Jeffrey Archer’s bestsellers to be adapted in Hindi and Tamil: Applause Entertainment

Fans of Jeffrey Archer in India have reason to celebrate, as some of the popular works of their favourite British author, which were once a fixture in their school libraries, are poised to be adapted into television shows and films in India.

Applause Entertainment, an Indian content studio, has secured the rights to six notable novels by Jeffrey Archer: The Clifton Chronicles, Fourth Estate, First Among Equals, The Eleventh Commandment, Sons of Fortune, and Heads You Win. The studio intends to adapt these works into television series and films in Hindi and Tamil, with a target release date of 2026.

Jeffrey Archer is a British author and former politician, renowned for his gripping novels that have sold over 300 million copies in 115 countries and been translated into 49 languages worldwide. Many of his works have been adapted for television around the world with official permission.

Applause Entertainment, a venture of the Aditya Birla Group and led by media veteran Sameer Nair, focuses on creating drama series, movies, documentaries, and animation content. While most of its content is streamed on OTT platforms, the studio has also ventured into theatrical releases with notable projects like Zwigato (2023), Por Thozhil (2023), and Do Aur Do Pyaar (2024).

For those who are unfamiliar with the Archer universe, here is an overview of the books that are being adapted. It is essential to emphasise that while Applause is committed to preserving the authenticity of the author's original work, the narratives will be adapted for an Indian context.

• The Clifton Chronicles: A family saga full of love, ambition, and secrets across generations.
• Fourth Estate: A fierce battle between two powerful newspaper owners.
• First Among Equals: Four politicians compete to become the Prime Minister of the UK.
• The Eleventh Commandment: A CIA assassin faces danger and betrayal on a secret mission.
• Sons of Fortune: Twin brothers, separated at birth, lead very different lives before fate brings them back together.
• Heads You Win: A young Russian’s life diverges into two distinct narratives, determined by a single coin toss.

“All these stories are global; we're going to tell them as local stories. This is like global IP coming to India, reimagined there, and then going back out to the world,” said Sameer Nair, managing director, Applause Entertainment.

This isn’t the first time that Applause Entertainment has adapted a book into a screenplay. The studio has previously adapted The Scam: Who Won, Who Lost, Who Got Away, authored by journalists Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu in 1993, into the iconic TV show Scam 1992.

Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer by Sunil Gupta and Sunetra Choudhury, written in 2019, is yet another book adapted by Applause Entertainment as the popular TV show Black Warrant in 2025. However, this marks the first time that Applause will acquire the rights to fictional books.

"It is a great privilege to be associated with a company that has such a great reputation in this particular field," acknowledged Jeffrey Archer, who attended the press conference virtually from the UK.

Interestingly, this is not the first instance of Jeffrey Archer's works being adapted in India, albeit unofficially. Pirated versions of Archer's most renowned novel, Kane and Abel (1979), can be found for sale at Indian traffic signals, and elements of the story have also appeared in successful Bollywood films.

According to The Guardian, the author has accused Bollywood of plagiarising his novel Kane and Abel in the 1987 film Khudgarz, starring Jeetendra and Shatrughan Sinha. Additionally, Archer has asserted that the 2011 film Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl was inspired by his 1976 book, Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less.

“I want to do this the right way,” emphasises Nair. “The country and content creators in India have gotten a bad name for a few decades now,” he added.

Previously Archer did sell the rights to his novel First Among Equals (and the short story A La Carte) for a reported sum of Rs 1.5 crore to producer Sheetal Talwar in 2013. The producer of Rann (2010) and Mausam (2011), Sheetal was to adapt the novel into a high-budget Indian television series, a project that never materialised.

Why Jeffrey Archer?

“Jeffrey's stories are timeless,” said Nair, explaining that the audience has been primed for listening to these stories.

“You can reimagine them in different ways. He tells stories which are very universal in nature; these are stories about ambition, aspiration, love, betrayal, and wanting to achieve things,” he added.

“Why don't you just dub this into Hindi?” is a question that Nair gets asked often; “but it's not the same thing” is his answer. He emphasised that it's about remaking the original in the local language with local actors and context.

During his 25-year career in media, Nair has overseen the remake of the popular television programme Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? into Kaun Banega Crorepati? (KBC) on Star Plus. He also appreciates the Indian adaptation of the ‘Idol’ franchise, known as Indian Idol, produced by Sony Entertainment Television.

“I think retelling stories is important. If it's all done in a collaborative manner, it benefits everyone; it benefits the original creator, it benefits the new creator, and it benefits audiences.”

The Dos and Don'ts

“I want the best translator you've got,” said Archer. I don't want the Indian audience saying, "It's not as good as the book, is it?" he added, emphasising the need to not lose the original story in translation.

What makes a story truly universal and adaptable across cultures and formats? “The screenplay”, declared Archer.

“You get the right person to write the screenplay, you're in. You get the wrong person to write the screenplay, you're out.”

“Stick to the original story,” Archer advised. “The BBC did Kane and Abel brilliantly, and ITV did First Among Equals excellently,” he reflected.

He noted that while First Among Equals was originally about four men competing for Prime Minister in the UK, “if it was remade now, there would definitely be one woman in there. The world has moved on, and I accept that without question.”

Echoing Archer’s sentiment, Nair added, “I always believe that if you buy the rights to something, then you don't unnecessarily meddle with the original.”

He noted that while projects like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? are more straightforward, “in fiction, lines are a little blurred and it's a little vague.” Nevertheless, he assured that he will remain faithful to the source material.

“Lots of things have been ripped off over the years, but we are a really big company, and we can't do that,” Nair emphasised.

Archer expressed his pleasure in partnering with Applause for this very reason: “They are serious about a writer's work and honouring it. That is important to me.”

Who are the target audiences?

“You are an aspirational race,” said Archer, addressing Indians. “When you read Kane and Abel, every one of you is Abel,” he added, implying that Indian readers identify strongly with the character’s journey of struggle, perseverance, and eventual achievement.

The adaptations of Archer's books will target not only his existing fanbase in India but also non-readers. "When we do an adaptation, we aim to reach a wider audience, many of whom may never have read the original books,” said Nair.

The timelines

“Will you listen carefully, please? I’m 85 years old, so please get on with it,” said Archer on the subject of timelines.

Applause Entertainment aims to start work on the screenplay at the earliest while shortlisting directors for the different books and formats. However, a launch may not be expected before 2026.

While Applause has yet to provide details on its distribution plans for the forthcoming content, it has previously collaborated with prominent platforms such as Netflix, JioHotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Sony LIV, and ZEE5 for its creative projects.