If you look at some of the best productions, whether it's a highly acclaimed television series or a film from Pakistan, India, or Hollywood, there's one common thread:
the era of original ideas seems to be over. Many of the most admired scripted series or films from Lollywood, Bollywood, or Hollywood are adaptations.

We do acknowledge the emergence of streaming platforms and how they have brought major changes to entire industries. So, then, would it be fair to say that original ideas are completely gone, or do they still exist, but adaptations simply outnumber them?

Let's see how well you know the difference between original and adapted ideas in three of the most popular and prolific industries.

1. Which of the following television or film productions was not an adapted script but an entirely original story that was directed by Sarmad Khoosat?

a) Humsafar

b) Zindagi Tamasha

c) Manto

d) Baaghi

2. Which Vishal Bhardwaj film earned him his first National Award in the
category of Special Jury Award and was based on the concept of a famous tragedy by William Shakespeare?

a) Omkara

b) Haider

c) Maqbool

d) Ishqiya

3. The greatest filmmaker of this decade, if not more, Christopher Nolan is one auteur to whom no
intelligent actor says no. Just ask Matt Damon or Michael Caine. But, which of his films is not based on
an existing story but a completely
original idea and has been a critical and commercial success?

a) Oppenheimer

b) The Prestige

c) Interstellar

d) Inception

4. Which film is considered by most critics, fans and industry insiders as the most significant cinematic achievement for Pakistani cinema?

a) Choorian

b) Jawani Phir Nahi Ani

c) The Legend of Maula Jatt

d) London Nahi Jaunga

Answers

1. The correct answer is b.
Zindagi Tamasha is an original script, written by Nirmal Bano, and directed by Sarmad Khoosat. Humsafar, a popular drama serial, was directed by Sarmad Khoosat; however, it was based on a novel by Farhat Ishtiaq, who also adapted it for the small screen. Manto, a Pakistani film with an extensive ensemble, was based on the works of Urdu literary giant Saadat Hasan Manto, and was also directed for the big screen by Sarmad Khoosat. Baaghi was based on a screenplay written by Umera Ahmed and tells the controversial life story of Qandeel Baloch. Sarmad Khoosat did not direct the television project but acted in it.

2. The correct answer is a.
A beautiful storyteller, music director, producer, and director, Vishal Bhardwaj has won nine National Awards to date. However, it was his adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello, known as Omkara, that earned him a National Award for Special Jury. Omkara, set in the rural heartland of an Indian village, is considered a masterpiece even though it has been 18 years since the film was first released. The critical success of the film has inspired other filmmakers to create television series and films set in rural settings.

3. The correct answer is d.
Every Christopher Nolan film is presumed by many fans to be an original work. This is true for Inception, which Christopher Nolan wrote and originally conceived as a more complex idea before simplifying it for studio executives.

Oppenheimer’s Academy Award success was long overdue for Christopher Nolan. The film was based on a script Nolan wrote, adapting the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Interstellar was originally an idea conceived by Christopher Nolan’s younger brother, Jonathan Nolan, with Steven Spielberg attached as director. However, Christopher Nolan eventually wrote the final script, discarding many of the original ideas and co-writing the film based on Jonathan Nolan’s existing script. He also produced and directed the film.

The Prestige, a lesser-known Christopher Nolan film, was an adaptation of the 1995 novel The Prestige by Christopher Priest. The Nolan brothers co-wrote the script based on the novel.

4. The correct answer is c.

The Legend of Maula Jatt, released in 2022, features original characters first created decades ago by Nasir Adeeb in the Maula Jatt films. In this ensemble film, the characters are revived with a fresh screenplay while retaining the essence of the original films. The film has been a runaway hit and is hailed as a significant achievement for Pakistani cinema that we are unlikely to forget. Directed and co-written by Bilal Lashari, The Legend of Maula Jatt has also performed well both in Pakistan and abroad due to its complex, choreographed stunts and technical mastery.
Choorian, released in the late nineties, followed by post-revival films such as Jawani Phir Nahi Ani and London Nahi Jaunga, are some of the most popular films made in the country and have all done well at the box office.