I was recently asked to list books, by South Asian Authors, which I thought would make great films. In typical fashion, this request has now become the subject of the latest article on 'Editor's Hot Picks'. I present you this list of 'Books that would make Great Films' as my personal favourites only. Before you take up your pen to wither me with letters about other great books by South Asian Authors, please recall that I have not chosen every great book that I have enjoyed, merely the ones that I believe can translate in cinematic success.

THE TOP TEN BOOKS THAT WOULD MAKE GREAT FILMS

1. 'A Suitable Boy' by Vikram Seth.
An epic on a scale of "Gone With The Wind", this tome deserves a modern day Cecil B DeMille to turn it into an insightful tale of post-Independence Indian society.
Click here to buy this book today!

2. The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh.
Although I have enjoyed Ghosh's other books including 'The Glass Palace', this is a gripping historical sci-fi tale that could do with the M Night Shyamalan treatment. Little wonder that this book is described as a "novel of fevers, delirium and discovery".
Click here to read about 'Calcutta Chromosome'

3. 'The Blue Bedspread' by Raj Kamal Jha.
This is a dark and disturbing tale. Raj Kamal Jha's first novel explores love and twisted eroticism overshadowed by sinister domestic violence.
Click to read about 'The Blue Bedspread'

4. Bombay Time by Thrity Umrigar.
'Bombay Time' follows the lives of the Parsee residents of Wadia Baug, a block of flats in modern day Mumbai. Not as morose as Rohinton Mistry's books, Umrigar delves deeply into Parsee culture.
Click here to read about 'Bombay Time'

5. House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar.
Another epic following three generations of a South Indian family set during a time of major historical change. Don't know if I was consumed more by the concept of blue mangoes or the rise and fall of the Dorai family?
Click here to read about 'House of Blue Mangoes'

6. Moth's Smoke by Mohsin Hamid.
Set in the stifling summer of 1998 in Pakistan, it reveals the modern day lives of the rich and decadent and compares the main characters to the historical ones of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz.
Click here to read about 'Moth's Smoke'

7. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid.
Yes, a second book by the same author in my top 10. Set in post 9/11 America this fast-paced book follows the life-changing character of Pakistani American Changez.
Click to read about 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'

8. (Un)arranged Marriage by Bali Rai.
This book, set in Leicester, tackles many issues faced by British Asians - drug taking, alcoholism, stealing, truancy, bullying, teenage pregnancies, racism, violence and intolerance. Although none of these issues are new, this book must touch a nerve as it is the one I get most comments about. Rai's second book 'Rani & Sukh' is another take on the same issues.
Click here to read about '(Un)arranged Marriage'

9. Ladies Coupe by Anita Nair.
In the intimate atmosphere of the all-women sleeping car - the Ladies Coupe - we meet six women discussing the issue of whether a woman can stay single and be happy or whether she needs a man to feel complete. Their personal revelations draw you into their experiences of being women in contemporary India.
Click here to buy this book today!

10. Tamarind Woman by Anita Rau Badami.
If any book deserves the Satyajit Ray touch, Anita Rau Badami's 'Tamarind Woman' would be it. Thie book explores the complex mother daughter relationship across continents, a subject touched on by diaspora authors like Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Manju Kapur and Jhumpa Lahiri but drawn out most lucidly by Rau Badami.
Click here to read about 'Tamarind Woman'