Swords and Sceptres to film India, Morocco, UK

A new feature film about the Indian Rebellion of 1857 begins filming in India next month.

Swords and Sceptres centres on the story of the Rani of Jhansi, a queen who, trained in martial arts, sword-fighting and horse-riding, became a key figure of female empowerment and a symbol of resistance against the British during the uprising.

The movie will film for around eight weeks in Jodhpur and Jaipur before moving on to London for a very brief stint. It will then head to Morocco for around ten days to shoot desert action sequences, doubling the north African country for India.

The feature comes from Cayenne Pepper Productions which has offices in both Hong Kong and New York which specialises in Indo-centric stories such as its 2015 feature, The Man Who Knew Infinity. The shingle’s CEO, Swati Bhise, directs Swords and Sceptres.

Morocco is a favourite of international producers who need desert backdrops, and was recently used to double for Iraq in two war films - the Clint Eastwood-directed American Sniper and Alexandre Moors’ Yellow Birds. The Night Manager with Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie filmed on location in Morocco for six weeks, using the country as a double for Egypt.

India does not have any formal incentives but it does have several co-production treaties with countries including the UK, France and New Zealand.