Bollywood always needed a fuel of inspiration, be it from Hollywood, Tollywood, or books, B-Town has always hunted for motivation in some or the other way. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, a Bengali writer, and his writings have always been an inspiration for many movies, beyond the linguistic barriers. His work was accepted all over the world, as the readers could relate to the contemporary issues faced by the society. His novels were found to be fit for feature films and stage adaptations, in several Indian languages. Today, as he’s no more, we bring a list of such movies inspired from Sarat Chandra’s famous novels.
1. Devdas:
Devdas, the overtly dramatic movie is based on the story of a heavy drinker and his obsessed love for Parvati. The movie hit the silver screen thrice, in three different eras, with three great actors of the film industry.
2. Parineeta:
This book was also adapted twice into films; one starring Ashok Kumar and Meena Kumari, and the other, it was Vidya Balan’s debut and she portrayed the role spectacularly.
3. Majhli Didi:
Majhli Didi was earlier filmed in Bengali as Mejdidi, based on Sarat Chandra’s book by the same name. Though the film didn’t perform well at the Indian box office, it remains one of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s highly rated films.
4. Swami:
Sarat Chandra is known as a feminist, as he always portrayed his female characters making a strong impression in the society. A story of a bright young girl, Saudamini, who wishes to conquer a lot academically, and being a strong-headed woman back then was always a tough path to follow.
5. Khushboo:
A heart-wrenching story of a girl, stuck in the system of child-marriage, and her journey of fighting against the world is well depicted in the movie; as well as in Sarat Chandra’s novel, under the title ‘Panditmashai.’
6. Sankoch:
Though the plot of the film is common, a rich guy falls in love with a middle-class girl, the depiction of characters and their journey of achieving childhood dreams is shown beautifully.
7. Apne Paraye:
Being in India, the trend of staying in a joint family is not alien to us. The movie explores the social problems being in a joint family system through the character’s lives.
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s work, his dedication, and bringing to light the social problems were impeccable. We will always miss this soul filled with art and literature. Bollywood has lost an important gem and his contribution towards the film industry.
