The Hindu Business Line : Have $40 million: Make a film with Jeffrey Archer!

The best-selling author, who has received six offers from Hollywood but has not seen even one of them go into production, has set his sights on Bollywood, which released close to 100 films in 2007.

“I have an actor, an Oscar-nominated director and a script.

All I need is $40 million,” remarked the self-confessed ‘overpaid’ author zestfully while in town to promote his new book on the last leg of the six-city Landmark Jeffrey Archer Tour.

He also revealed that his books will be translated into their 37th language i.e. Tamil, allowing him to reach more people.

“I am told that 25 people read each of my books in India. Back home in England, that number is three,” Archer avowed. Archer is ‘surprised as well as shocked’ at the popularity of his titles in India, and his new book in the making, tentatively titled Paths of Glory, coincidentally has the protagonist coming to India, not once or twice but thrice.

Set against the backdrop of 1920s, the Englishman lives a remarkable life — ‘much more remarkable than even I could ever invent’ — says Archer, who wrote his first novel at 34 after he was determined to repay his creditors in full.

No surprise then that it was aptly titled Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less and is still regarded by many to be his best novel.

Coming back to films, Archer’s tryst with Bollywood hasn’t been off to a great start.

He says that readers, the only measure by which he gauges his success, have confided to him that one of his famous titles has found its way into making a Hindi film; he has hasn’t seen the movie and chose not to reveal its name unsure of his legal position.

But admitted that he will ‘get them’ in his own country!

So, his clarion call could be a good way for our very own and ingenious Bollywood to salvage its pride and work on a world-class script by the successful writer.

And Jeffrey is not kidding! So much so that he has asked anyone with $40 million (Rs 170 crore) to contact him straight away on his Web site ( www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk ).

If you are the one with the money in the bank, what are you waiting for? Christmas?

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