Renowned Pakistani writer and journalist Mohammed Hanif’s acclaimed debut novel A Case of Exploding Mangoes is set to be adapted into a film.
The comic novel is based on the plane crash that killed former Pakistani president General Ziaul Haq in 1988.
Helmed by director Hammad Khan, the international project is reported to have roped in Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, Mumbai Mirror reported.
Bollywood debutante and British actor, Feryna Wazheir, who played a Kuwaiti damsel in distress in the Akshay Kumar-starrer Airlift, will be seen essaying the role of Begum Shafiq Zia, the General’s wife.
“It’s my dream to work with Irrfan. I’ve watched all his films, from Maqbool to The Lunchbox,” Feryna told Mumbai Mirror.
A Case of Exploding Mangoes is a fictitious story based on many conspiracy theories revolving around the real-life plane crash.
The 2008 novel develops through the eyes of the narrator, Ali Shigri, a Junior Officer in the Pakistani Air Force who seeks revenge for the death of his father, which he is convinced was orchestrated by General Zia himself.
It is a bestseller and has received many awards, including the Best First Book Award in the year 2009 in the Commonwealth Book Prize ceremony. It was also shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award in 2008.
