27082024-LSTC-01.qxd 8/26/2024 8:14 PM Page 1 c m y b SHOOTING FOR HUNTER 2 BEGINS Actor Suniel Shetty is all set to come up with season two of the action thriller series Hunter. Taking to Instagram, Suniel reshared director Prince Dhiman’s post featuring the clapboard of the series. The first season of the thriller also starred Suniel Shetty in the lead role of ACP Vikram Sinha. TRIBUNE Life First track Kangana Ranaut has unveiled the first track Singhasan Khali Karo from her upcoming political drama Emergency. On Instagram, Kangana treated fans with the song’s video. LUDHIANA | TUESDAY | 27 AUGUST 2024 The recent success of It Ends With Usis a testament to how bestsellers succeed on the big screen. Here’s a look at other contemporary romances that did well Mona It Ends With Us A S Colleen Hoover’s bestseller It Ends With Us enters the club of Hollywood’s highest grossers in 2024, there is another book adaptation that movie buffs are eagerly awaiting for — The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2017 historical drama is set for a screen outing by Netflix, but readers are already curious as to how a film would do justice to this 400-page book! Many memorable romcoms have stemmed from books, but it’s a double edged sword. While readers make the readymade all-eager audience segment, they are hard to please. Yet, more often than not, books adaptions have led to some successful movie outings! It Ends With Us wasn’t a book, but a phenomenon. It’s equally hyped film version, which Hoover is also the creative producer of, is a commercial success. While the film got mixed reviews, netizens have gone ahead to blame its lead star Blake Lively for turning a book about domestic violence into a floral party, promoting brands rather than the cause. None the less, the numbers prove once again that bestsellers are a steady bet when it comes to romances. Here are some of the contemporary romances that took their plot from the bestsellers and made quite a mark. Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) The first son of the United States and the Prince of England, Casey McQuiston’s bestseller Red, White & Royal Blue (2019) is all the stuff romance is made of. A queer, contemporary love story, the book gained immediate attention. Tapping into the current mood, Amazon Studios won the rights of the book at an auction. The Taylor Zakhar PerezNicholas Galitzine- starrer won over the young viewers. The film, obviously is different than the book, since the short screen outing cannot accommodate all the characters and sub-plots. The movie still clicked, even gaining an Emmy nomination! The Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Kevin Kwan’s debut novel The Crazy Rich Asians (2013) offered a window to contemporary Asia to the rest of the world. It soon saw a screen adaptation. Kwan sealed the film deal only with $1 but bargained his way to creative control over the movie, directed by Jon M. Chu. One of the first movies in the 21st century with majority cast of Asian descent, the film made a splash as much as the book, becoming one of the highest grossing film worldwide. The Fault In Our Stars (2014) The beauty of book adaptations in the romcom genre is that it’s not just the regular plot — protagonist going from the busy city to small town to find love — but a lot of variations. John Green’s 2012 novel has two terminally ill teenagers who fall for each other. The film, Red, White & Royal Blue BOOK ADAPTATIONS THAT LED TO MOST MEMORABLE MOVIES ■ Eat Pray Love is an American Romancing the screen directed by Josh Boone, did well at the boxoffice, winning many awards. Its Hindi feature film adaptation Dil Bechara, with Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi in the lead roles, released a month after Rajput’s unfortunate demise, became famous as the ‘most-viewed film on a smartphone’ in India. To All the Boys I have Loved Before (2018) Three books, three films…this is one successful book and film franchise! Jenny Han’s book To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before became a hit in 2014, leading to its screen outing in 2018. One of the Netflix’s original hit, the book’s sequels — P I Still Love You and .S. Always and Forever duly made it to the screen too. The films and their success was followed by TV series XO, Kitty in 2023. ment came in 2012 and saw a Netflix outing in 2018. The book fanatics have largely given a green signal to the movie, calling it more of a comedy even if it misses out on the book’s detailed drama. Closer home, romances are tempered with family drama. Bestselling author Chetan Bhagat’s 2 States got a movie outing in 2014 and did well, critically as well as commercially! His Half Girlfriend too got a screen adaptation and did reasonable well. The Kissing Booth (2018) Again, three books and three movies; The Kissing Booth managed to become a pop culture sensation, even though they were panned by the critics. Beth Reekles’ first instal- biographical romantic film, starring Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s based on the stupendously successful memoir of Gilbert’s journey to self-discovery. ■ Two soul mates who met too late, Bridges of the Madison County, based on bestselling novel of the same name by Robert James Waller, is a moving tale of love. ■ The Notebook, based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestseller, is an endearing tale of summer romance that lasts a lifetime. ■ P.S. I Love You, based on the bestseller by Cecelia Ahern, is a story to love that stays even after death! ■ Based on a book by Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones’s Diary is a riveting tale of a woman wooed by two eligible bachelors. Eat Pray Love Half Girlfriend Crazy Rich Asians To All The Boys I Have Loved Before Fault In Our Stars 2 States ‘Always be prepared’ Rajkummar Rao believes when the universe is guiding you, everything falls into place Actor Rajkummar Rao, who has recently delivered the blockbuster Stree 2, has opened up about the times when he was replaced or dropped from projects. Rajkummar recently appeared on The Longest Interview podcast by Audible where he said, “There were a couple of times when everything was going well, but then I was dropped from the film for some reason. That wasn’t my failure; it was theirs for not handling it properly. Those experiences taught me how to always be prepared.” He further mentioned that looking back, he realised it might have been for the best — either the film never got made or the character wasn’t impactful. “I believe when the universe is guiding you, everything falls into place,” he shared. He also spoke about how he manifested that he wanted to work in Kai Po Che. He said, “I enjoyed reading The Three Mistakes of My Life by Chetan Bhagat. Before that, one of his other books, One Night at the Call Centre, had already been adapted into a film, so I knew he was a writer whose books were getting turned into movies. I still remember, when I was new in Mumbai, I read Three Mistakes of My Life and actually manifested it to the universe. There are three characters in the book and I hoped that if a film was ever made, I would get one of those roles. I didn’t specify which one, but I really wished for it—and then Kai Po Che happened. It’s surreal, but true,” he added. — IANS c m y b Coming soon Siddhant Chaturvedi-starrer Yudhra to release on Sept 20 Bollywood actor Siddhant Chaturvedi has announced the release date of his upcoming film Yudhra, which has been locked for September 20. Siddhant took to Instagram, where he dropped the first look of the film along with the date. In the image, the actor’s white shirt is drenched in blood. Anger can be seen in his eye as he holds a lollipop in one hand and a gun in the other. He captioned it as, “Anger has a new name. #Yudhra coming to screens near you on 20th September.” Directed by Ravi Udyawar and produced by Excel Entertainment, the film also stars Malavika Mohanan, Gajraj Rao, Ram Kapoor, and Raghav Juyal in pivotal roles. — IANS