MUMBAI: Many of the great ideas in films and television shows come from books and inspire producers, directors, and actors to create great cinematographic projects. There's nothing better than seeing your favorite book come to life on the screen. Yet there are many gems out there, that you probably didn’t know were adaptations from great books/novels. This ‘World Book Day’ catch these popular movies and shows that has brought your favorite books to life on Disney+ Hotstar for free.

Movies:

Maqbool

 Based on William Shakespeare's ‘Macbeth’, the movie is about Maqbool, who in his greed for power, murders his mentor, a fearsome don, kick-starting his countdown to doom.

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Pankaj Kapoor, Naseerudin Shah Aisha

 In this adaptation of Jane Austen's novel ‘Emma’, ‘Aisha’ thinks she is a perfect match-maker. Despite her neighbour Arjun's warning, she continues to interfere in others' lives at the cost of her own relationships.

Cast: Sonam Kapoor,Abhay Deol, Amrita Puri, Lisa Haydon, Ira Dubey

2 states

Based on Chetan Bhagat’s best seller novel ‘2 States’, North and South India come together in this chholey-bhaturey-idli-dosa romance of Punjabi Krish Malhotra and Tamilian Ananya Swaminathan, who meet at the IIM campus.

Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt. Amrita Singh,Revathi, Ronit Roy

Angoor

Angoor is a Hindi comedy film directed by Gulzar,and starring Deven Verma, Sanjeev Kumar and Moushumi Chatterjee. Adapted from Shakespeare's ‘The Comedy of Errors’, the story is about two pairs of identical twins, Ashok and Bahadur, who are separated at birth and later meet in adulthood, causing confusion. While one of the pairs is honest and the other is wanted by the police.

Cast: Deven Verma, Sanjeev Kumar and Moushumi Chatterjee

Shatranj Ke Khilari 

Shatranj Ke Khiladi is a Hindi drama, directed by Satyajit Ray. Based on Munshi Premchand's short story by the same name, the historical drama is set against the backdrop of the British annexation of Avadh and is about two best friends who, in their obsession for the game of chess, abandon their families.

Cast: Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Shabana Azmi and Amjad Khan

Shala

Based on book written by Milind Bokil of the same name, Shala is a Marathi drama set in rural India of the 70’s. The film is about 14-year-old Joshi who is in love with Shirodkar. His classmates Chitrya, Favdya, and Surya are facing a similar dilemma, seeking answers to the age-old question - What is love?

Cast : Anshuman Joshi, Ketaki Mategaonkar, Jitendra Joshi, Amruta Khanvilkar

Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal

‘Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal’ is a Malayalam drama directed by P. Padmarajan. Sofia's stepfather fixes her marriage with his junior, also a drinking partner. When Sofia's mother accepts Solomon's proposal for Sofia, he assaults her. The movies is based on the 1986 Malayalam novel Nammukku Gramangalil Chennu Rapparkkam by K. K. Sudhakaran.

Cast: Mohanlal, Shari, Thilakan, Kaviyoor Ponamma

Thoovanathumbikal

Based partly on P. Padmarajan’s novel Udakappola, Thoovanathumbikal is a Malayalam romantic drama starring Mohanlal, Sumalatha and Parvathy. Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal) lives a dual life, one in town with his friends and the other in his village. He falls in love with two women, Clara (Sumalatha) and Radha (Parvathy), and thus begins his difficulty in deciding on a partner of the two.

Cast: Sumalatha, Mohanlal, Parvathy Jayaram

Thanmatra

Drawn inspiration from Padmarajan's short story ‘Orma’, Thanmathra is a Malayalam family drama directed by Blessy. Ramesan Nair, an honest man, dreams of a happy life with his wife and a bright future for his children. When Ramesan is diagnosed with Familial Alzheimer's disease, the family is devastated, but tries to cope up with the trauma, insecurity and uncertainty.

Cast: Mohanlal, Meera Vasudevan, Arjun Lal

Shows:

Yeh Hai Mohabbatein'

‘Yeh Hai Mohabbatein’, one of the most loved television shows, is based on the novel ‘Custody’ by author Manju Kapoor. The story of Raman and Ishita, brought together by destiny and their love for Ruhi, Raman’s daughter from his ex-wife.

Cast: Divyanka Tripathi, Karan Patel, Ruhanika Dhawan

Saraswatichandra

Produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali 'Saraswatichandra’ is based on Govardhanram Tripathi’s novel of the same name. In this classic tale of love and heartbreak, Saras and Kumud are soulmates who are repeatedly the joy of being together. Will Destiny bring them together?

Cast: Gautam Rode, Jennifer Winget, Shiny Doshi, Varun Kapoor

Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil ‘

Based on Manju Kapoor’s book ‘The Immigrant’, Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil’ is about Naina Batra and Raghav Mehra. Both are expats in a foreign country, abandoned by their loved ones. Soon, they become each other’s strength.

Cast: Drishti Dhami, Arjun Bijlani, Additi Gupta, Surekha Sikri

Malgudi Days

Malgudi Days is a Hindi family serial based on the works of R.K. Narayan. The heart-warming short stories take place in the fictitious town of South India, Malgudi, inhabited by timeless characters who go about their lives with a dash of humour and simplicity.

Cast: Master Majunath, Shankar Nag, Girish Karnad, Anant Nag, Deven Bhojani