Raazi, Thugs of Hindostan: Upcoming Bollywood movies based on novels

Adapting movies from best selling novels is something that several directors have tried in the past. But the challenge is to keep the movie and story crisp as well to keep up with all the nuances of the original story. It seems 2018 is going to be one interesting year as many filmmakers are adapting well-known novels into movies.

Abhishek Sharma, Meghna Gulzar, Vishal Bharadwaj and many more directors are bringing some really interesting stories on the big screen which stars our favorite Bollywood stars. With the news of movies like The Zoya Factor, Thugs of Hindostan and the remake of the popular romantic novel The Fault in Our Stars all in the making, the coming months looks super exciting. Here's taking a look at movies which are adapted from well-known novels, that will hit the silver screen in the coming months.

Thugs Of Hindostan

This 1839 English novel called Confessions Of a Thug by Philip Meadow Taylor is based on the 'Thuggie' cult that was prevalent during the British Raj in India. It was the most exquisite ethnographic fiction of the 19^th century. Reports say that even Queen Victoria read about the 'thugs' who robbed travelers and murdered them for money. This story of crime and retribution has inspired the Aamir Khan-Amitabh Bachchan starrer, Thugs of Hindustan. The movie also stars Dangal fame Fatima Sana Shiekh and Katrina Kaif. 

Raazi

Raazi is based on Harinder Singh's debut novel, Calling Sehmat: A Novel, which was inspired by an Indian-Kashmiri spy while covering the 1999 Kargil war. The story is a piece of fiction based on woman spy who had passed on important information about the Pakistani top brass to the Indian army, during the India-Pakistan war of 1971. Singh's inspiration for the novel came to fore when he had met an Indian army officer in Kargil who had revealed that his mother was a Kashmiri-Muslim spy who was married off to a Pakistani army officer. This movie is directed by Meghna Gulzar, produced by Junglee Pictures starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal. Gulzar was quoted by a leading tabloid saying, "That it's based on true events makes it that much more powerful." The movie releases May 11, 2018.

The Girl On The Train

Paula Howkin's The Girl On The Train, published in 2015 will now be adapted as a Bollywood film directed by Ribhu Dasgupta. While the Hollywood adaptation saw Emily blunt in the lead, the Hindi remake will see Jacqueline Fernandez. Ribhu Dasgupta's Hindi version will have an Indian touch to the story. The book is about a depressed woman who watches a couple from the train window while traveling and gets obsessed with the seemingly perfect couple. However, things go awry when she sees something strange happening in the couple's back yard after which the wife goes missing. The woman who is also an alcoholic gets dragged into the investigation.

The Zoya Factor

This novel by Anuja Chauhan is a bestseller. The story revolves around a client service rep named Zoya Singh Solanki who ends up becoming a lucky charm for the Indian cricket team. However, the newly appointed skipper Nikhil Khoda disagrees that breakfasting with Solanki can help them win the matches. The film is a rom-com and will be directed by Abhishek Sharma.  Sonam Kapoor and Dulquer Salman are roped in to play the lead and the film releases on April 5, 2019.

The Exile: The Stunning Inside Story of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda in Flight

The Exile: The Stunning Inside Story of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda in Flight, is written by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scottclark. The Hindi remake will be directed by Vishal Bharadwaj and produced by Junglee Pictures. The writer-duo described the book as the "prequel to Zero Dark Thirty" an Oscar-winning film by Kathryn Bigelowabout which bespeaks about the USA mission to kill Osama Bin Laden in 2011. The book is based on Bin Laden's movements after the infamous September 9, 2001, terror attacks. The Exhile's story is written from the point of view of Ibrahim who was chosen to guard and host the most important guest of Al Queda, Osama Bin Laden in his house and the story moves on from there. Bhardwaj told TOI, "It's time for India to tell a global story, a story that everyone needs to know."

The Fault In Our Stars

This beautiful novel penned by John Green is a favourite with all those who love to read romantic novels. The bestseller was adapted into a Hollywood film in 2014, with the same name starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. While a lot of speculations were made when talks of the film being adapted in Bollywood were doping the rounds, all the speculations were put to rest recently. The Hindi adaptation will be produced by Fox Star Studios and directed by debutant and well-known casting director Mukesh Chhabra. Sanjana Sanghi and Sushant Singh Rajput will play the lead roles.

Indira: India's Most Powerful Prime Minister

This gripping novel by Sagarika Ghose is a biography of Indira Gandhi. National award winning actress Vidya Balan has acquired the book rights. The novel divulges in the late prime minister's personal life throwing light on its several nuances and numerous political battles. "I've always wanted to play Indira Gandhi, an inspiring and powerful woman. In the book, she comes across as a person rather than the persona. I'm not politically driven, so I'm more interested in the woman than India's Prime Minister. I liked it's human approach," said the Padma Shri winner to Mirror. The actress is also said to be involved actively with the movie's production.

Johnny Gone Down

This fiction-thriller is author Karan Bajaj's second novel, which was published in 2010. The news is that it will be directed by ad filmmaker Karan Kapadia. This is his debut directorial venture. The film revolves around a Nikhil Arya's character. Arya's life turns upside down when his vacation turns into an epic intercontinental journey which sees him transform into a genocide survivor, a Buddhist monk, a drug lord, a homeless accountant, a software mogul and a deadly game fighter. Twenty years later, Nikhil aka Johnny is broke, homeless, and tired of his nomadic life. His last act will either break or make his life. The film is expected to release in 2019.

Tikli And Laxmi Bomb

The film is an adaptation of a novel of the same name. The novel was written by Aditya Kriplani, and he is directing the Hindi adaptation as well. This is his directorial debut. Tikli And Laxmi Bomb features Vibhawari Deshpande, Chitrangada Chakraborty, Suchitra Pillai, Upendra Limaye and Saharsh Kumar Shukla. The story revolves around two sex workers who come together and decide to cut out the middlemen and run their own business. It has been shot in real locations in Mumbai. "Automatically devoid of any kind of male gaze," Kriplani was quoted by Mumbai Mirror.

The Accidental Prime Minister

The Hindi adaptation is directed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte. The movie will be screened in London on March 31, 2018. The political drama is based on the novel of the same name, The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh. The novel is a memoir of Sanjaya Baru, who was the former prime minister's media advisor, in 2014. Anupam Kher will play the role of Manmohan Singh while Akshaye Khann will be playing the role of Baru.