“Literature, cinema will be the theme of New Delhi World Book Fair”

We need to have more directors who make films adapted from literary novels, National Book Trust Director M.A. Sikandar tells Madhur Tankha

Since Indian cinema is celebrating its centenary this year, the National Book Trust has decided to have literature and cinema as the theme of “New Delhi World Book Fair” that opens in the Capital next month. NBT Director M. A. Sikandar feels the theme is appropriate for the biennial event as the two fields are closely interconnected.

“More than the issue of books inspiring the filmmakers, we at the NBT are interested in taking stock of the status of research and documentation that has happened in various parts of the country and published as books in the area of film studies,” he says. The NBT Director is aware of the fact that Bollywood film-makers have been criticised for borrowing stories from successful ventures, resulting in remakes of classics like the most watchable Hindi film “Sholay” and “Agneepath” that gave Amitabh Bachchan a chance to win “National Film Award for Best Actor” for his scintillating performance of a mafia don.

“Film-makers need to profit from their movies but they must not forget their responsibility towards society. We need to have more directors who make films adapted from literary novels. I know it is not easy negotiating with authors but we still have exceptions -- Aamir Khan's ‘3 Idiots' was adapted from Chetan Bhagat's novel ‘Five Point Someone – What Not to do at IIT'.”

Noting that current lot of filmmakers in the Hindi film industry are voracious readers, Sikandar says: “We need to understand that filmmakers come from different backgrounds. When we read their biographies, autobiographies and memoirs, we quite often come across instances where their persona and perceptions have been defined by the reading of various kinds of books. For NBT our mandate is significant and something we would wish to underline and communicate to the young generation.” Sikandar says he is not qualified to give a satisfactory answer on how literature has influenced Hindi cinema from the days of Raj Kapoor to his grandson Ranbir Kapoor. “Well, that is for the film critics to throw light on. I would only say that through this type of theme, we are trying to find connection between apparently different worlds. We will try to explore whether cinema has influenced our literary sensibility.” Sikandar is optimistic that bibliophiles would love reading books that have some connection with the cinema. “Our National Youth Readership survey tells us that nearly 30 per cent of young readers are keen on reading biographies of personalities from all walks of life. Secondly, a lot of serious literature on film and culture studies, scriptwriting, film and television production is available and has a good reader base.” “Reading habits cannot be inculcated or promoted in isolation. Ultimately books have to be a part of our lifestyle and for that to happen intellectuals and thinkers of the book world need to interact with those from other walks of life like cinema, art and sports. In any case, by taking up such themes, we are able to underline how the world of books permeates every field of activity as without books no human activity can stand on its own,'' he says.

Bollywood is certainly bigger in size than other cinemas, but NBT has made efforts to represent books on regional cinemas too. “We will have over 350 books on Hindi and regional cinema at ‘World Book Fair'. There will also be screenplays of old classics, memoirs of film-makers, encyclopaedias of cinema, including books on Satyajit Ray, Balraj Sahani and Dada Sahab Phalke. Besides books highlighting Bollywood films, we will also have literary books that will point out the tremendous impact of regional cinema on our social and cultural life.”

During the entire duration of the book fair that begins on February 25 and concludes on March 4, Bollywood actors will be visiting the fair. They will also make valuable suggestions while participating in workshops on different subjects related to literature and films. “We are also in talks with Jamia Millia Islamia's Mass Communications Department because we want to make debates in the book fair more academic-oriented. Besides film personalities, we will have film critics, students of cinema and media personalities in these debates.”

Set up in 1957, the National Book Trust, India, seeks to inculcate book culture at local, regional and national levels. It has grown exponentially, becoming the biggest book fair in the Afro-Asian Region.

This year, the book fair is expected to attract more foreign exhibitors and delegates than in all its previous editions.