Latest news with #TheSerpent
Sunday World
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
How dark reimagining of ‘Dumbo' shaped business dealings of Christy Kinahan Sr
Decades before the cartel boss fled to Dubai, he dabbled in prison poetry and prose alongside criminals including Dessie O'Hare Christopher Kinahan Sr edited an anthology called 'Prose and Cons' while incarcerated in Portlaoise Prison You could call it the Deadly Poets Society. As he rose to become a cartel godfather, Christopher Kinahan Sr wrote and edited poetry and prose under a pen name. He was part of a high-security prisoners' writing group that included a killer with mystical pretensions. And it emerged that Kinahan Sr later named two of his companies with the same nom de plume he had used, Cian Sharkhin, which is an anagram of Chris Kinahan. US authorities have offered rewards of up to $15m (€13.4m) for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Kinahan Sr and his sons, Daniel Kinahan and Christopher Kinahan Jr. They are accused of leading one of Europe's most notorious gangs – a narcotics, money laundering and arms-trafficking cartel with ties to Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. In 1999, while serving a sentence for receiving stolen traveler's cheques, Kinahan Sr was moved to Portlaoise Prison. Kinahan Sr was housed on E1 landing with prisoners known as 'the heavies'. While incarcerated, he edited Prose and Cons, a slim anthology of writings on loss, longing, love, admiration, addiction and rage by E1 landing prisoners. Under the guise of Cian Sharkhin, Kinahan Sr also contributed a dark short story, Dumbo the Elephant, and a sibilant poem called The Serpent to the poetry and prose pamphlet. A wanted poster of Christopher Kinahan Jr, Daniel Kinahan and Christopher Kinahan Forensic psychiatrists could pore over Cian Sharkhin's varied musings. Dumbo the Elephant is a very different beast to Disney's animated classic. Kinahan Sr's story recounts the frightening experience of a young boy named Christopher who is pinned underfoot by a lurching 'bark-skinned' baby elephant with 'sad piggy little eyes'. Young Christopher's ordeal is compounded by his mother screaming at him while his foot is trapped under Dumbo, causing a zookeeper to 'thwack' the elephant with his cane to free the boy. ''Christopher! Christopher!' Her voice 10 decibels higher penetrated me,' Sharkhin – aka Kinahan Sr – writes. 'The small crowd looked around at each other, all looking to see who Christopher was, I guessed. I joined in, ignoring my mother, not a good idea at the best of times… She came striding towards me, or should I say that possessed creature that was once my mother and now like Mary the mad Maenad came bouncing towards the crowd, her hair was flouncing up and down… 'That look said it all 'You Dare Defy Me!' I stared back at the Maenad, I felt small, insignificant and terrified. The silence screamed in my ears, the spell was shattered by a squeaky little voice that rose up above the deafening silence. 'I can't move.' The corner of one of her eyes began to twitch uncontrollably. She was poised to strike 'The Maenad's merciless eyes kept me fixed, only her lips twitched and twisted into a grim unholy grimace, those eyes with their feral bloodlust were unhinging. 'The corner of one of her eyes began to twitch uncontrollably. She was poised to strike.' Born in 1957, Kinahan grew up in a lower middle-class family in Dublin. Like the character in his short story, Kinahan's real mother was named Mary. The character Dumbo was inspired by a 19th-century animal superstar, Jumbo, who drew crowds in their millions to Jardin des Plantes in Paris, London Zoo and PT Barnum's travelling circus in the US. Christopher Kinahan Sr edited an anthology called 'Prose and Cons' while incarcerated in Portlaoise Prison Investigation links Christy Kinahan's literary pseudonym to money laundering companies More reminiscent of Kinahan's sombre elephant, Jumbo did not live a happy life – separated from his mother by hunters, the elephant was routinely sedated with vast amounts of alcohol during his life in captivity. Hunters captured Jumbo, reportedly in Eritrea or Sudan, and separated him from his mother, who was