Cinema has often turned to literature for inspiration. And the veterans who took the plunge to translate the literary works into the language of cinema truly deserve applause.
Keeping this in mind, commemorating the 100 years of Indian Cinema, NBT has not only chosen literature and cinema as the theme of the New Delhi World Book Fair, 2012 but also recently launched a calendar featuring some of the legends who not only gave us some great films but also brought us international awards.
Featuring the works of legends like Satyajit Ray, Dada Saheb Phalke, the calendar is designed by National Book Trust and brought out in association with Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata and National Film Archives, Pune.
Speaking at the launch, renowned actor Farooque Sheikh who was the guest of honour said, “The involvement of literature in cinema goes back to centuries. Several films have been based on epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. And if not adaptions, filmmakers have based their characters on the epics’ protagonists,.”
Emphasising on the need to create awareness about the role of literature in cinema, S.M. Khan, director general of Doordarshan said, “We are the largest producer of films and yet we are far from being the best. A leading actress has recently said that films are ‘entertainment, entertainment and entertainment’ but I would say that it is time that we go little beyond entertainment.”
From Hindi films like Aandhi (1975), Umrao Jaan (1981) to regional films like Oka Ori Katha (Telugu) and Shyamchi Aai (Marathi) have been featured in the calendar along with works of Satyajit Ray, Dada Saheb Phalke and many others. Interestingly, there are more than 300 books on Indian cinema today and the calendar is organisers’ way of bringing back the lost essence of good content in movies by taking people back in time. “There’s plenty of good literature still available, waiting to be explored and the calendar will create awareness about the bond between cinema and good literature,” said Khan.