Historical novel “Suheldev – The King Who Saved India,” by bestselling Indian author Amish Tripathi, who goes just by Amish as a pen name, will be adapted as a feature film.
The film, set in the 11th century, when Turkic armies led by ruler Mahmud of Ghazni repeatedly invaded northern India, will follow Suheldev, an Indian king who fought the invaders.
The book was published in June by Westland Publications and quickly joined the ranks of Amish’s bestsellers that includes the “Shiva” trilogy and the “Ram Chandra” series. The author’s eight published titles have sold 5.5 million copies so far. This will be the first film adaptation of his work.
Senthil Kumar, chief creative officer of advertising agency Wunderman Thompson India, will make his feature debut as director.
Indian audiences have historically thrilled to spectacular war sequences, most recently in “Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior” and “Padmaavat,” and the “Suheldev” production will pay particular attention to creating these. Given the current global health scenario, the production will deploy virtual production technology, a technique where filmmakers can lay out a production digitally before going on set and continue to use the same visuals while shooting.
The film is being produced by Wakaoo Films, Casa Media and Amish’s Immortal Studios. The cast will be announced imminently.
“Maharaja Suheldev is one of India’s most consequential heroes from the 11th century, who is, sadly, relatively unknown to modern Indians,” said Amish. “This tale carries a universal message of unity cutting across class, caste and religious barriers, a message that is particularly relevant for India today.”
Amish is currently the head of the Nehru Center, the cultural outreach arm of the Indian High Commission in London.