News Desk, News Nation 360 : Actors Vivaan Shah and Veer Rajwant Singh, along with writer Sangeeta Dutta, explored the craft of adaptation during the concluding session of Day 3 of the 15th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival. They concentrated on how books can be adapted for film, television, and social media. All three of the subject matter experts spoke with moderator Ushoshi Sengupta about how books have been distributed in various ways over the ages to find a place in society. "When Words Take Wing" was the title of the workshop. Veer Rajwant Singh agreed that each adaptation should offer something fresh and that the director and screenwriter should be allowed to present their visuals even when they are adapting for social media or over-the-top content. Regarding social media and its influence on content production, all speakers concurred that although people rarely have control over the content to consume, social media is also an
excellent platform for releasing updated versions of better stories. The presenters acknowledged that content is king in this day and age and that, whether through original storytelling or adaptation, the present is the ideal moment to create new stories. Speaking on their experience of working in or with adaptations, Vivaan Shah stated that working on adaptations allows me to bring his imagination to life, which is the most fascinating part of the job. However, Sangeeta Dutta asserted that there are no hard-and-fast guidelines regarding adaptations. There's always room for the screenwriter's vision, no matter how far apart they are in time. As the conversation about modernising classic works through adaptations continued, Veer Rajwant Singh cited Vishal Bharadwaj as an example. He commented that there is never a better adaptation than Maqbool or Omkara, as done by Vishal Bharadwaj Sir. The moderators and panellists in attendance all agreed on this statement. The main point of contention was that every adaptation gives the original tale a fresh new flavour and feeling. Sangeeta Datta continued that The Colour Purple and The Talented Mr. Ripley, according to her, have been the two best adaptations so far.
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