A dash of Bollywood at Jaipur Lit Fest

Bollywood remains a top draw at the Jaipur Literature Fest with a string of film celebrities like Waheeda Rahman, Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad among others set to explore the intertwining of cinema with literature.

Actors Waheeda Rehman, Naseeruddin Shah, actor-playwright Girish Karnad, scriptwriters Vishal Bharadwaj, Bhasharat Peer, stage director Tim Supple are among those lined up to speak in the "Literature in Cinema" segment at the upcoming 8th edition of the annual literary extravaganza, organisers said today.

The festival is scheduled from January 21-25.

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah is scheduled to discuss his autobiography And Then One Day with actor and playwright Girish Karnad who will be talking about his highly acclaimed play Boiled Beans on Toast.

Vishal Bhardwaj is lined up to speak about Shakespearean deconstructions in Indian reality present in his celebrated recent film Haider.

Bhardwaj will be in conversation with journalist, author and scriptwriter Basharat Peer and renowned theatre director Tim Supple, discussing the movie which highlighted the recent political history of the conflicted Kashmir valley in the context of Shakespearean tragedy.

The session will also throw light on the anguish of Hamlet as well as other Bollywood interpretations of Vishal Bhardwaj.

Actor Waheeda Rehman, is set to look back at her life and career with biographer and film historian Nasreen Munni Kabir and writer and mythologist Arshia Sattar.

Along with discussion on Rehman's landmark films and roles, the actor will also share her views on the changing face

of Indian cinema.

Adding to the Bollywood flavor in a poetic way, Javed Akhtar, renowned poet, lyricist and screen writer, will take the literary enthusiasts on a journey of discovery through emotions, poetic expressions, subtexts and intangibles, of film songs from the interlinked Urdu, Hindi and Hindustani traditions.

Prasoon Joshi, a festival favourite will be in talk with poet and mythologist Yatindra Mishra about Indian traditions of popular music and  poetry.

Noted film critic Anupama Chopra will also participate in the festival, along with actress Shabana Azmi who will read poetry written by her father, the great Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi.

Besides unfolding the tales behind cinematic adaptations of literature, in the changing face of Indian film industry that has fast adapted itself to this emerging genre, the Zee Jaipur Literature festival will play host to 234 speakers.

These include former President APJ Abdul Kalam, Nobel laureate V S Naipaul, Man Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton, renowned contemporary travel writer Paul Theroux, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Vijay Seshadri, Oscar-nominated screenwriter and novelist Hanif Kureishi, among others.