slaughtered for her tusks and hide. During his life, Jumbo had to be routinely sedated with vast amounts of whiskey, port and champagne. After he died, hundreds of coins thrown by visitors were found in his stomach. But perhaps Kinahan Sr's tale drew inspiration from another elephant, Sita, the star attraction at Dublin Zoo until a fateful summer morning in June 1903, when the elephant killed veteran zookeeper James McNally by crushing his skull under her foot. Though an inquest suggested that Sita's actions were more likely caused by pain than malice, the Zoo Society deemed her dangerous and ordered that she be shot. Appeals were made to pardon Sita to no avail. She was felled in a hail of bullets, including from a 12-bore elephant gun, by members of the Royal Irish Constabulary's musketeers. Meanwhile, Kinahan's poem The Serpent is a dark and alliterative ode to a svelte and shimmering reptile in the Swaziland savannah. The poem begins: 'Sliding through the swaying Savannah His presence is scarcely felt. Satan's sacred servant Is slinking through the veldt. A glint, a gleam and shimmering sheen, His form so lithe and svelte.' Christopher Kinahan Sr edited an anthology called 'Prose and Cons' while incarcerated in Portlaoise Prison News in 90 Seconds - May 18th David McDonald, a former Portlaoise Prison officer, said Kinahan Sr's gift with words and tactical nous made him stand out – even among his feared prison contemporaries. He said Kinahan Sr, known as 'The Dapper Don', mostly kept to himself and never had an interest in 'prison hooch' or drugs. Instead, he was an early adopter of the internet, which he accessed on a smuggled mobile phone. 'He was organised, intelligent and always impeccably dressed in shirts and slacks, as if he was going to a wedding,' Mr McDonald, who is acknowledged by name in the Prose and Cons pamphlet, said. 'Kinahan studied Spanish, Russian and one other language while in prison and, remarkably, he refused early release because he wanted to finish his studies in prison where he had fewer distractions.' Mr McDonald said other inmates would seek Kinahan Sr out for advice on their legal problems, describing him as 'a jail lawyer' because he was 'in a totally different intellectual league'. You wouldn't trust him as far as you could throw him – but he wasn't trouble Back then, the man who now leads a cartel linked to numerous murders in several countries was not prone to the vicious outbursts. 'There was never any suggestion of violence with him,' Mr McDonald said. 'You wouldn't trust him as far as you could throw him – but he wasn't trouble.' As Cian Sharkhin, Kinahan also edited the poetry of two of Ireland's most infamous paramilitaries-turned-criminals: Dessie 'The Border Fox' O'Hare and Eamon Kelly. Dessie O'Hare, the 'Border Fox' O'Hare was once Ireland's most-wanted man and has been linked to 27 murders. In 1987, he kidnapped a dentist, John O'Grady, and chopped off two of his fingers using a hammer and chisel. O'Hare had demanded a large ransom that was not paid. He said in a ransom call: 'It's just cost John two of his fingers. Now I'm going to chop him into bits and pieces and send fresh lumps of him every f**king day if I don't get my money fast.' After a 23-day manhunt, O'Hare was tracked down in Urlingford, Co Kilkenny, where he was shot several times by an Army sniper but survived. O'Hare earned his nickname, 'The Border Fox,' for the way he slipped back and forth across the Border during his violent sprees in the 1970s and 1980s. O'Hare contributed a saucy limerick to the pamphlet, called Young Lady From Wooster. In a nod to his own bizarre mystical interests, O'Hare takes authorship of the limerick as 'D O'H, from an Indian Guru'. Kinahan Sr was also friendly with Eamon Kelly, a one-time paramilitary turned drug dealer and crime gang boss, whose closeness to O'Hare would ultimately endanger his life. Kelly, an armed robber and drug trafficker, chose the photos for Prose and Cons along with another gangster, Harry Melia. In December 2012, Kelly was shot dead near his home in the Dublin suburb of Killester. The New IRA, sworn enemies of Kelly's friend O'Hare, claimed responsibility. O'Hare spoke at Kelly's funeral and carried his coffin.
