Best-selling novels catch makers' fancy for web shows and films: Amit Khan
Amit Khan, known for writing the OTT series Bicchoo Ka Khel and Commander Karan Saxena, says makers are lapping bestselling Hindi fiction novels for shows.
UPite Amit Khan, known for writing the OTT series Bicchoo Ka Khel (2021) and Commander Karan Saxena, says makers are looking out for bestselling Hindi fiction novels to create OTT series based on their success.
“Two of my bestsellers have already been made into OTT series and another, a courtroom drama, is currently under production. Besides, producer Ekta Kapoor has taken the rights of four of my novels to make web shows. My latest book Nayika is also being made into a film. Makers are lapping up novels which are well-read in Hindi heartland and small towns as they are the biggest consumers of such content. And that’s the reason the focus is on successful Hindi novel writers from the region,” says Khan.
The writer explains, “The market for pulp fiction is high in demand. Every platform has a research and content writing team that is looking for content that can click. With bestsellers you already know about its readership, copies sold, reprints, e-book views and readers response. It’s a win-win situation for all if a series or a film is made on accepted content.”
He started writing the Commander... series 33 years back and has 58 volumes so far besides its podcast where the protagonist has actor Sonu Sood’s voice. “Originally, the story is set in Mumbai but has a great readership in the Hindi belt, so we wanted to shoot it in Lucknow but staying true to the novel we eventually shot it in Mumbai and Haryana with actor Gurmeet Choudhary as the protagonist. The series worked well and will get its second season as well.”
The writer who hails from Pilkhuwa (Ghaziabad) also has directorial plans, but later. “Right now, my focus is on writing web shows and films. My first story was published when I was 12-year-old and my first novel got published at the age of 15 years of age. I have written over 100 novels and films including Laal Ishq (2016), additional screenplay in Karz: The Burden of Truth (2002) starring actor Sunny Deol and more. So, full-fledged direction will happen but right now it’s more of writing...demand bahut hai. My next book that will come out is Artist and that's also a murder mystery,” he adds on a signing-off note.