A Western story in an Indian frame: A philosophical engagement with the cross-cultural adaptation of The Last Leaf into Lootera

This paper examines Vikramaditya Motwane’s Indian film adaptation Lootera (2013), inspired by O’Henry’s short story The Last Leaf, to highlight the transformation that occurs in a cross-cultural adaptation. Focusing on the philosophical aspect of the narrative regarding human suffering and hope, this paper shows a shift in the perception of these concepts when they are recontextualized in an Indian environment. The film employs a causal effect to expand the short story into a feature-length film by integrating the Indian motif of karma philosophy. This paper reflects on the connection between human creativity and spirituality advocated by ancient Indian knowledge. The objective of the paper is to highlight the underlying Indian philosophy that marks the artwork distinctively Indian, suggesting a cultural deviation. Through the analysis of this narrative, our aim is to offer a resolution of human suffering through the lens of Indian Knowledge Systems. Insights of key adaptation theorists and thinkers like Dudley Andrew, Linda Seger, Seymour Chatman, Sri Aurobindo, Kapila Vatsyayan, and other scholars play crucial role in the analysis of this study.