While Hollywood has been successful in adapting comic books and turning them into movies, this trend isn’t seen in the land where there’s abundance of storytellers and stories. Yes, we are talking about India where not a single movie has been adapted from a comic to movie. Though we agree that the comic industry in India is quite niche but at the same time, the content which is produced is no less than what a movie script requires. There have been times when movies are seen in comic formats but it doesn’t work the other way round till date. But slowly the scenario is changing and finally we will get to witness the magic of books on our big screens. We came to know from reliable sources that one of the A listed Bollywood film makers will now be turning a comic into a full fledged movie. The Caravan published and produced by Asvin Srivatsangam’s Yali Dream Creations, written by Shamik Dasgupta released in 2013 might be the first ever movie adaption of an indie Indian comic to a motion film.
The writer and scripter of the comic, Shamik Dasgupta, had earlier revealed to AnimationXpress that his main intention while coming up with The Caravan was that the story could be an excellent film pitch in the future. If we see the story, it’s been told in a ‘filmy’ style with complete three acts: The Dusk, The Night and The Dawn. Seems like his prayers are answered as what was written with the intention to get a movie form is finally going to happen.
Here’s the synopsis of the comic: The Caravan is a classic horror/action/adventure in the trend of ‘From Dusk till Dawn’ and ’30 Days of Night’ copiously coated with spicy Bollywood masala. For ages a coven of vampires travel the deserts of Rajasthan under the guise of a Caravan of Nautanki or a Gypsy Circus who lure the unsuspecting villagers and through the course of the night feed on every living soul. Their heinous deeds go undetected for years, possibly even centuries until a boy named Asif survives their attack. But once again he faces the same situation. Asif had escaped the Caravan once, but can he pull off that impossible trick again?
This isn’t the first time that a comic has been chosen to get a Bollywood treatment. Previously, there have been talks about films starring Raj comics character Doga and Chakra: The Invincible from Graphic India getting movie treatment. Anurag Kashyap was to helm Raj Comics’ Doga with Kunal Kapoor as Doga but there’s been no update on the movie schedule. As for Chakra: The Invincible, it’s being produced by Graphic India’s co-founder and CEO, Sharad Devarajan and creator of Spider Man, Iron Man – Stan Lee and his POW! Entertainment where they will produce the character which would be Lee’s first Bollywood live action film. The details about the film should be out by this year.
But what setsThe Caravan apart from the two is the fact that Yali Dream Creations is relatively new in the market and was founded in 2012 by Asvin who’s based in USA whereas the rest of the team is situated in various parts of India. This would be the first time that an indie comic developer’s comic has been chosen by the Bollywood industry but no details have been revealed as of now.
Details of the film should be out within the next four to five months but as of now it’s certain that The Caravan is going to be made by an A listed Mumbai based Bollywood film maker.