Could This Forgotten Scientist Have Saved the World? Shekhar Kapur Thinks So

What if the man who saved millions from the plague was nearly erased from history? Renowned director Shekhar Kapur is set to bring the gripping story of Waldemar Haffkine to the big screen in a new film titled Foreign Bodies. Set in the late 19th century, the movie follows Haffkine, a Jewish-Russian scientist who moved to India and developed the world’s first vaccines against cholera and the bubonic plague. It’s a high-stakes drama about a pioneer who fought deadly outbreaks while battling the deep-seated prejudices and political red tape of his era.​

The film focuses on the intense “Lab-to-Life” journey, highlighting how Haffkine even tested the plague vaccine on himself to prove it was safe. Kapur, famous for his epic storytelling in Elizabeth, wants to show that Haffkine wasn’t just a guy in a lab—he was a hero who faced massive skepticism from the British Raj. By diving into this forgotten chapter of medical history, Foreign Bodies promises to be a timely look at how one person’s courage can change the course of human survival against invisible enemies.