Aahana Swrup
In the thrilling heist caper film ‘Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins,’ the coveted Red Sun Diamond becomes the narrative nucleus that drives the story forward. The precious gem, belonging to an African King, Gamunu, catches the undivided attention of dangerous art collector Rajan Aulakh. The latter is eager to steal the diamond to pocket its riches for himself. For the same reason, he finds himself in need of the thief with the slipperiest hands in the game: Rehan Roy. Thus, the two equally untrustworthy criminals join forces to pull off an impossible heist, with their eyes on a glimmering red prize. However, is there any real-life relevance to this lucrative diamond outside of the cinematic screen?
The Red Sun is a Fictionalized Diamond That Draws Some Inspiration From Reality
For the most part, the Red Sun remains firmly affixed in the fictional world of ‘Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins.’ The diamond serves a crucial narrative purpose as the nucleus that holds Rehan and Rajan’s storylines in orbit. Nonetheless, save for its on-screen presence, the jewel holds no other counterparts in reality. In the film, the Red Sun is described as the “Koh-i-Noor” of Africa, asserting it as a source of national pride and treasure. This creates a natural parallel between the on-screen gem and the real-life African diamonds that share a Koh-i-Noor-adjacent history: Cullinan I and Cullinan II.
Known as the Great Star of Africa and the second Star of Africa, Cullinan I and II are two of the largest cut stones produced from the rough Cullinan Diamond. In 1907, the rough Cullinan Diamond came into the possession of King Edward VII as a gift from the government of Transvaal, which had been under British control as a part of their colonial holdings. Today, even after the end of colonialism in South Africa, all nine stones cut from the rough Cullinan Diamond continue to be under the Crown’s ownership. Cullinan I is affixed to the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, while Cullinan II adorns the Imperial State Crown. Thus, these diamonds remain two of the most well-known stones to come out of Africa.
Yet, none of the Cullinan stones is an evident off-screen parallel to the Red Sun, considering they’re all outside of the ownership of any African royalty. Additionally, the fictional stone graces the screen as a distinct Red Diamond, diverging from the Cullinan’s colorless nature. In real life, Red Diamonds remain some of the rarest and most expensive gems in the world, with the Moussaieff Red Diamond and the Kazanjian Red Diamond as two notable known gems of the variety. Although some such diamonds have been discovered in African countries, none are popular or coveted enough to mirror the Red Sun. Thus, the on-screen stone ultimately remains a work of fiction.
Gamunu is Not a Real Life African King
King Gamunu, the man who owns the Red Sun Diamond, plays a subliminal but significant role in the film. Since the precious gem is his property, he effectively becomes Rehan and Rajan’s prime target, especially once they rework their plan to steal the diamond during the King’s flight to London. Nonetheless, much like the diamond he owns, Gamunu also remains an entirely fictional component of the film. African royalty is a real thing that continues to exist in various places across the vast continent. Currently, there are three sovereign monarchies in the countries of Lesotho, Morocco, and Eswatini.
On the other hand, numerous other sub-national monarchies exist across South Africa, including Xhosa, Nigeria, and Zulu. Nonetheless, ‘Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins’ never affords Gamunu any characterization beyond his ownership of the Red Sun Diamond. In fact, his country of origin is never detailed save for its origin in Africa. For the same reason, there are little to no similarities that can be drawn between the character and a possible real-life counterpart. As such, Gamunu also becomes a narrative tool of completely fictional origins without any direct off-screen connections.
Read More: Jewel Thief Ending Explained: Is Rajan Dead?
