Watch Screen Adaptation of Books to Spend Time in Lockdown

Web series have totally changed our lives. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and many more out there. They bring interesting plots with lots and lots of twists and turns and come out with great ideas. Web series not only brought a change in the taste of the audience who mostly, till now, relies on movies and daily soaps.

As more and more authors are coming out with their books and scriptwriters of a web series or movie too need stories that are different from the traditional storyline, so there is a new trend of adapting novels into web series or movies. So, today I will bring out some web series and movies that are inspired by novels.

Never Kiss Your Best Friend

A popular novel by Sumrit Shahi, Never Kiss Your Best Friend is a sequel to Just Friends. The novel has been adapted into a web series with the same name and premiered on Zee5 this year, in January. It is about the sweet friendship and love between best friends, and the central question of the whole series is whether can a girl and boy be just friends? 

The author has shown the moments in a varied way which we can relate with ourselves and when I got to know that this novel is going to be a web series, I was on cloud nine. I wanted to see how the scenes which I imagined in my mind while reading the novel are actually portrayed in series, but what disappoints me is that the scenes lack the things when adapted into a movie or series and there is also a change in the storyline. 

You will also find some changes in this web series. These web series consist of 10 episodes, each of around 20 to 30 minutes. You can binge-watch and finish it in a day. It is for a soothing mood. When you want something light that makes you giggle and relax. You must once watch it, and I recommend you to read the novel too and compare the two. You can watch it with your friends and have another level of joy.

Bekaboo

It emanated from the novel Black Suits You by Novoneel Chakraborty. It is an erotic thriller a treat for this genre's fan. You can able to check the level of thriller and erotica through the trailer. Novoneel maintains the grip throughout the novel, and he modifies the scenes a little bit so that the reader does not lose interest. 

The author has filled the series with a lot of fantasy and even tried to create thrill through the various audio-visual cues. The series is on Alt Balaji, and the series cover became the cover of the new edition of the novel. Erotica fans must watch it once, and you will definitely enjoy it. But here, too, we witness some drawbacks in the adaptation. 

If you read the novel and then decide to watch it, you will feel something is missing, and to make the series appealing, they tended to focus more on the erotic scenes rather than the dialogues. This series consists of 10 episodes, and each episode is around 20-30 minutes, I advise you not to watch this with your friends.

Atlas Shrugged

It is written by Ayn Rand, one of the classics which have been adapted into the movie. It has been available on Amazon Prime. The book is divided into three parts, so the movie is, and each part is about 70 to 80 minutes. The parts are divided into -

1. Atlas Shrugged Part 1

2. Atlas Shrugged Part 2

3. Atlas Shrugged Part 3, or who is John Galt?

The main philosophy revolves around the thing which is John Galt, and even in the novel, you will face this question. The movie had almost everything, but a few things have been cut, and a major drawback is that in every part, the actors have been changed so if we see continuously it becomes difficult to recognize the character, and you lose your interest. The ending in the novel is elaborated but, in the movie, they tried to pack it up as soon as possible.

A few scenes that are in the novel are not shown in the movie, just they are highlighted to continue the plot, and this is where disappointment hits me. Even the important scenes are not there; people called it the worst Hollywood adaptation and I also agree with it, but you can watch it to have a better understanding of the novel.

After watching these series and movies, I found that the plot, characters and storyline mentioned in the novel are far better than what is shown in the movies and series. It is great that many novels are being come out as series, and I also, accept that it’s not possible to bring out each and every detail, but I would love it if they present the scene instead of cutting it down.

There are many other series and movies available, and the best one we all know is Harry Potter. Another one is the Sherlock Holmes series, which is based on the detective Sherlock Holmes, a character of Arthur Conan Doyle. 

Many Indian novels, too, are adapted into movies and series. The latest movie Thappad of Tapsee Pannu is also based on an Indian novel. Chetan Bhagat’s novels are adapted into movies like 2 States, Half Girlfriend, etc. So, the novels and their dramatic representation are connected, and it is a great opportunity for readers to see their imagined characters on a big screen. It’s such a wonderful thing even for the author as it brings exposure to them.

So, lockdown is giving you a lot of time to watch and read. I must suggest you read these and then go for the adaption. You can utilize this period by reading your favourite novel and watching its adaption and have your own suggestions like what they lack, what improvement they need, or whether they fulfilled your expectations or not. So, utilize your time wisely.

Keep reading and praying and let’s together win this war against the coronavirus by staying inside.

Written by Aanchal Arora