In the midst of India’s content boom, the Word to Screen Market, hosted by the Mumbai Film Festival, has emerged as a vital platform connecting publishers with producers seeking fresh ideas.
While India has witnessed its fair share of films based on literary classics, the practice hasn’t been as consistent and structured as in Hollywood and other film industries. A prime example is Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s iconic romance tale, Devdas, which has been adapted over two dozen times, from a 1928 silent film to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2002 Bollywood blockbuster starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Madhuri Dixit, even showcased at Cannes.
However, the journey from book to film has been sporadic in the past, with limited interaction between publishers and producers. To address this, Smriti Kiran, the artistic director of the Mumbai Film Festival, along with director Anupama Chopra and producer Kiran Rao, established the Word to Screen Market four years ago.
The market serves as a pioneering platform, enabling publishing houses and authors to directly engage with content producers for optioning stories in films, TV, and digital formats. The latest edition featured over 550 books spanning 30 genres and eight languages, a significant increase from the previous year’s 200 books.
Leading publishers like HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Juggernaut Books, and DC Books, and renowned authors participated in the event. They pitched their stories to major content players, including Netflix, Amazon, Disney’s Hotstar, and Times Studios Originals, owned by the Times Group.
Industry stalwarts like Zoya Akhtar, director of the acclaimed film Gully Boy, and Vishal Bhardwaj, known for Bollywood adaptations of Shakespeare’s works, were also present. Bhardwaj, who directed Priyanka Chopra’s 7 Khoon Maaf, based on Ruskin Bond’s short story, joined the event along with co-writer Matthew Robbins, known for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg.
Elevating the Cinema Experience: India’s Changing Movie Landscape
The Mumbai Film Festival’s Word to Screen Market has become a vital platform connecting publishers with content-hungry producers in India’s booming entertainment industry. Established four years ago, the market’s primary goal was to foster networking opportunities that could lead to promising business deals.
Since its inception, the market has facilitated eight book options, providing opportunities for filmmakers to adapt compelling stories from various genres. Roy Kapur Films, founded by former Walt Disney India executive Siddharth Roy Kapur, optioned “Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister” by Sagarika Ghose, a gripping biography of the late leader Indira Gandhi.
Times Studios, on the other hand, secured options for three murder mysteries: “Killing Ashish Karve,” “The Murder of Sonia Raikkonen,” and “3 and a Half Murders,” all penned by Salil Desai and published by Fingerprint Publishing.
Other books that have been optioned, but producer announcements are still pending, include the captivating “How I Became a Farmer’s Wife” (part-memoir, part-fiction) by Yashodhara Lal and the enthralling missing-persons mystery “Cold Truth” by Nikhil Pradhan, both published by HarperCollins India. Additionally, “The Spectacular Miss” by Sonia Bahl from Fingerprint Publishing and “The Masala Murders” by Madhumita Bhattacharya from Pan Macmillan have caught the attention of potential producers.
While the financial terms of these deals remain undisclosed, the market has successfully heightened awareness about negotiating such agreements. Notably, there is a strong demand for crime thrillers and true stories, reflecting the Indian box office’s recent successes in these genres. Films like “Raazi,” a spy drama based on the book “Calling Sehmat” by Harinder S. Sikka from Penguin, have struck a chord with audiences.
The advent of streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon in India has also sparked a wave of book adaptations for original series. Netflix has led the charge with shows like “Sacred Games,” based on Vikram Chandra’s book, “Leila,” adapted from Prayaag Akbar’s dystopian novel, and “Selection Day,” inspired by Aravind Adiga’s cricket drama. The upcoming film “The White Tiger,” starring Priyanka Chopra, is another Netflix venture based on Adiga’s novel of the same name.
Beyond digital platforms, traditional content producers are also tapping into the potential of books as source material. Endemol Shine India, known for local versions of “Big Brother” and “Fear Factor,” recently acquired the rights to Richa Mukherjee’s “Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt Ltd,” described as an Indian version of “Pink Panther” and “Johnny English.” The humorous crime-fiction adventure, published by HarperCollins India, revolves around a small-town private investigator and his wife entangled in a police case.
With the evolving cinema landscape and the increasing popularity of book adaptations, India’s film industry continues to explore new avenues to captivate audiences and unearth compelling stories from the pages of literature.
The Rise of Book-to-Screen Adaptations in India
Abhishek Rege, CEO of Endemol Shine India, emphasizes their focus on developing top-notch content that transcends the Indian market and captivates global audiences. In line with this vision, the recent deal between Harper Collins and Endemol for “Kanpur Khoofiya” exemplifies a story with cross-medium and cross-geographical appeal.
The Story Ink, a Mumbai-based company specializing in connecting books with content producers for adaptations, played a crucial role in advising and facilitating the deal between Harper Collins and Endemol. They have previously been instrumental in forging partnerships for books such as “Numbercaste” by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne, “Maharaja Mystery” trilogy by Arjun Raj Gaind, and “Anantya Tantrist” trilogy by Shweta Taneja.
The Word to Screen market, initially held alongside the Mumbai festival, has now gained its own distinct identity, taking place separately ahead of the main fest. Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor serves as the event’s brand ambassador. Notably, the market has evolved from its modest beginnings with 25 curated books to becoming a prominent platform with a broader range of titles.
Aparna Purohit, head of originals at Amazon Prime Video, lauds the market as an incredible place, brimming with beautiful storytelling gems. Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj expresses delight in the chance to connect with fresh voices in the industry and looks forward to creating impactful cinematic experiences in the future.
This year’s event included a comprehensive market list sent to buyers in advance, featuring new and catalog titles. Additionally, a Publisher’s Choice list showcased over 40 highly-regarded narratives from publishers.
Renowned British Indian novelist Rana Dasgupta highlights the convergence of publishing, writing, TV, cinema, and streaming, emphasizing the importance of communication and collaboration among these creative spheres.