number of eyeballs of directors and producers as storylines for their next blockbuster. It’s safe to say that language is not a deterrent for filmmakers as we’ve seen books of various languages being adapted for the silver screen. Whether the film managed to live-up to the expectations of the book is something we’ll leave to you.

Let’s take a look at a few Bollywood movies that have been adapted from or in part inspired by books.

The Accidental Prime Minister (2018)

We don’t have to look back very far for this first movie. The controversial release late 2018 attracted attention for many reasons. But did you know that this political drama is based on a novel of the same name? This, Hindi adaptation is director Vijay RatnakarGutte’s debut. The novel, as well as the movie, is a memoir of SanjayaBaru, who was the former Prime Minister’s advisor in 2014. The Prime Minister’s role of Manmohan Singh is ably played by AnupamKher while AkshayeKhanna puts in a great acting performance in the role of Baru.

Raazi (2018)

Again, we look back to 2018 for our next movie, Raazi. This blockbuster thriller is based on writer Harinder Singh’s debut novel named ‘Calling Sehmat: A Novel’. The book too takes inspiration from real-life incidents of an Indian-Kashmiri spy during the 1999 war in Kargil. The story however is based in 1971 and is pure fiction. The story follows the life of a woman spy who passes on important information about the Pakistani Army’s plans, and other important information to the Indian Army, during the India-Pakistan war. Singh drew inspiration for the novel when he met an Indian Army Officer in Kargil whose mother was a Kashmiri-Muslim spy who was married off to a Pakistani Army Officer. MeghnaGulzar directs this gripping piece of cinema starring Alia Bhatt and VikyKaushal.

Haider (2014)

Let’s travel a little back in time to 2014 and take a look at the ShahidKapoor starrer and it’s inspiration, the famous Shakespere play, Hamlet. Director Vishal Bharadwaj uses the concept of the play and adds an Indian angle to it. Similar to the play, the entire film is based on the lead going crazy due to his father’s death and is in search of revenge. The movie is set in the 90s and placed beautifully in the snow of Kashmir.

Thugs of Hindostan (2018)

The movie created a lot of curiosity before its release with exciting and promising promotions, but disappointed in the box office. For this one, we go back to 1839, and an English novel from that year called Confessions of a Thug by Philip Meadow Taylor. The movie is based on the ‘thuggie’ cult, the name given to pirates of the region during the British Rule. Stories state that travellers were extremely afraid of being attacked by these groups, even stating that Queen Victoria spoke about these ‘thugs’ who robbed travelers and even murdered them for money. The movie follows a story of crime and retribution with Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan starring in the lead roles. The movie also stars Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shiekh of Dangal fame.