Why is The Mahabharata in news?« Back to Questions List

A UAE-based Indian businessman, B R Shetty, has decided to invest Rs 1,000 crore (USD 150 million) to produce a motion picture The Mahabharata. The film to be produced in two parts is expected to be India’s biggest ever motion picture. It will witness a coming together of the best in world cinema and Indian cinema. The film is planned to produce in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. It will be dubbed into other Indian  and foreign languages.

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India (other one is Ramayana). It is a grand narrative of the Kurukṣhetra war between the Kauravas and the Paṇḍavas. It also contains philosophical and devotional preaching the Bhagavad-Gita. Through the victory of Pandavas, the epic preaches the ultimate victory of justice and  good over evil. 

The film Mahabharata will base on the Malayalam novel Randamoozham (The Second Turn). The novel written by M T Vasudevan Nair had won Jnanpeeth Award, the highest literary award in India. The novel narrates the Mahabharata epic through the eyes of  Bhima, the second  among the five  Pandavas. The film will be directed by well-known film maker V A Shrikumar Menon and will have the noted Malayalam actor Mohan Lal in lead role. The cast would include best talents of Indian and foreign films.  The first part is scheduled for release in early 2020. B R Shetty, Founder and Chairman of UAE Exchange and NMC Healthcare, is an ardent follower of Indian culture and traditions. 

M T Vasudevan Nair is a versatile Indian author in Malayalam language. He is recipient of almost all literary awards in India. His recognitions include Padma Bhushan, a civilian honour and Jnanpith Award. M T Vasudevan Nair holds maximum national awards for screen writing in Indian cinema. His novels include Naalukettu, Asuravithu, Kaalam (Time), Manju (Mist) and Asuravithu (Demon seed). 

Randamoozham (The Second Turn; 1984), is the masterpiece of the author. It retells the story of the Mahabharata from the point of view of Bhimasena, second of the Pandavas. In this novel, the author has succeeded in presenting Bhima as an ordinary courageous man with emotions, thus providing a new psychological dimension. This is carried out without changing the framework of original Mahabharata. 
 

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