Frankly, we’re worried Ashwin Sanghi’s The Krishna Key is to be adapted into a film

By: Anumeha Saxena |
February 20, 2018 4:47 pm

Eros International has acquired the rights to Ashwin Sanghi’s ‘The Krishna Key’ and is planning to adapt the anthropological thriller into a web series, and a movie. What is interesting to note here is that the plot of the book portrays the 10th avatar of Vishnu, Kalki as someone who has taken law into his hands. Considering the melodrama that dogged Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat before it finally arrived at cinema screens, Eros International’s move is rather interesting.

Eros International has acquired the rights to adapt the best-selling Indian author @ashwinsanghi’s anthropological thriller, #TheKrishnaKey into a theatrical film and original series for our Digital OTT South-Asian entertainment platform, @ErosNow. @RidhimaLulla

— Eros Now (@ErosNow) February 19, 2018

Ashwin Sanghi’s ‘The Krishna Key’ is a story about a historian and professor, Ravi Mohan Saini, who has falsely been accused of murdering his friend. To prove his innocence, Saini embarks on a journey in search of the killer, for which he takes the help of Indian mythology. The historian finds out that a young boy believes that he is Vishnu’s 10th avatar, Kalki, and taken it upon himself to deliver justice. As the story progresses, the accused exposes the serial killer and the crimes that he has been committing in the name of god, preventing him from killing more people.

The story shares similarities with both Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons and Japanese Manga Death Note.

Interestingly, the book’s plot-line also has chilling similarities with India’s present circumstances, what with terrible acts of crime being committed in the name of religion. The country is struggling to cope with certain fringe organisations who overlook constitutional authority and hold the nation ransom.

From the Padmaavat controversy to Manikarnika row, from trolls on the internet, who downvoted the Women’s Cinema Collective (a group formed to raise voice against sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry) to those filing FIRs against Priya Prakash Varrier, our sentiments, religious and cultural, have always been quite fragile. Now more than ever.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus’ journey from Padmavati to Padmaavat has been rather violent. Rajasthan’s Shri Rajput Karni Sena and a few other fringe groups alleged that the movie had a ‘dream kissing sequence between Alauddin Khilji and the Queen of Chittor Rani Padmini’. The drama that unfolded over a year saw numerous protests, with a Haryana BJP leader announcing a bounty on the heads of Bhansali and Deepika Padukone. The protests took an ugly turn with a school bus carrying children being vandalised by Rajput Karni Sena protestors in Gurugram, Haryana in January, in the name of Rajputi shaan (honour).

Also read: Here’s all you need to know about Rajput Karni Sena, the group up in arms against Padmaavat

Recently, Rajasthan Sarv Brahmin Mahasabha had, on similar lines, imagined a love affair between Rani Laxmibai and a British agent in Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming movie, Manikarnika. After the producer, scriptwriter and the actress declared that there was no such scene in the movie and the outfit’s remark is only defaming Rani Laxmibai, Sarv Brahmin Mahasabha backed off.

Also read: Protesting no more: Manikarnika no longer hurting Brahmin outfit’s sentiments

One of the first actresses to call out sexual harassment in the highly misogynistic Malayalam film industry, Parvathy Menon paid off by getting trolled on the internet. The Womens’ Cinema Collective, a forum created for the redressal of issues of sexual misconduct in the industry, got downvoted on Facebook for standing up againt the wrong.

Also read: WCC’s FB page got downvoted for backing Parvathy’s Kasaba comment. So the Internet did this

And who doesn’t know about the latest ‘internet sensation’, Priya Prakash Varrier. In a number of interviews, the 18-year-old shared how she was both excited and confused about how to handle such fame, but she was definitely unprepared for the number of FIRs being filed against her all over India for hurting religious sentiments with her ‘wink’. Yes. A wink.

While the makers of Ashwin Sanghi’s The Krishna Key may be anticipating the adaptation, we have a sinking feeling ‘new fringe group in the making’ is perhaps preparing to rain on their parade.