Book on Koh-i-Noor to be turned into TV series

Author: News Desk

The Koh-i-Noor is one of the most valuable and intriguing diamonds in the world. People of the subcontinent think the British royals have stolen it from the region. That does sound like a hit TV show or film.

According to Deadline, there are talks of a TV drama adaptation of the well-received non-fiction book Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond. The 2017 book was written by historian William Dalrymple and journalist Anita Anand and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. It charts the history of the coveted gem and details the myths surrounding it.

The precious stone passed through the hands of Mughal princes, Iranian warriors, Afghan rulers and Punjabi Maharajas before being ceded to Queen Victoria after the British annexation of the Punjab in 1849. It is currently part of the British Crown Jewels.

The 2017 book was written by historian William Dalrymple and journalist Anita Anand and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. It charts the history of the coveted gem and details the myths surrounding it

The TV drama adaptation will be produced by Indian actor and producer Koel Purie Rinchet, LA-based producer Raquel Carreras, and Mumbai-based producer Kamayani Punia under the banner of 185 Carat Films. The producers struck the option with UK firm David Godwin Associates. The trio is currently in the process of interviewing potential show-runners and writers for the project.

“This famous and cursed diamond wreaked untold devastation as it was viciously ripped from one royal hand to another. It has ended up in its final home, the Tower of London, after being gruesomely wrested from the hands of its last owner, a nine-year-old Maharaja,” the publication quoted the producers as saying.

“The international TV and web space has never witnessed a historical story of this magnitude, where bloodshed, love, sex, intrigue, beauty and cruelty all come together to create a layered narrative,” they said. “This story, rooted in South Asia and traversing countries like Afghanistan and Iran, has a unique international appeal. It is a timely story of greed, power and appropriation regardless of cost.”

Dalrymple previously wrote and presented TV series Stones of the Raj and Indian Journeys, which won him the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series in 2002. Anand is a British radio and television presenter, journalist, and author.