Jane Austen in Bollywood and beyond

At first glance, Regency-era England might seem worlds away from the vibrant, chaotic and melodramatic world of Indian films. But scratch the surface and it becomes clear: Austen’s novels were always more than polite parlour dramas. They are rich dissections of social expectations, family pressure, female agency, class mobility and choice—all of which remain reflect the very heart of Indian family and social life. Her characters navigate expectations around marriage, inheritance and social respectability—cornerstones of Indian storytelling as well.

In her essay Going Global: Filmic Appropriation of Jane Austen in India, critic Meenakshi Bharat writes that Indian filmmakers naturally gravitate toward Austen because “she provides a familiar moral structure and social canvas", making her narratives both accessible and adaptable.

One of the first noted Indian adaptations of Austen was the 1985 Hindi television serial Trishna, which reimagined Pride and Prejudice for Indian audiences. The Doordarshan show featured characters like Rekha (Elizabeth Bennet) and Rahul (Mr Darcy) as members of a respectable Indian family negotiating arranged marriages and societal snobbery. The show worked, in large part, because Austen’s themes and Indian social realities aligned so seamlessly.

A far more sophisticated and astute adaptations of Austen is Rajiv Menon’s Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000). Loosely based on Sense and Sensibility (1811), it follows two sisters. Tabu plays the emotionally restrained Soumya (based on Elinor Dashwood), while Aishwarya Rai plays the passionate, impulsive Meenakshi (inspired by Marianne). The sisters must navigate love, betrayal, financial dependence, family responsibility and patriarchy—issues that resonated in 19th-century Britain as much as they did in Tamil Nadu at the turn of the millennium.

Speaking of Austen’s appeal, Menon says, “Her principal characters experience internal and external transformation. Internally, they discover something new; externally, their view of the world changes—and so does their opinion. Her books build on morals like ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ In Kandukondain Kandukondain, you see that, for example, through Meenakshi and her relationships, particularly with Bala (Mammootty). There are clear character arcs. Another thing she did remarkably well was to take the comedy plot, not a downer plot. Her books were endearing because the struggles are unique, but the characters around are deliciously funny and poke fun at society."

It’s not just Austen’s women who appeal to readers and filmmakers. As Menon notes, Austen’s men are equally intriguing: “They are aggressive, proud, nasty but also poetic and sweet. They can also be dangerous and slither away."

Perhaps the most globally recognised Indianised Austen adaptation is Gurinder Chadha’s 2004 English language film Bride and Prejudice. Starring Aishwarya Rai as Lalita Bakshi, the British production recasts Elizabeth Bennet as a strong-willed woman from Amritsar who clashes with wealthy American Will Darcy (Martin Henderson). With colourful wedding dances, family drama and cross-cultural misunderstandings, the film retains Austen’s biting social commentary alongside musical exuberance. In the production notes, Chadha is quoted as saying, “Once I started adapting the novel, I was convinced Jane Austen was Indian in a previous life. The characters adapted so freely and the story and themes fit perfectly into contemporary India. A mother with four daughters to marry off—who couldn’t relate to that?"

Family and misunderstanding, tradition and independence, duty and love are tensions Austen wrote of so sharply and themes Indian cinema thrives on.

With the 2010 Hindi film Aisha, director Rajshree Ojha presented a glitzy, modern adaptation of Austen’s 1815 novel Emma (much like Amy Heckerling’s Clueless did in 1995). The setting shifts from the fictional town of Highbury to upper-crust Delhi, with Sonam Kapoor playing the title role of Aisha, a meddling matchmaker. Abhay Deol’s Arjun is based on George Knightley. Tonally closer to the satirical Clueless than a literary adaptation, Aisha is swathed in couture fashion and lavish parties.

Bollywood conventions—festivals, weddings, songs—offer a modern twist on Austenian courtship rituals.

“While Jane Austen’s ballroom scenes provide the ideal setting for the courtship to take place... Bollywood songs and dances not only function to promote social interaction, but also introduce the characters, focus on their feelings, and explore Indian traditions and values," writes Rosa M. García-Periago in her paper Bollywoodizing Jane Austen’s Emma: Rajshree Ojha’s Aisha, for the Jane Austen Society of North America.

While not all Indian adaptations are direct translations, Austen’s influence has seeped into the DNA of Indian film—some proudly acknowledging her legacy, others borrowing themes and plots with subtle (or not-so-subtle) nods.

The effectiveness of these adaptations often lies in how well Bollywood tropes are integrated with Austen’s characters and their dilemmas. Following a classic Elizabeth-Darcy arc, in Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met, Geet and Aditya start off completely mismatched, but their journey together leads to transformation and love. In Ayan Mukerji’s Wake Up Sid (2009), Sid is a male archetype of Austen’s flawed but redemptive hero, who is emotionally distant but gradually matures professionally and emotionally.

Rachel Dwyer, professor emerita at SOAS University of London, notes that filmed adaptations like Clueless, Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility, and BBC’s Pride and Prejudice might have had more impact than the novels themselves. “It’s important not to equate Austen’s world directly with its contemporary Indian counterpart, but there are similarities between it and Anglophone Indian elite society, which has its own versions of ‘good marriages’ based on widely agreed conventions such as status, wealth, family background, etc."

Austen’s settings mirror many Indian realities. Her emphasis on wit, moral growth and social tension—combined with satisfying love stories—makes for enduring, engaging cinema. In a post-colonial Indian film context, Austen’s stories may be painted in Indian colours and Bollywood tropes, but her characters and themes remain recognisably Austen.

Udita Jhunjhunwala is a writer, film critic and festival programmer. She posts @UditaJ.

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