KOLKATA: Popular Bengali author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay says he tries not to watch films based on his works because of the difference between the way he visualises them and how they are presented on the screen.
Though the author said he gave directors the licence to interpret his works, he opted to stay away from the screenings because of the changes.
"This is the reason why I prefer not to attend the screenings of films based on my works most of the time," said Mukhopadhyay, 12 of whose stories and novels had been adapted into cinema by acclaimed directors such as Tapan Sinha, Aparna Sen and Rituparno Ghosh.
But that did not deter him from giving his consent to the directors if he was happy with the narration and the script, the 81-year-old author said.
"I believe films and literature are different mediums of art and I cannot expect that whatever I have written will be reflected in a film in a similar fashion," Mukhopadhyay, whose novel 'Guha Manab' has now been turned into a film with the same name, told PTI.
Critically acclaimed Bengali films such as 'Patal Ghor', 'Dosar', 'Kaagajer Bou', 'Ajab Gayer Ajab Katha' and 'Hirer Angti' have been adapted from Mukhopadhyay's writings.
Asked if a literary work becomes more popular after it was made into a film, the Sahitya Akademi winner said it worked both ways.
"At times the reader goes to see how his favourite literary work has been transformed. And at times the audience becomes curious about a work of fiction after watching the movie," the winner of the 'Ananda Purashkar' and 'Banga Bibhushan' awards said.
'Guha Manab', directed by Paramita Munshi, deals with a woman's amorous feelings for her father-in-law. The film is slated to be released next month.