An adventure into Islamic history

New Delhi: Filmmaker Vinod Raman Nair has always been drawn towards history and in his debut book, he weaves an adventure around the ninth century Middle East through Tunisia to Armenia and Azerbaijan, and then to Turkey, Iran and Iraq.

“3 & The Emerald Stone of Irene” seeks to perceive medieval Islamic history with a fictional narrative and unravel the mystery of what is regarded as the Golden Age of the Islamic Empire.

Nair is of the view that history for many children turns boring as parents often push them to mathematics and other science subjects. It took him a while when he stepped into his youth that he realised that “history was the most misrepresented topic to a child”.

In his case, he developed a liking for the subject by reading books related to history and watching films. “History having so many dimensions, I envisaged weaving stories of these great civilisations, their glory, and their fall,” he says about the idea behind his book, adding this story is a blend of history and contemporary adventure with fictional characters. “Today, viewing history through timelines and personalities leads to wars. History should be understood as stories of great civilisations that existed on this planet and events that shaped the world,” Nair says.

Nair, who has worked with Korean director Kwon Taek, producer-director Stanley Huntsman and British actor Alex Goldwin, shot across the war-torn Gaza Strip for a German film. —PTI