Jeffrey Archer Is Dead: The Best-Selling Author Who Once Said Bollywood Copied His Work Jeffery Archer is dead. One of Britain’s most commercially successful authors died at the age of 86, peacefully at his home on October 5, 2026. His publisher HarperCollins confirmed his death just a day before the release of his final novel, Adam & Eve. The book is being published on October 6. Over a career spanning five decades, Archer sold more than 300 million books worldwide. His novels - packed with ambition, betrayal, revenge, wealth, political intrigue, deception and dramatic reversals - made him a global bestseller and, inevitably, attracted the attention of filmmakers and television producers. But Jeffrey Archer's relationship with the screen was not always straightforward. Several of his books were officially adapted for television, while others became the subject of his very public accusations against Bollywood filmmakers. In 2015, Archer made headlines in India when he alleged that two Hindi films had borrowed heavily from his novels without his permission. Archer accused filmmakers of having "stolen" several of his books Archer was no stranger to India. He had a substantial readership in the country and, during a 2015 visit, spoke candidly about what he believed was the unauthorised use of his stories by Bollywood. In an interview with DNA that year, Archer accused filmmakers of having "stolen" several of his books. He specifically named two films - Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl and Khudgarz. The first comparison involved his 1976 debut novel, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, and Maneesh Sharma's 2011 romantic comedy Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, starring Ranveer Singh. Archer's novel revolves around four people who are conned by the same fraudster and subsequently decide to recover their money through an elaborate counter-scam. Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, meanwhile, follows a charismatic conman who deceives women before his victims join forces against him. Archer believed the similarities were too close to be coincidental. It is important, however, to distinguish Archer's accusation from an official adaptation. Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl was not credited as an adaptation of Archer's novel, and there was no official Archer screen credit attached to the film. specifically named two films - Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl and Khudgarz (REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo) The second film he cited was Khudgarz, the 1987 Hindi drama directed by Rakesh Roshan. Archer argued that the film drew from Kane & Abel, his hugely successful 1979 novel about two men from radically different backgrounds whose lives become intertwined through ambition and rivalry. Again, this was Archer's allegation rather than an officially acknowledged adaptation. The irony is that Archer's books did not need unofficial inspiration to make their way to the screen. Some of his most famous works were formally adapted. Published in 1979, Kane & Abel tells the parallel stories of William Lowell Kane, the privileged heir to an American banking dynasty, and Abel Rosnovski, a Polish immigrant who rises from poverty. Born on the same day but into dramatically different circumstances, the two men eventually find their lives locked in a decades-long struggle involving money, business, family and revenge. The novel became a CBS television miniseries in 1985, starring Peter Strauss as Abel and Sam Neill as William Kane. A BBC adaptation followed in 1986. In 2023, Sony Pictures Television, Eleven and Sarah Quintrell announced development of a new television adaptation of the Kane & Abel trilogy. Archer's fascination with power was another recurring theme in his fiction, particularly in First Among Equals. Published in 1984, the novel follows four British politicians whose personal and professional lives become entangled as they compete for political power and ultimately the office of Prime Minister. Granada Television adapted the book into a 10-part drama in 1986. Archer's fascination with power was another recurring theme in his fiction, particularly in First Among Equals (Picture Credit - Broosk Saib/The Jeffrey Archer Company) Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less had a legitimate screen life too. Archer's debut novel was also officially adapted. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, first published in 1976, centres on four men who are swindled by the same conman and decide to get their money back. The story was adapted for BBC radio before becoming a BBC television miniseries in 1990. Perhaps the most fitting twist in Archer's long relationship with India came in 2025. Applause Entertainment acquired the exclusive screen rights to six Archer properties - The Clifton Chronicles, Fourth Estate, First Among Equals, The Eleventh Commandment, Sons of Fortune and Heads You Win. The projects are intended to be developed as films and series for Indian and international audiences.