“Dreams feel real while we’re in them.” Christopher Nolan made audiences question reality in Inception, manipulated time in Interstellar, played with magic in The Prestige, unfolded memory in Memento, and transformed a three-hour historical drama into a cinematic spectacle in Oppenheimer.
Now imagine the Oscar-winning filmmaker handing over the keys to the treasure chest filled with Urdu literature. Just thinking about the endless possibilities sends me to the land of Koh-e-Qaaf, through Baghdad’s streets, to learn trickery from the masters and to solve cases alongside some of the language’s finest detectives.
And if he manages to get his hands on some of the philosophical autobiographies that contain narratives every bit as ambitious as those that inspired Hollywood’s biggest franchises, the bar would be raised to a whole new level.
At a time when many filmmakers rely on computer-generated spectacle and formulaic storytelling, Nolan continues to prove that the greatest special effect is an extraordinary story. If he ever looks east for inspiration, he should bring these stories to the big screen.
Umro Ayyar and Tilism-e-Hoshruba
No character seems better suited to Nolan’s imagination than the one and only Umro Ayyar, the legendary trickster of Tilism-e-Hoshruba. He is part con man, part magician, and carries a zambeel that holds everything he might need for his adventures.
Yes, Pakistani filmmakers tried to launch Umro Ayyar as a bankable superhero a few years ago, but the attempt failed because it felt too modern. However, in the master’s hands, it can be something entirely different.
This universe would offer everything Nolan loves—vast kingdoms, political conspiracies, rule-bound magic, shifting identities, elaborate deceptions, and realities that constantly evolve. The invisibility factor alone would be interesting in Nolan’s world, because so far it hasn’t been touched upon anywhere else.
Just as Inception introduced audiences to dreams with their own logic and architecture, Nolan could transform the magical tilism into an immersive cinematic world where every illusion conceals another mystery.
Dastan-e-Amir Hamza
While Umro Ayyar may be its most celebrated hero, the larger Dastan-e-Amir Hamza, aka Hamzanama, deserves a cinematic universe of its own. The fictional stories revolve around Amir Hamza, based on the Prophet Mohammad’s uncle, who fought bad guys across the globe with the help of his band of heroes and also fought alone in a fantasy world where he was trapped for eighteen years.
These stories were originally written in Persian and later translated into Urdu during the Mughal era. They kept readers entertained with epic battles, mythical creatures, enchanted kingdoms, and philosophical conflicts, a combination that has yet to be surpassed.
What Christopher Nolan could do with Hamzanama is beyond our imagination because he can draw on not only visual spectacle but also the moral choices, political intrigue, and personal sacrifices at the heart of the epic. If you believe that, in Nolan’s hands, we might have something that rivals The Lord of the Rings in scale, you aren’t wrong.
Sindbad Jahazi (Sindbad the Sailor)
Hollywood is no stranger to Sindbad the Sailor; there have been many iterations of the character over the past 100 years. From animated flicks to live-action films, Sindbad has captured the imagination of filmmakers all across the globe, but none of them was named Christopher Nolan.
While most adaptations portray Sindbad as an adventurer seeking treasure and glory, under Nolan he might be something else entirely, in a good way. Nolan’s approach would surely be different and better than that of his contemporaries and peers because he doesn’t take the path others prefer.
In Nolan’s hands, Sindbad’s adventures can go anywhere; he might make them into a seven-film saga like Avatar, or use them in a single film, focusing on the psychological burden of repeatedly venturing into the unknown.
Whatever he decides, the prospect of watching the literary hero fight giant birds and sea monsters and visit mysterious islands is too compelling to resist. Under Nolan’s direction, what seems like a fantasy fight could become a battle between myth and reality, leaving audiences wondering whether the greatest journey was physical or spiritual.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Among all the fantasy stories from the East, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is the most popular, even rivaling the evergreen Aladdin. What Nolan can do with the story is beyond us all because he loves to do the unthinkable.
It could be the story told from the cave’s point of view, opening with the words “Open Sesame,” or a revenge saga from Marjeena’s point of view, with the servant played by Anne Hathaway! He could also explore the Forty Thieves, who could emerge as layered antagonists rather than one-dimensional villains, making the story as intellectually engaging as it is entertaining. Whatever he decides, it would most certainly be beyond the treasure, because for Nolan, good storytelling is the treasure.
Hatim Tai
They say Hatim Tai is the embodiment of generosity, yet no one knows his backstory. The best person to tackle that would be Christopher Nolan, who made a movie about the creator of the atomic bomb. Hatim Tai, on the other hand, has adventures that feel impossible, with enchanted lands and moral dilemmas.
Instead of presenting each quest as another fairy-tale episode, Nolan could turn them into psychological puzzles in which every answer helps Hatim move forward and even challenges his own beliefs. The result would be an adventure driven as much by philosophy as by fantasy.
Bagh-o-Bahar (Qissa-e-Chahar Darvesh)
Just as Inception fascinated Nolan with its dreams within dreams, this series would make him lick his fingers for stories within stories. The interconnected narratives in Bagh-o-Bahar, along with shifting perspectives and layered storytelling, would provide the perfect canvas for the filmmaker to experiment with fractured timelines and multiple realities, creating a cinematic experience that rewards repeated viewings.
Shahab Nama
If you have read Qudrat Ullah Shahab’s philosophical autobiography, you know it is ideal for Nolan, who made a biopic out of Oppenheimer and won an Oscar for it. Shahab Nama, in any director’s hands, would give a Forrest Gump feel, but under Nolan it would be entirely different, with the director concentrating only on its most mysterious chapters.
The spiritual experiences described in Shahab Nama invite endless interpretation. Were they divine encounters, psychological phenomena, or something beyond explanation? Nolan has repeatedly explored that ambiguity, inviting audiences to decide where reality ends and belief begins.
The great detectives and spies!
No list would be complete without Ibn-e-Safi’s legendary detectives, Colonel Faridi and Ali Imran. On the one hand, there is Colonel Faridi, who is reserved, analytical, and intellectually intimidating; on the other, there is Ali Imran, who embodies unpredictability.
Faridi solves mysteries through observation rather than violence; Imran hides an extraordinary mind beneath his comic exterior. Nolan’s gift for crafting intricate mysteries could elevate one of Faridi’s investigations into a gripping psychological thriller, where every clue reshapes the audience’s understanding, or he could explore Imran’s secret identities, elaborate plans, and talent for manipulating adversaries, crafting an espionage thriller filled with twists, deception, and unreliable perspectives.
For decades, Hollywood has drawn on Greek mythology, Norse legends, and Western literature for cinematic inspiration, while many of the East’s greatest stories remain largely unexplored on the global stage. One hopes that Nolan gets his hands on Urdu literature when he is at the top of his game, so that by the time he comes up with any of the above-mentioned projects, the audience is ready to be stunned, shocked, and entertained.
