Filmmaker Deepa Mehta will write and direct the adaptation of Avni Doshi’s bestselling novel Burnt Sugar. Set in Pune, the novel tells the story of Tara, who, after a wild youth, faces challenges when she is older and must rekindle her relationship with her daughter.
“Depicting complicated human connections are what drive most of my projects and I look forward to delving into the complex, layered, and at times surprisingly dark mother-daughter relationship that is so shockingly illustrated in this novel,” said Mehta.
“Burnt Sugar is often sprinkled with razor-sharp humour and its unexpected take on the old-as-time relationship left me gasping. It grabbed me from its first sentence and I couldn’t say yes fast enough when I was asked to bring the vision to the screen.”
Ben Silverman’s Propagate Content has acquired audiovisual rights for the novel and will produce. Burnt Sugar was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, and longlisted for the 2021 Women’s Prize. The novel has sold over 150,000 copies worldwide.