Jeffery Archer’s Best-Sellers To Get Indian Twist
6 Aug 2025 8:44 PM IST6 Aug 2025 8:44 PM IST
Applause Entertainment secures rights to adapt six iconic titles including ‘First Among Equals’
Jeffrey Archer (Image:DC)
Best-selling British author Jeffrey Archer’s avidly-read narratives that sweep the reader from the alleys of Bristol to the streets of New York and the gulags of Stalinist Russia, are now headed for an Indian makeover. Archer has signed a landmark deal with Applause Entertainment, granting them adaptation rights to six of his most celebrated works.
This marks the Indian production house’s first major global literary acquisition. The agreement covers the rights to ‘The Clifton Chronicles’, a seven-book saga, as well as popular standalone titles ‘The Fourth Estate’, ‘First Among Equals’, ‘The Eleventh Commandment’, ‘Sons of Fortune’, and ‘Heads You Win’.
Archer, 85, joined the official announcement event virtually and didn’t shy away from addressing the long-standing issue of plagiarism in Indian cinema.
“I’ve had fans tell me they loved watching Kane and Abel on TV, when it had nothing to do with me. They just stole the story,” the politician-author said, referring to the 1987 Amitabh Bachchan–Shatrughan Sinha film Khudgarz, widely believed to have been inspired by Archer’s novel. In 2015, he had also criticised Yash Raj Films for allegedly lifting the plot of his ‘Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less’ for their film Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. “I am naturally unhappy that Bollywood producers steal my work and make no attempt to make any compensation,” he wrote in a blog post. “It’s very disappointing that the Indian government allows them to get away with it.” Sameer Nair, MD, Applause Entertainment, emphasised that their partnership with Archer is rooted in legitimacy and mutual respect. “We want to do it the right way,” Nair said. “If I like an author, or if I want to use his or her work, I want to be able to go to them with an offer in the spirit of collaboration.”
According to Nair, the adaptations will be reimagined for a contemporary Indian audience. “These are universal stories. We’re going to tell them as local stories, reimagined in India, and then take them back out to the world.”
The projects are planned as both series and feature films, with regional language versions also in the pipeline.
“I’ve had fans tell me they loved watching Kane and Abel on TV, when it had nothing to do with me. They just stole the story,” the politician-author said, referring to the 1987 Jeetendra – Shatrughan Sinha film Khudgarz, widely believed to have been inspired by Archer’s novel.
In 2015, he had also criticised Yash Raj Films for allegedly lifting the plot of his ‘Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less’ for their film Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. “I am unhappy that Bollywood producers steal my work and make no attempt to make any compensation. It’s very disappointing that the Indian government allows them to get away with it.”
Jeffery Archer wrote in a blog post.
Jeffery Archer wrote in a blog post.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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