From page to screen

The cult comic writer Alan Moore and India's acclaimed author Chetan Bhagat may have been vocal about their disdain towards the entertainment industry after their books were recently adapted into films, but not everyone feels that way.

British writer Moore openly panned the cinematic version of his books, including Watchmen and From Hell, and Bhagat was sorely disappointed because he felt the makers of the Bollywood blockbuster 3 Idiots did not give him adequate credit in the opening rolls.

In pictures: Books that have been made into movies

But three novelists participating in the four-day Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature, starting today, tell a different story. tabloid! caught up with Man Booker Prize-winning novelist Yann Martel, diplomat and writer Vikas Swarup and British author Chris Cleave.

Yann Martel

Martel's Man Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi has been optioned to Fox 2000 Pictures and will be made into a film by Oscar-winning director Ang Lee.

On Lee helming the project: "I am delighted that Life of Pi is being adapted to the silver screen. Firstly, I love cinema because it speaks another language — different from the world of books. Secondly, I am lucky that Ang Lee — who has directed films like Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon — is heading it. He is a wonderfully sensitive director who is good at big-budget productions. He will be able to pull it off, because he is obsessive about details and is meticulous."

His philosophy on books being made into films: "Once you have sold the book, you have to learn to let go. I have sold Life of Pi to Hollywood. Now, they can do whatever they want. For instance, they can make Pi a Cuban boy instead of an Indian one. After all, you need to realise that it's not a Yann Martel's film. You have no formal control over it. If the film is a disaster, than Ang Lee will be blamed. In fact, I told Lee to take liberties. It is not a question of reflecting the book, it is about telling a story in a new way."

He feels incredibly fortunate because...: "I have been kept in the loop. In fact, during one of our discussions, Johnny Depp's name was thrown about to play one of the investigator roles. I am waiting for the final draft of the screenplay."

Lee's biggest challenge: "The scenes with the tiger will be tough to pull off. But the key challenge for the film is not technical — the challenge is to tell a story that has an emotional pull."

His favourite book-to-film adaptations: Annie Proulx's Brokeback Moutain and Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day.

Vikas Swarup

Swarup's debut novel, Q&A, was turned into the Oscar-winning drama Slumdog Millionaire and his second novel, Six Suspects, has been optioned to the BBC and Starfield productions. John Hodge, who wrote the script for films like Trainspotting and The Beach, will write the screenplay.

On his reaction when Q&A was optioned: "I was surprised, because until then there wasn't any track record of Indian novels being made into Western films. And I was also surprised, because Slumdog Millionaire was not a story of exotic palaces, maharajas or yoga."

His philosophy on books being made into films: "The important thing is to look at the screenplay with an open mind. When Simon Beaufoy [Slumdog Millionaire scriptwriter] met me in London, he said he loved my book, but added that all 12 stories would not be translated onto the big screen, and that the name of the protagonists and film would be changed. In fact, I admired some of the changes. My first e-mail comment on the screenplay was: ‘I see an Oscar in this somewhere.'"

His sole gripe: "I wish Slumdog Millionaire had retained the protagonist's name as Ram Mohammad Thomas — the name represents each of the main religions in India."

Hodge's biggest challenge: "I wrote a whodunit, and it's not easy to translate it into a film. But as Danny [Boyle, Slumdog director] says, ‘You couldn't ask for a better person to write the screenplay than John.' So I can't wait to read his first draft."

His ideal cast for Six Suspects: "I can imagine Priyanka Chopra as the Bollywood bombshell, Ranbir Kapoor and a Shah Rukh [Khan] or an Aamir [Khan] as the suspects. For the bumblehead, Will Ferell."

Chris Cleave

Cleave's first novel, Incendiary, was made into a gripping film starring Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor. His second novel, The Other Hand, is also currently being adapted into a film starring Nicole Kidman, whose film company is working with the BBC on the project.

On his reaction when Incendiary was optioned: "They changed it a lot, so the plot of the film is very different from the novel. It went both ways on me — some parts of the film I think are better than in the book."

On Michelle Williams (below) in Incendiary: "I thought she was amazing, really, really smart and fun to talk with. Not the Hollywood starlet [at all]. She was really bright, entertaining and really clued up. The performance she gives is mesmerising."

Don't miss it

The Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature runs until Saturday at the Inter-Continental, Dubai Festival City. For more details, visit eaifl.com or call 04-3420060.

-Alice Johnson, Deputy UAE Editor