Prithviraj to star in and direct web-series on 'biscuit king’ Rajan Pillai

Prithviraj Sukumaran will star in and direct a web-series on the life of the late ‘biscuit king’, Rajan Pillai. The Hindi web-series, which is as yet untitled, will follow the tycoon's rise and fall.

Pillai, who hailed from Kerala, was part owner of Britannia Industries and hence the title, 'biscuit king'. Despite his holdings, Pillai was in severe debt and was indicted by Singapore’s commercial affairs department on 22 counts of fraud and breach of trust. He returned to India though there was an Interpol lookout notice for him.

Pillai got bail from a Kerala court and travelled to Delhi in July 1995 where he was arrested from his hotel room. He died a few days later on 7 July in Tihar jail; he was only 47.

Malayalam star Prithviraj, who made his directorial debut with the Mohanlal-starrer Lucifer (2019), spoke about why he signed up for the web-series.

“The existence of light and darkness in human lives has always engaged me as an actor and director and this story has it all: ambition, success, a jet-setting lifestyle and a hubris-induced fall that took a man from the zenith of corporate power to the depravity of a prison cell,” he said. “All this at age 47!

"Even though he passed away in 1995, his story serves as a relevant example on how the effects of success and power blur the line of morality. It will be interesting to discover what made this charismatic personality tick and to relive his intriguing, complex life.”

Prithviraj is currently completing the post-production work on his second directorial feature Bro Daddy (2022), which also stars him and Mohanlal. He is also filming for the feature Kaduva, which stars Vivek Oberoi. He was recently seen in the Andhadhun (2018) remake Bhramam (2021).

Nina Pillai, Rajan’s widow, who sold the rights to his story to Yoodlee Films, said, “Rajan always aimed for the stars and dreamt of heading the world's largest food firm by 2020. However, the systemic flaws in India's justice system and manipulative enemies tragically cut short his life — a wound that his family and I grapple with even today.

"It’s easy to see his rise and fall in absolutes, but there was more to the man," she continued. "This is an important story which needs to be told and placed before the people's court. I am happy that Yoodlee Films is taking up the mantle to humanize Rajan's story and share it with its multicultural audience. And I am especially excited that someone of the calibre of Prithviraj Sukumaran is spearheading this project. He has just the right artistic sensitivity to bring Rajan's life to the masses."

The web-series is currently in the pre-production stage. Filming is expected to begin by mid-2022.