Joe Wright's 2005 film Pride and Prejudice adapted Jane Austen's 1813 novel with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy. Screenwriter Deborah Moggach kept much of Austen's dialogue, but Wright pushed for changes and chose a rougher look, describing it as a muddy hem version of the period rather than a spotless Regency world. The film was marketed to younger audiences, and Austen scholars said it blended the heritage film with youth-oriented filmmaking techniques. It grossed $131.9 million on a $28 million budget and earned four Oscar nominations.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.