Archive · 6 Oct 2026
Hansal Mehta’s Kane & Abel Film Plans Never Materialised
Hansal Mehta wanted to make a movie based on Jeffrey Archer’s book Kane & Abel.
He hoped Rajkummar Rao would play one of the main characters.
Mehta had already turned the story into a TV series called Lakshya in 1999.
That show starred Kay Kay Menon and Pramod Moutho.
Zee TV still owned the series rights, so Mehta could not remake it.
He then tried to get the movie rights from Archer, but no deal happened.
Mehta said Archer’s books were full of exciting twists and memorable characters.
He paid tribute to Archer and said an era had ended.
Hansal Mehta explored adapting Jeffrey Archer’s 1979 bestseller Kane & Abel into a film.
Mehta had selected Rajkummar Rao to play one of the protagonists.
Mehta previously adapted the novel for Zee TV as the 1999 series Lakshya, starring Kay Kay Menon and Pramod Moutho.
The rights to Lakshya remained with Zee TV, preventing a remake; a separate film-rights deal with Archer did not materialise.
Mehta remembered Archer’s storytelling and described his death as the end of an era.
- Who
- Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, author Jeffrey Archer, and actor Rajkummar Rao.
- What
- A planned film adaptation of Kane & Abel did not proceed after rights discussions failed.
- When
- Mehta adapted the story for television in 1999; the article gives no date for the later film discussions or Archer’s death.
- Where
- The television adaptation aired on Zee TV; no location for the film discussions is specified.
- Why
- The Lakshya rights remained with Zee TV, ruling out a remake, and a separate deal for Kane & Abel film rights did not materialise.
Reasons the film was explored
Reasons it did not proceed
Adapting Kane & Abel
Reasons the film was explored
Mehta wanted to bring the story to a larger audience and had selected Rajkummar Rao for a leading role.
Reasons it did not proceed
The rights to the earlier Lakshya adaptation remained with Zee TV, and Mehta’s separate attempt to obtain film rights from Archer did not result in a deal.
Archer’s reported view of Bollywood
Reasons the film was explored
Mehta recalled that he and Archer had explored a collaboration.
Reasons it did not proceed
The article reports that Archer was not sold on Bollywood; it does not give Archer’s own account of the discussions.
- Book
- Kane & Abel, published in 1979
- Television adaptation
- Lakshya, adapted by Mehta for Zee TV in 1999
- Lakshya cast
- Kay Kay Menon and Pramod Moutho
- Proposed film actor
- Rajkummar Rao was Mehta’s preferred choice for one protagonist
- Rights issue
- Lakshya’s rights remained with Zee TV; a separate film-rights deal with Archer did not materialise
- Other Archer project mentioned
- First Among Equals rights were sold to producer Sheetal Talwar, but the project did not take off