Roy Kapur Films and wiip join forces for India’s biggest international co-production
April 23, 2025 – Acclaimed director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Philomena, A Very English Scandal) is set to helm the TV adaptation of William Dalrymple’s bestselling book The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. The project is a major collaboration between US studio wiip and India’s Roy Kapur Films, led by Siddharth Roy Kapur.
A Story of Power, Greed, and Empire
Set in the 18th century, The Anarchy tells the story of the British East India Company’s violent rise to power in India. It explores themes of corporate dominance, colonization, and how commerce reshaped the destiny of a nation.
Frears called the story “the most contemporary of themes,” likening the Company’s actions to today’s corporate takeovers. “Asset-stripping, market manipulation, and the looting of entire economies—it all began here,” he said.
High-Caliber Creative Team
The series is written by Walon Green, Amit Bhalla, and Lucas Jansen, known for Hello Tomorrow! (Apple TV+). Filming will take place in both the UK and Asia, reflecting the show’s global scale.
Roy Kapur’s Global Vision
Producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, behind films like Dangal, Haider, and Barfi!, is leading the charge on India’s most ambitious international production yet. “Stephen is a dream collaborator,” he said. “This story needed vision, scale, and depth—and we’ve built a world-class team to deliver it.”
A Bestseller Comes to Life
Dalrymple’s book topped bestseller charts in India, was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize, and made Barack Obama’s top 10 books of the year. Its adaptation marks a major moment for Indian history on global screens.
A New Era for Indian Stories
The Anarchy is set to become a landmark in Indian storytelling—delivering history with cinematic scope, global ambition, and timely relevance.
About the author
Neha Nikharge is Assistant Editor at Awesome TV and a writer for AWSM Times. Neha covers Bollywood, OTT releases, celebrity interviews and pop culture for South Asian audiences in the US and around the world, and has written more than 4,500 stories for Awesome TV. Story tips and corrections: hello@awesometv.com.
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