Whereas the original book version of ‘Paco Never Fails’ emphasised the anthropological aspect and was a historical drama, the film focused on strong, dark comedy. The original book had crime undertones, and one can sense how Senior considered adding a murder-suicide mystery dimension. This genre was not as popular at the time as it is today.
Although some new producers have been attempting to acquire the adaptation rights, which could potentially be on the horizon, I have started, though it’s still early days, to re-adapt the original text into the murder mystery it nearly became. I have some ideas about a 7-episode mini-series for television, set in Mumbai or Goa—not because I spend my winters there, but because it (especially "Portuguese" Goa) would provide an even better backdrop than Madrid, as in the original.
Paco Never Fails is originally set in Madrid in the early 1940s, just after the end of the Spanish Civil War. Here, we meet Paco Garcia, who earns his living by fathering children with young girls from the countryside: girls who have come to Madrid to create better lives for themselves as wet nurses (following unwanted pregnancies) and, sooner or later, need to boost their milk flow. Although this profession is rarely discussed, at that time (allegedly, it still was in 2012), it was a very real occupation, and the impregnator most likely to succeed, i.e., ‘who never failed,’ was the one in highest demand.
However, Paco has failed once, so when his wife finally becomes pregnant, this father of thousands realises… This impregnation was an occupation also in India, and since I stay in and around Mumbai (mainly in Goa, which, with its Portuguese influence, is probably a better setting than Mumbai to make the story more dramatic, contrasting, and believable)... I would like to develop a Goa script for Bollywood and require expert assistance both anthropologically (for reality-check) and for "Bollywood style dramatisation."