Books and movies are not mere art forms. They are a depiction of life itself. Several books that connected with the readers became bestsellers and thereafter were adapted into movies for the purpose of reaching out to the masses. The following paragraphs offer a brief overview of a few of these bestsellers whose storylines went on to become scripts for movies. These movies (in no particular order) went on to be equally great hits and were lapped up by moviegoers.
Gone with the Wind: Written by Margaret Mitchell, the story revolves around the life and experiences of the protagonist Scarlett O’Hara as she grew from a young woman living a carefree life in the enchanted world of Tara to a bold woman who accepted and faced every challenge that life threw at her. It deals with the way she saw her beautiful world through its demise, only to realize and subsequently fulfill the responsibilities of adulthood. The novel has a surprisingly feminist theme and is considered the greatest romantic saga of all time. It was published in 1936 and later adapted into a movie by Victor Fleming in 1939.
The Kite Runner: Written by Khaled Hosseini, this story was adapted into a movie by Marc Forster in 2007. A heart-wrenching tale of two friends set against a backdrop of violence and terror in Afghanistan, this novel is about friendship, good and evil, betrayal, and redemption. It is a story about Amir, who after years of staying in California, returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.
Twilight: Penned by Stephanie Meyer, Twilight is a vampire romance novel. Published in 2005, it spent over 91 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It is a story of Isabella Swan, who finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. It is a gripping blend of horror and romance. The story is symbolized by ‘the forbidden fruit’, which is indicative of Bella’s fascination towards the forbidden and her power to choose between right and wrong. It also convincingly portrays Edward’s inner struggle fuelled by his love for Isabella that forces him to restrain his hunger for her blood. The movie was directed by Catherine Hardwicke and has been a huge blockbuster.
The Notebook: Written by Nicholas Sparks, which is a heart-tugging love story of rich girl Allie Hamilton, who falls in love with poor guy Noah Calhoun. The sense of freedom that she gets while being with him is inexplicable. However, they are soon torn apart by war and social differences. The book successfully captures tender romantic moments in the midst of World War II and the sacrifices people make to hang on to their one true love. The movie was directed by Nick Cassavetes and was an absolute tear jerker with spontaneous performances by the cast.
Bridget Jones’ diary: Written by Helen Fielding, this is the story of a thirty something, single working woman in London who is determined to improve herself while she looks for love in a year in which she keeps her personal diary .She writes humorously about her career, self-image, vices, family, friends and her romantic relationships. This bestseller was adapted into a movie by Sharon Maguire.
Forrest Gump: Written by Winston Groom in 1986, this is a story that spans several decades in the life of a simple Alabama man by the name Forrest Gump, who travels around the world meeting historical figures and witnessing historic events of the 20th century, while his one true love, Jenny eludes him. This was later adapted into a movie by Robert Zemeckis.
Erin Brockovich: written by Susannah Grant, this is a real life story of an unemployed single mother by the name of Erin Brockovich who becomes a legal assistant and singlehandedly brings down California Power Company accused of polluting the city’s water supply.
The Namesake: This is the story of American-born Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, who wants to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers, despite his family’s unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways. It examines the nuances of being caught between two conflicting cultures with highly distinct religious, social, and ideological differences. It was directed by Mira Nair and authored by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Pride and Prejudice: Written by Jane Austen, this novel follows the protagonist Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and society. Set in the class conscious England of the 18th century, this tale is about five sisters who have been raised by their mother with one purpose in life - finding a good husband. A wealthy bachelor takes up residence in a nearby mansion, which makes their mother really happy as she begins to think that there would be no shortage of suitors for her daughters. But when Elizabeth meets the handsome and snobbish Mr.Darcy, the battle of the sexes begins with several misunderstandings coming into play. The movie was directed by Joe Wright and had Keira Knightley playing the role of Elizabeth Bennet.
Eat, Pray, Love: This is the story of a married woman who realizes how unhappy her marriage really is and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round the world tour to find her true self. She spends four months in Italy, eating and enjoying life, four months in India, finding her spirituality and ends the year in Bali, Indonesia, looking for balance between the two and eventually finds love in the form of a dashing young Brazilian factory owner.
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—About our writer:
Nitya Ramachandran has done her MBA(HR) and has 4 months of experience as a recruiter.She writes about life in general,or at times things/events that she feels strongly about.She loves reading romantic fiction and would love to pen down a romanctic novel someday.
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