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Top 20 romantasy books - including ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, and more
The romantasy genre, which combines romance and fantasy, has been booming in popularity in recent years, and now readers have voted on the best books in the genre 'Romantasy', the enchanting blend of fantasy and romance, has been sweeping readers off their feet and into otherworldly love stories, becoming a viral sensation especially on TikTok's #BookTok community. Romancing the Data, a site dedicated to the heart-fluttering genre, crunched numbers from 53 top romantasy book lists to reveal the crème de la crème of these novels. The A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas reigns supreme at the pinnacle of the list, a revelation that will hardly raise eyebrows among romantasy readers who are well-versed with its widespread acclaim. The team at Romancing the Data wrote: "A captivating fantasy where a huntress enters a faerie realm, facing romance, danger, and a deadly curse. Beauty and the Beast meets dark magic." Sarah J. Maas proves she's no one-hit wonder in the realm of romantasy, as her Throne of Glass series nabs the eighth spot, while Crescent City also graces the list at number 19. Hot on the heels of Maas's success is the Fourth Wing series by Rebecca Yarros, which boasts nearly three million ratings on Goodreads and an impressive average of 4.58 stars out of five, reports the Mirror US. One glowing five-star review raves: "This book is a rollercoaster of twists and had me so hooked from the start! Not once did it feel boring or like I should just skim something, and for once, I know the hype was so worth it!" Another reader exclaimed: "I am officially OBSESSED with this book! Having turned the last page over an hour ago, I'm still staring into the void, having no idea what to do with myself, and genuinely considering going back and re-reading it again straight away. It's THAT GOOD." Jennifer L. Armentrout's popular From Blood and Ash series was another fan favourite. The TikTok-trending series was summarised by the list-makers as follows: "A fierce maiden destined for divinity breaks free from duty, facing forbidden love, dark secrets, and a kingdom on the brink of war." Completing the top five roster were Carissa Broadbent's The Serpent and The Wings of Night alongside Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, the latter clinching the coveted Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction in 2023. The top 20 romantasy books/series A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Serpent and The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen The Cruel Prince by Holly Black Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet Radiance by Grace Draven Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco Bride by Ali Hazlewood One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole Gild by Raven Kennedy House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) by Sarah J. Maas Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Forbes
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Deva Cassel And Saul Nanni On Netflix's New Adaptation Of ‘The Leopard'
Deva Cassel and Saul Nanni, 'The Leopard' Netflix The Leopard, the classic novel written by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and published in 1958, was recently adapted by Netflix as a miniseries, 62 years after Luchino Visconti's famous adaptation for the big screen. In The Leopard, we follow the life of the Prince of Salina and his family in Sicily during the 19th century and the wars of Italian unification. This new epic adaptation has everything a historical drama needs, from magnificent locations to lavish costumes, a stellar cast, a love triangle and a sublime original soundtrack by Paolo Buonvino. Created by Tom Shankland (Rogue Heroes, The Serpent, Les Miserables), the series stars Deva Cassel, Saul Nanni, Kim Rossi Stuart and Benedetta Porcaroli, who all respectively take over Claudia Cardinal, Alain Delon, Burt Lancaster and Lucilla Morlacchi, who were the stars of the 1963 adaptation. Deva Cassel portrays Angelica, a young woman who comes from a modest social and economical background, but raised to become a fine, charismatic and powerful young woman, who will eventually marry into the Prince's nephew, Tancredi, played by Saul Nanni. While the movie has become a cult classic, meaning that fans might be quick to draw many comparisons, I spoke with Cassel and Nanni about how creatively, they knew how to draw the line between the novel and the film, and how they wanted to bring their own unique interpretations. Cassel said, ' I had read half the book a really long time ago, I had seen parts of the movie, but I was really young and you know, it's really hard to grasp all of the undertones, the concepts, and read between the lines at that age. So when they asked me to be Angelica, for me it was a great opportunity because the story is already so well-known, that