A Capitalist Fairy Tale: Dev Patel to Play Disgraced Pakistani Businessman Arif Naqvi in ‘The Key Man’
- The British Indian actor will lead and executive produce the limited series in Miramax TV.
Dev Patel is set to lead and executive produce Miramax TV’s limited series “The Key Man.” The Indian British actor will be seen as Arif Naqvi, “a Pakistani businessman and founder of Dubai-based private equity firm Abraaj who becomes a disgraced public figure once his lies to investors and illusions of grandeur are exposed,” as reported by Deadline.
Set in the Middle East, the series is based on The Wall Street Journal reporters Simon Clark and Will Louch’s 2022 bestselling book “The Key Man: How the Global Elite Was Duped by a Capitalist Fairy Tale.” According to a synopsis on the Miramax website, “Naqvi became a global sensation as he built a billion-dollar empire persuading the global elite and titans of industry that the improbable key to solving poverty, hunger and political unrest is through his highly profitable investments. Enmeshed in the world of Popes, presidents, and profits, his empire came crashing down when his false promises proved to have severe consequences.”
Patel will executive produce the series alongside Scott Delman and Florence Sloan, who optioned the book. Last year he launched his new production company “to explore and develop the creative landscape of voices and talent that too often are unrecognized, bringing these stories to life in a larger way.”
He hired two Indian American industry veterans — Lakshmi Iyengar, executive vice president, head of production and development, and Samarth Sahni, executive vice president of production.
Known for his roles in hit films such as 2008’s “Slumdog Millionaire,” 2016’s “Lion” and A24’s “The Green Knight,” he is also making his feature directorial debut with Netflix’s “Monkey Man,” which he co-wrote and starred in.