Matchbox Shots, mentored by filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, is set to adapt crime journalist Leena Dhankhar’s book The Gurugram School Murder for the screen. Based on the 2017 killing of a seven-year-old in an elite Gurugram school, the project will explore the botched initial probe, the CBI’s arrest of a student, and the wider debate on child safety.
The shocking murder of a seven-year-old, who was found with his throat slit inside the bathroom of an elite Gurugram school in 2017, is heading for a screen adaptation. Matchbox Shots, the Mumbai-based production house mentored by filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, has acquired the screen rights to the book 'The Gurugram School Murder', written by veteran crime journalist Leena Dhankhar.
The upcoming project draws inspiration from the incident that sent shockwaves across the country, sparking nationwide outrage and debate over child safety in India’s most prestigious institutions.
"The book traces the disturbing twists of one of India’s most high-profile murder investigations — from the hurried framing of an innocent school bus conductor by local police to the CBI’s eventual arrest of a student from the same school. The student was accused of committing the murder allegedly to get an examination postponed," a note from the makers read.
“What happened in this case is every parent’s worst nightmare,” said Dikssha Jyote Routray of Matchbox Shots, who is helming the project and has followed the case closely for years.
“It is a tragedy that also unravels dark truths about the pressures shaping young children in contemporary urban India. Our commitment is to tell this story with the carefully researched nuance it deserves.”
For Dhankhar, the adaptation—backed by the victim’s family—inspired by her book is an opportunity to highlight the human cost of the tragedy.
“This is the story of a family’s pain and years of struggle for justice. Through this story, we hope more people understand the emotional devastation such incidents leave behind. The family has lived with the loss every single day, and justice must prevail without compromise.”
The project carries the support of Prince’s father, who continues his long fight for justice. “There has not been a single day when we have not remembered or missed him. Our fight has been painfully long, and it will continue until the guilty receive the harshest punishment.”
Matchbox Shots, behind critically acclaimed titles like Raghavan's Andhadhun, Hansal Mehta's Scoop, Anubhav Sinha's IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, and the psychological thriller Khauf, is currently preparing for the release of war drama series Operation Safed Sagar on Netflix.