Presenter have participated in the One Day E-International Conference on Langlit Teaching, Learning, and Innovation: Pedagogic issues and remedies. The conference was organized on 25 February 2023 by the Centre for Language Studies, P P Savani University, Surat. She presented on the topic of "Cinematic Adaptation: Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children" and had the honor of presenting it in the presence of Chairperson Dr. Archana Rathore and Dr. Subrata Deb.

1. Department of English,
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
(One Day E- International Conference on Centre for Language Studies Lang Lit Teaching, Learning
and Innovations: Pedagogic issues & Remedies)
Cinematic Adaptation Salman Rushdie’s
Midnight’s Children
Presented by
Jheel D. Barad
Department of English, MKBU
Gujarat, India
Presented at
PP Savani University, Surat
E- International Conference on Centre for Language Studies Lang Lit
Teaching, Learning and Innovations: Pedagogic issues & Remedies
25/02/2022

2. Analyzing
the fidelity
of the
adaptation
Examining
the role of
the director
and
screenplay
writer
Exploring
the
cultural
and
historical
contexts
Comparing
the
differences
between the
two
mediums
Examining
the new
different
approach
OBJECTIVES

3. Exploring the process of
adaptation
Analyzing the relationship between
literature and film
Comparing different versions
Goals
FRAMEWORK
Narrative structure
Visual style
Adaptation fidelity
Interpretation of characters
Use of words vs use of
camera

4. ANALYSIS
“Literary adaptations gave cinema the respectable cachet of entertainment-as-art” (Hayward,
2013, 4)
Film adaptations have the potential to bring new interpretations and perspectives to the source
material, but they also risk straying from the original intent and meaning of the text.
The degree to which an adaptation catches the essence of the original is the surest sign of its
success. On the other hand, The goal of adaptation is to appropriate rather than to copy.
"Adaptations are not just retellings of stories, but also retellings of cultural history" (Hutcheon &
O'Flynn, 2013)
Challenging and intricate process that demands a deep understanding of both the source material
and the cultural context in which it was produced
As noted by film critic Peter Bradshaw, “Mehta’s film has real sweep and grandeur, even if it does
simplify and reduce the book’s complexities”

5. DIFFERENCES:
● Narrative style- Padma and No Padma, first person
narration
● Ending of the movie and novel
● Incompleteness to understand trauma of Saleem
● Absence of characters- Jamila; Hanif; Mustapha;
neighbours etc
● Lila Sabarmati’s affair with Homi Catrack and use of
Mother India movie poster
● Use of diction

6. CONCLUSION:
● The text undergoes a shift when it is adapted from one medium
to another.
● One form to the other alters into a new state of the art.
● The difference in narrative technique brings out the whole
story in a different light.
● A text as such never loses its meaning when the form/
narration of the text changes.
● Adapted text weirdly satisfying the gaps of imagination by
another creative mind.
● Adapted text is not merely a translation of an idea but there is a
total shift of one art form into another.
● Both have their peculiar features which make them unique in
their own way to attract the readers as well as the audience.

7. References
(n.d.). Salman Rushdie Official Author Website. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.salmanrushdie.com/
Benjamin, W. (1986). Illuminations (H. Arendt, Ed.; H. Zohn, Trans.). Schocken Books.
Bradshaw, P. (2012, December 20). Midnight's Children – review | Drama films. The Guardian. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/dec/20/midnights-children-review
Hayward, S. (2013). Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. Routledge.
Hutcheon, L., & O'Flynn, S. (2013). A Theory of Adaptation. Routledge.
Malamud, R., Kureishi's, H., Frears, S., Auster's, P., & Wang, W. (2012, October 8). 'Midnight's Children' Flourishes in Screen Adaptation. The
Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/midnights-children-flourishes-on-
screen/
Mehta, D. (Director). (2012). Midnight's Children [Film].
Mendes, A. C., & Kuortti, J. (2016, December 21). Padma or No Padma: Audience in the Adaptations of Midnight’s Children. Sagepub.
Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://doi.org/10.1177/0021989416671171
Quazi, M. (2017, December 8). Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children and its Incarnations. Tandfoline. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from
https://doi.org/10.1080/02759527.2014.11932960
Rushdie, S. (1981). Midnight's Children. Vintage.
Rushdie, S. (2021, April 3). Salman Rushdie on Midnight's Children at 40: 'India is no longer the country of this novel'. The Guardian. Retrieved
January 31, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/apr/03/salman-rushdie-on-midnights-children-at-40-india-is-no-
longer-the-country-of-this-novel