Similar to other fine arts' genres, novels and films evolved the way they did due to certain conditions of production, and the way they developed in different cultures was shaped by the governing conventions surrounding them. When discussing films, one cannot overlook the aspect of entertainment. The experience of reading a novel definitely differs from the experience of watching a film. This process is what defies easy translation into film. The film and the novel are intimately connected, as seen in the sheer number of films based on novels. In the case of India, the history of the relationship between cinema and literature has been an integral one. This book explores the mutual relationship between film and fiction in India, focusing on legendary writers Rabindranath Tagore and Premchand and noted filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Drawing upon the insights of leading academics and emerging scholars in the field, it investigates the complex process of film adaptation of the novel. The book looks at three Ray adaptations of Tagore: Teen Kanya (1961), Charulata (1964), and Ghare Baire (1984), as well as two films based on short stories by Premchand—‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’ (1977) and ‘Sadgati’ (1981). In addition, it examines Ray's adaptation of Tagore's ‘Noshto Neerh’, his rendering of history, and Premchand's ‘Sadgati’ in terms of Ray's handling of the Dalit question.