His first novel, Q&A, was adapted into the multiple Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Soon enough, Indian novelist-diplomat Vikas Swarup’s next offering, Six Suspects, was also picked up by a UK-based production house. And now, news is that Sriram Raghavan (right) — director of Johnny Gaddaar, 2007, and Agent Vinod, 2012 — is set to direct the screen adaptation of Vikas’s latest book, The Accidental Apprentice (TAA).
“Sriram had shown interest in making Q&A too, but at that time, things didn’t work out between him and Vikas. But they always kept in touch. That’s why I think that despite getting many offers for the rights (of TAA), Sriram got to direct it. Vikas was keen to have him turn one of his novels into a film,” says producer Sanjay Routray, whose company has acquired the rights to the book.
“When Sriram read the novel, he was convinced that it could be turned into a gripping movie,” says the producer.