Mumbai: Literature and Indian cinema are getting progressively aligned. So it comes as no surprise that Bengali director Aparna Sen has invited Oxonian professor Kunal Basu to Kolkata to participate in the making of "The Japanese Wife", based on his novel of the same name.

Confirming this move to authenticate the film version of the author's vision, Sen's leading man Rahul Bose said: "Kunal is with us. He teaches at Oxford, but he has been kind enough to join us here in Kolkata.

"There are so many things that could go wrong in rendering the novel on screen. It is the toughest role of my life and I suspect Aparna's toughest film too. In terms of layering and a quality associated with international cinema, 'The Japanese Wife' beats Aparna's 'Mr & Mrs Iyer' hollow," he added.

Rahul sees Basu's presence on the sets as a necessary bridge between literature and cinema.

He told IANS: "I believe Govind Nihalani had Mahasweta Devi on board constantly for 'Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa'. Now with Aparna taking Basu into confidence, it's clear that litterateurs won't be afraid of letting their novels go on screen. There have been too many mess ups in the transition in the past."

Not so long ago Pakistani author Bapsi Sidhwa not only participated in the making of Deepa Mehta's "1947 - Earth", which was an adaptation of Sidhwa's "Ice-Candy Man", she also wrote a book on the making of "Water".