Many a films have been made based on successful novels written in the past. But Bapsi Sidhwa is perhaps the only writer who has done quite the opposite. She has written a novel based on a already made film. We are talking about the film "Fire" made by Deepa Mehta in the year 2005. Following the huge success of the film, Bapsi Sidhwa, the Pakistani writer wrote a literary version of the same theme named Water: the novel.
Incidentally relationship between Bapsi Sidwa and Deepa Mehta goes back to her first major film "Earth", which was based on Bapsi's 1991 novel : The Ice Candy Man. The novel though, extremely well written, was however not much of a success in the market. It was when the novel was used to make the film that it earned its well deserved recognition.
Taking the cue Bapsi Sidhwa then changed the very title of the book from "Ice Candy man" to "Cracking India", in a hope to apeal to those readers who had seen the movie but not had heard about the book.
The whole episode thus once again reiterates how well written novels often fail to make it till a film is made on them. This has happened many times in the past. But for the first time a writer taking cue from this trend decided to first change the name of the novel and write a new novel on a plot which has already been depicted in a film.
Bapsi Sidhwa, born in 1938 in Pakistan is presently teaches at Houston.
Deepa Mehta and a clip from her famous film 'Water"'
Incidentally relationship between Bapsi Sidwa and Deepa Mehta goes back to her first major film "Earth", which was based on Bapsi's 1991 novel : The Ice Candy Man. The novel though, extremely well written, was however not much of a success in the market. It was when the novel was used to make the film that it earned its well deserved recognition.
Taking the cue Bapsi Sidhwa then changed the very title of the book from "Ice Candy man" to "Cracking India", in a hope to apeal to those readers who had seen the movie but not had heard about the book.
Ice Candy man (left) renamed as Cracking India (right)
The whole episode thus once again reiterates how well written novels often fail to make it till a film is made on them. This has happened many times in the past. But for the first time a writer taking cue from this trend decided to first change the name of the novel and write a new novel on a plot which has already been depicted in a film.
Bapsi Sidhwa, born in 1938 in Pakistan is presently teaches at Houston.