I think the best way to go about it, is to bring most of what you have inside of you, your own touch to the character, and it was by reading the script and understanding the point of view of the director.' Deva Cassel as Angelica Netflix She added: 'It was six months of shooting, but after a few weeks, you start to really embody the thoughts and the actions of the character. You understand everything that they do and why they do it. But to get there, I had conversations with Tom Shankland, and he was really able to show any actor in this series, how important it was to not focus on that we already knew, but to kind of take it as a starting point and build it up from there.' Nanni said, 'That's a really beautiful question! I guess that on screen, even if there's a book, if that story has already been told, you always have to find something else to give to the story, in order to give your own version of this beautiful character. I remember after a month of shooting, I started feeling like I was really enjoying the character and his life, that was a turning point for me. When I started enjoying his movements, his way of saying things, the way he carried himself, that was a turning point for me. I started feeling like I was giving something that was mine, my own version, to the character.' Cassel added that it was important that the characters' backstories were explained, so that their actions and their way of thinking were justified. She said, 'Working with three different directors, you were able to see all the different parts of the characters and how they evolve. You start internalizing the justification for each part of the story.' We meet Angelica at the end of the second episode, and the built-in suspense of her arrival and the consequences for the Prince's family, when she hides behind a door, feeling anxious to be introduced to them. When she finally enters, the whole room goes silent as they are captivated by Angelica's magnetic charisma. I asked Cassel how she tackled this scene, knowing her character and the huge impact she would have on the Prince's famaily, but also as an actor, knowing she was about to enter the world of such a classic and celebrated story. She said, 'It's such an iconic story, there was a lot of this stress in me already, that I actually kind of used, as a tool to perform the anxiety that Angelica has. The way we shot that scene, we actually did the diner scene that follows this one a day before, then we shot the entrance the next day. It was great because I could take her thought process and her stress from afterwards, to attenuate and show her mental preparation for something I already knew was going to happen when entering the room.' 'The Leopard' Netflix She added: 'For me as an actress, it was just being able to show all of the different emotions and states she was going through before that specific moment, that would change the course of her life. It was about the duality between her emotions and the way she was going to hide it.' If you're currently craving for sunshine, The Leopard might be the perfect excuse to book your summer holidays in Sicily. The series was shot in real locations only, no studios, and it truly is a spectacle to witness the beauty of the scenery. I asked the two actors which of these sets had the biggest impact on the way they were going to portray Angelica and Tancredi. Cassel said, 'That's actually a great question. It was a very immersive process. For me personally, it was where we shot the dinner scene, an hour and a half from Rome. It was very impactful because it was the introduction of my character. Angelica comes from a very humble background, but she had been raised to become this very beautiful, engaging, charismatic woman to be able to, in a way, manipulate her way into the bourgeoisie. So this place represents a lot of stress for my character, just because she had prepared for this moment her entire life, and I really felt this vibe, because the pressure comes from the other side of the wall, you know, before her entrance.' She added: 'Turin also had a big impact, there is a huge narrative arc for my character there.' Saul Nanni as Tancredi Netflix Tancredi is part of the Redshirts, the volunteers who followed Garibaldi during the conflicts for the unification of Italy, which led Nanni to travel to many different places. He said, 'For me, it would be Palermo, the old city where Tancredi was fighting for Garibaldi, the place was really important for my character, and to see Palermo being rebuilt like it was at this time, it was amazing. I always remember Piazza della Vergogna, it's something that I will never forget.' At the end of the first episode, Tancredi rides to join Garibaldi's army and he arrives on a breathtaking beach, as Buonvino's music resonates in the background. Nanni added: 'It was San Vito Lo Capo, one of the most famous beaches in Sicily, there were more than 400 extras I think and riding on the beach, it was just an amazing day.' The Leopard is now streaming on Netflix.
