Acclaimed diplomat and author Lakshmi Puri’s best-selling debut novel, ‘Swallowing the Sun,’ is set to be adapted into a web series by Abundantia Entertainment. The announcement was made at a press conference in Delhi, attended by Lakshmi Puri and Vikram Malhotra, Founder and CEO of Abundantia Entertainment.
Puri, former Ambassador and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed her delight at seeing her novel “move from the intimacy of the word to the shared experience of the screen.” She said the story had lived within her for decades, as “a family saga, a political chronicle, a grand romance and above all, a woman’s journey of empowerment.”
The novel, which became a bestseller within just three months of publication, has been critically acclaimed and awarded both in India and internationally. It has been celebrated at the United Nations, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, with translations in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu and Assamese already underway. International editions are also planned in Japanese, German, Spanish, and French.
Malati, a fearless and tender protagonist whose fight for education and empowerment mirrors India’s own journey during the freedom struggle, where the author described the book as “love in the time of revolution”: a story of families, friendships, politics, sacrifice and resilience. She emphasised that the adaptation will relate with today’s youth, who continue to negotiate questions of freedom, identity and aspiration.
Vikram Malhotra recalled reading the novel shortly before his first meeting with Puri. “Within a few pages, I knew this was special,” he said. “Swallowing the Sun blends imagination with history, fact with dramatisation. It is a uniquely Indian saga that will connect with a global audience.”
Abundantia, known for productions like Shakuntala Devi, Sherni and Breathe, has built a reputation for strong, character-driven storytelling. Malhotra said the new series would continue that tradition, celebrating women’s voices and timeless characters.
“This is a multigenerational saga with a fearless female protagonist at its heart,” he said. “It resonates with the youth of today and inspires young women everywhere to dream audaciously, to, as the book says, ‘swallow the sun.’ For the author, the adaptation is also about reclaiming India’s cultural voice globally. “This is India writing back, expressing our civilisational richness on the world stage,” she said. “It is about not erasing ourselves, but deepening ourselves.”
With its cinematic settings, historical sweep and universal themes of love, freedom and empowerment, the adaptation is being positioned as a premium original series with global reach. Summing up the anticipation, Puri said: “When you see Malati on screen, you will see not just a young girl of the past, but today’s young woman, still daring to dream, still swallowing the sun.”