It has been rightly said by wise men that a book is a man’s best friend. And perhaps best friends for the makers of television series as well when it comes to taking inspiration. Giving a joy to bookworms many television series have been adapted on small screen and many of them have been very successful.

Celebrating World Book Day today, we are presenting you with the list of few shows, which draw inspiration from books. Take a look…

Yeh Hai Mohabbatein

Here comes the most popular ongoing show on television Yeh Hai Mohabbatein on Star Plus. Based on Manju Kapur’s novel Custody, the story is about a young couple Raman and Shagun fighting for the custody of their children and Raman’s daughter’s beautiful relation with her step mother Ishita. The show rightly captures Ishita and Ruhi’s relation.

Kumkum Bhagya

Adapted from Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility, the show Kumkum Bhagya (Zee TV) traces the journey of two sisters and their bonding. The little modification on the Indian backdrop has perfectly worked for audience.

Saraswatichandra

This Gujrathi novel has captured the attention of many and has been made into many screen adaptations. Recently the series captured the attention of noted film maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and became the debut venture of Bhansali on television. The show aired with the same name on Star Plus.

Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi

Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights is another one, which has been adapted into a television series by Balaji Telefilms on Colors. The beautiful love story between Ranveer and Ishani aptly reminds us of the central characters of Wuthering Heights.

Byomkesh Bakshy

Bakshy is our Desi version of Sherlock Holmes. He is intelligent, smart and witty Bong truth seeker (Satyanweshi). The early 90’s show had Rajit Kapur in the titular role and Kapur made his role so lively.

Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani

The first ever vampire supernatural series on Indian television scenario PKYEK (Star One) was loosely based on the popular super natural fantasy drama Twilight series. The fresh new concept of the series grabbed many eyeballs of youths.

Tumhari Paakhi

Initially started with the concept presented in Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Nababidhaan, Tumhari Paakhi on Life OK struck the right chord with audience. Though later on, the track took a different turn, nevertheless it remained a popular one.

Malgudi Days

A favourite of everyone’s childhood days, the screen adaptation was a visual treat for us. Created by R.K.Narayan the simple characters won our heart and still can make us smile.

Hasratein

A popular soap opera of mid 90’s was based on Adhantari penned down by Dalvi. Bold content and mature acting made it an instant hit among viewers. Till date it is considered to be one of the finest works on Indian television.

Kismat

When YRF enters the television scenario we can expect some classy presentation out of it. And they rightly did with Jeffrey Archer’s novel Kane and Abel, a tale of two men born world apart but share only one thing in common- their birthdays. We still wonder what went wrong with the series that it did not do well.

Keshav Pandit

Another classic novel to suffer an untimely closure when it was adapted on screen was Keshav Pandit. Ved Prakash Sharma’s novel Vijay Aur Keshav Pandit was adapted on screen but unfortunately could not garner much attention.

Miit

A classic by Tagore Noukadubi (Boat Wreck) was adapted by Anurag Basu into a television series. But instead of blindly adapting it, the intelligent film maker gave it a modern interpretation making it one of the best series during it’s time.

Chokher Bali and Khokababur Pratyabartan

And Anurag Basu’s fascination with Tagore does not end with Miit. He is all set to come back on small screen with two other shows based on Tagore’s literary work. Chokher Bali (Sand In The Eye) also captured late film maker Rituparno Ghosh’s attention when he made a film with Aishwarya Rai. And Basu is all set to come up with another television mini-series Khokababur Pratyabartan (Child’s Return) based on Tagore’s short story of the same name.

With such wonderful television series we hope to see some more shows based on books and literary works.

Let us know which one is your favourite in the comment section below.