Express Tribune
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
The Serpent slithering through the Hippie Trail
Having completely missed his real-life rampage across continents in the 1970s, murdering women in bikinis, and men with the women in bikinis, because I was still playing with Mattel dolls, I first learned about Charles Sobhraj in Vikramaditya Motwane's Black Warrant (2024). Decades later in 2021, Netflix aired The Serpent about Sobhraj, but I hadn't subscribed to the streamer yet. Now that I do and with AI in constant competition with my guardian angel, the former sniffed out my interest in true crime and Sidhant Gupta [the actor who played Sobhraj in Black Warrant], and diligently pulled the series out as a recommendation for me on Netflix. Slave to my AI recommendations, and a wee bit curious about Sobhraj, I began watching The Serpent. Born Hotchand Bhawnani Gurmukh Sobhraj on April 6, 1944 in Saigon, French Indochina, to an Indian father and Vietnamese mother, Charles Sobhraj is a French serial killer, fraudster, and thief who came to be known as the Serpent. Presently, an octogenarian and a free man, during the 70s, he preyed on Western tourists travelling on the hippie trail of South Asia, giving the police of several countries and the Interpol a hard time. He was known as the Serpent because he carried on like one. Remember Ka, the snake in Jungle Book? He slid and slithered all around the gullible Mowgli, pretending to care for him, all because he wanted to devour him. This is exactly how Sobhraj operated. He got his prey to trust him so he could get close to them and kill them for their passports and money. Like a reptile, he was fabulous at changing appearances and identities especially supported by robbed passports. Sobhraj was also known as the Bikini Killer, for most of his victims were found clad in bikinis. In Black Warrant, Gupta played Sobhraj, although it was a small but powerful character with a stylish and rather enigmatic vibe. While Motwane has been accused of glamourising a killer in the film, Sobhraj's portrayal in the Netflix/BBC series is perhaps closer to the truth. Played by Tahar Rahim, a French actor of Algerian origin, Sobhraj is depicted as someone who can easily win people over with his charisma and charm, making him appear friendly and trustworthy, which he then uses to manipulate and exploit his victims. Why didn't any of his victims feel a chilling, creepy feel around him or maybe his tall, lanky figure in 70's flared denims, longish hair and oversized, square shades tricked them into mistaking him for a normal fellow. Has Sobhraj watched the series that he knew was under production? What did he feel on seeing his ruthless life exposed to the world? 'We are going to sue Netflix and BBC for The Serpent because they have made the series on the basis that I've been convicted in Nepal in two murder cases, therefore I am a serial killer,' Sobhraj, forever in denial, told Al Jazeera, in an August 2023 interview, not long after his release from prison in Nepal, after 19 years. Nepal's Supreme Court ordered his release due to his age. This wasn't first time he had gone to jail though. Thailand had issued a warrant for his arrest in the mid-1970s on charges of drugging and killing six women on a beach in Pattaya, but before he could stand trial on those charges, he was jailed in India for 21 years on murder charges. He escaped from prison in the mid-1980s, but was caught and returned to jail until 1997. Sobhraj returned to France after being released from jail in India. But in 2003, he was arrested at a casino in Kathmandu and convicted of murdering American backpacker Connie Jo Bronzich. Watching The Serpent reminds you of what a breeze travelling was in those trusting times of the seventies. There were no mobile phones, no internet, nor computerised passports which made it all so easy for the mastermind Sobhraj to forge documents, visas and passports. In today's world, police would find it easier to track him through his digital footprint. From the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, the hippie trail was a popular overland route for young people from the West to travel to South Asia. It was a form of alternative tourism that involved travelling cheaply and exploring foreign cultures. These young people would escape their daily lives for fun but the trail was dangerous as it included drugs. They travelled on foot, by bus, by car, van, fire trucks and double-decker buses through Kabul, Kathmandu, Goa, Thailand, Indonesia, and Australia. The 'Dum Maro Dum' culture was endlessly glamourised in Indian and Pakistani films! True-crime tales of serial killers seemed to have become a popular genre of late. There is a mix of awe, curiosity, fear play or thrill-seeking that audiences are looking for. Set in 1970s' Bangkok, the series follows Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) as he investigates the disappearance of a pair of Dutch backpackers. His pursuit leads him to Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim) and his accomplices, including his girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman) and Ajay Chowdhury (Amesh Edireweera). The series shows how Sobhraj cashed in on the vulnerability of these young travellers who were oblivious to his schemes. With his pretty, young girlfriend on his arm, he maintained the façade of a well-to-do gems dealer, a charismatic and caring man who went out of the way to help people. And people fell for it instantly. They entertained and frequented bars. They couple had a pet dog and monkey which were ofcourse a part of the façade Sobhraj maintained to appear as ordinary people. It is said that the audiences in UK were horrified to see the poor monkey consume some concoction that had been prepared to debilitate an Italian man Renelleau — he dropped dead in no time. Writer and producer Richard Warlow began working on the series in 2013 alongside director Tom Shankland and co-producer Paul Testar, who worked closely with Knippenberg and got access to the files on Sobhraj, the killer's former neighbour Nadine Gires; his captive employee Dominique Renelleau (whose escape from Sobhraj is documented in the series); and Interpol's Lt Col Sompol Suthimai. The production team also had access to hours of taped interviews with Sobhraj. 'I tried to track down every single person who features in the story, or their surviving relatives if they're no longer alive,' says Testar. 'Building that research to be as huge as possible so we could draw tiny, fine details in the story that become really important, and be truthful about them and make sure we're telling it accurately.' A few of the people involved were made into characters for dramatic effect, a fictional character of British hippie backpacker Celia was added, and the dialogue is imagined. "But eighty to 90 percent of the series is accurate," says Testar. 'I don't think any of it is historically untrue. It was more a case of leaving stuff out.' Testar chose not to speak to Sobhraj directly. "We had access to the tapes and we avoided speaking to him because he is a compulsive liar." Interestingly, Sobhraj was constantly trying to monetise himself and his story, but the production team was adamant not to pay him. The Serpent is a story about a villain, but the hero is Herman Knippenberg, a youngish member of the Dutch Consulate, who could not rest because two Dutch citizens had mysteriously disappeared and he could get no help from the local police or authorities of any kind. The first episode takes time to hook you. Throughout the series, the timeline shifts back and forth and events are not shown in chronological order which can be a tad annoying. But the writers, Warlow and Toby Finlay worked hard on getting things smoothed out so that a logical timeline is maintained for the audience. Loads of characters come and go but story really boils down to Charles and Marie, the criminal couple, and Herman and Angela, the couple chasing them. The series doesn't portray all the deaths and the total number of Sobhraj's victims remains unknown. Not all the victims included in series show up under their real names, because of requests from surviving family members. For instance, Sobhraj's first wife and daughter have fictional names in The Serpent to protect their identities. 'Sobhraj has been very good about building a false narrative about the people he's alleged to have killed,' Warlow says. 'And that false narrative pretty much goes 'They're druggies, criminal scumbags, and you shouldn't care about them.' In the series, Sobhraj was shown walking down and driving through the streets of Karachi. A Pakistan Today report from November 2023 shows that Punjab police arrested Charles Sobhraj from Italy after issuing a red notice from Interpol. He operated as Abrar and was accused of killing two people in Gujranwala in 2006. The Serpent is a well-made series, one that will be enjoyed by audiences who lived in the 70s or who grew up and travelled around that period. Some of us might even have been close to an exploitation like Sobhraj's. Maybe it is because of people like him that we travel with so much caution around passports, visas, and documents that can be forged. Tahar Rahim as the creepy, bloodthirsty Sobhraj is epic. Watching a smug, ruthless serial killer who murdered 12 or 20 people and almost got away with it, you feel for the central figure Knippenberg who nearly destroyed his relationship with his wife Angela and his career as a Dutch diplomat while chasing this slithery killer. As in all productions depicting the 70s, the characters smoke a lot and I wondered if the actors smoked herbal cigarettes instead of real ones as in the AMC drama Mad Men. What drives people like Sobhraj, and what goes on his mind when he methodically poisons people or burns them, strangulates or drowns bodies; or when he partakes his breakfast of black coffee and delicatessen in Nepal after his release (Al-Jazeera, August 2023). Parting note, it beats me why in the coastal Indian state of Goa, a statue of Sobhraj sits on the balcony of O'Coqueiro, the restaurant where he was arrested in 1986. Next we'll hear of a ritual around it!
