#WorldBookDay: Bollywood Movies Inspired By Books

Many a Bollywood movies can fill pages after pages of a sumptuous novel. But what happens when a bestselling book is turned into a celluloid chapter? Delightful movies happen, what else!

On World Book Day today, we take a look at ten of the most famous books turned into movies...take a look:

Devdas:
Perhaps the greatest novel ever written, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Classic has been turned into a movie twice. Both versions were super hits and have their own fan followings. The protagonist's name is synonymous with tragedy and heartbreak, so much so that every youngster going through bitter love is referred to us 'Oh! Devdas'. If that's not called impact, wonder what is.

2 States:
Chetan Bhagat's best seller on cross-cultural marriage made for a cool watch on the big screen. The Punjabi-Tamil wedding had Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt fighting for their love, amid the conservative society they live in. Considering the popularity of the book, it wasn't surprising when the movie became a huge box office hit.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshi:
The Bengali sleuth is known for his razor sharp detective skills and wit. Based on the series by the same name by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, he's one of the most important cultural icons of Bengali literature, on par with Satyajit Ray's Feluda. The movie adaption with Sushant Singh Rajput may have tanked at the box office, but the sinfully beautiful frames, cinematography and dedicated acting will always be remembered by the audiences.

3 Idiots:
Another Chetan Bhagat novel to find pride of place in Bollywood is this box office whopper. The movie not only made big bucks, but also made Aamir Khan a bigger star than both Sallu and SRK combined! Thanks to the engaging script, groovy music and kickass acting, it remains one of our favourite movies ever. Isn't it?

7 Khoon Maaf:
The movie might have failed to hit the right chords, but it remains one of the highlights of Priyanka Chopra's illustrious career. She played a scheming wife who murders her unsuspecting husbands in a vicious psycho drama. Based on Ruskin Bond's Suzanna's Seven Husbands, the movie adds a bit of Bollywood masala for the Indian audiences.

Pinjar:
Writer Amrita Pritam's Classic novel on partition and its aftermath, Pinjar, was an award-winning one. The movie of the same name, starring Urmila Matondkar and Manoj Bajpayee, was equally successful. It's no wonder that the hard-hitting movie made a huge impact on the audiences.

Kai Po Che:
It seems like Chetan Bhagat is the go-to guy when it comes to book adaptions as his successful novel 3 Mistakes of My Life was turned into the box office grosser Kai Po Che. While the movie lived up to the hype, it was the delectable friendship among the three lead characters that made it such a warm one to watch. We will always be thankful to director Abhishek Kapoor for giving us the talented Sushant Singh Rajput, who made his B-Town debut with this flick.

Maqbool, Omkara and Haidar:
Vishal Bharadwaj's obsession with Shakespeare is legendary. He has turned many of the bard's classics into hit Bollywood flicks, the latest being Haider, which was based on Hamlet. His first two movies, Maqbool and Omkara, based loosely on Macbeth and Othello, can be considered powerful cinema and a true landmark of progressive art.

Saawariya:
This movie generated a lot of curiosity as two star kids, Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, were being launched by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Even though the movie failed miserably at the BO, the plot was appreciated by critics and fans alike as it remains one of the most tragic interpretations of love. After all, it's based on one of the greatest storytellers, Fyodor Dostoyevskys', short story White Nights.

Aisha:
Even though it makes us cringe to call this soppy film a Jane Austen adaption, we have to admit that there is an uncanny resemblance between Emma and Aisha. While Emma remains the writer's most famous heroine, Aisha is simply one of the attempts at bringing to life the famous English character. But Sonam Kapoor's high priestess look in the movie is worth every penny, so we are not complaining.

Which book-turned-movie is your absolute favourite? Let us know right away!