Bollywood bigwigs to gather at Jaipur literature festival

Jaipur, Jan 6 (IANS) Bollywood bigwigs like Naseeruddin Shah, Vishal Bhardwaj, Waheeda Rehman and Javed Akhtar will be present at the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival that will begin here Jan 21, said the organisers.

These luminaries will gather to discuss the processes and challenges involved in adapting books into cinemas, the organisers said.

There are several instances of Bollywood finding inspiration in the literary world and some of the finest examples in this regard are yesteryear's movies like Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali" and Dev Anand's "Guide".

This tradition can be seen continuing in contemporary Indian cinema also with Bhardwaj's "Haider", adapted from "Hamlet", and "Omkaraa", adapted from "Othello", Deepa Mehta's film "Midnight's Children" based on Salman Rushdie's novel of the same name and "Three Idiots" -- based on Chetan Bhagat's "Five Point Someone".

The five-day literary festival will also host playwright and actor Girish Karnad, writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi, film critic Anupama Chopra and actress Shabana Azmi, who will discuss poetry, poems, films and autobiographies in detail.

Bhardwaj will elaborate on his film "Haider" which highlighted the recent political history of the conflicted Kashmir valley in the context of Shakespearean tragedy "Hamlet". He will be discussing it with journalist, author and scriptwriter Basharat Peer and theatre director Tim Supple.

Naseeruddin Shah will be discussing his autobiography, "And Then One Day," with Karnad. Waheeda Rehman will be in conversation with her biographer and film historian Nasreen Munni Kabir and writer and mythologist Arshia Sattar.

Along with the discussion on Rehman's landmark films and roles, the veteran actor will also share her views on the changing face of Indian cinema.

Prasoon Joshi, along with poet and musicologist Yatindra Mishra, will discuss the Indian traditions of popular poetry, music, screenplays, advertising, Bollywood and the secret life of words.