Shrabani Basu's Spy Princess is optioned by Hollywood

Noor Inayat Khan. Photo from Spy Princess.

On September 27, it was announced that producers Zafar Hai and Tabrez Noorani had acquired the rights to the 2008 book Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan by author/journalist Shrabani Basu. Spy Princess tells the story of Noor Inayat Khan, born to an Indian Muslim father and an American mother, who was the first female wireless operator to be flown into occupied France during WWII. Her code name was "Madeleine." 

Zafar Hai has won Filmfare Awards and National Awards for his films Transformations and Experience India, and he directed the 1988 Merchant Ivory Productions film The Perfect Murder, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Stellan Skarsgård. Tabrez Noorani line-produced the Academy Award winning Slumdog Millionaire, and his compoany India Take One Productions is soon releasing Life of Pi by Ang Lee as well as Kathryn Bigelow’s political thriller about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, Zero Dark Thirty. 

Basu had previously written the non-fiction book, Curry: The Story of the Nation's Favourite Dish, and she has since published Victoria & Abdul, about Queen Victoria and her Munshi (teacher), Abdul Karim.

For more information, go to Shrabani Basu's official website.