UTV-Abhishek Kapoor-Ashok Banker to make Mahabharat

Indian mythology has an amazing wealth of stories that have inspired our creative minds across various disciplines over the centuries; from literature to theatre to TV. Of all the Indian epics, unarguably, the most ambitious and all-encompassing is the Mahabharata. It is considered the fount of Indian storytelling, and it is universally acknowledged that its myriad emotions, magnificent characters and philosophical themes form the bedrock of the Indian narrative style.

However, what no one has ever attempted to do, probably because of the sheer scale of such a venture, is a true-blue rendition of the Mahabharata on the silver screen. That is about to change, as Disney India's studio business is gearing up to recreate the magic of the greatest-ever epic from Indian mythology on the big screen, at a scale never seen before in Indian cinema. On hand to direct this live action movie will be Abhishek Kapoor, with the script written by Ashok Banker.

Disney India is a creative powerhouse that has consistently backed ground-breaking and iconic films under its UTV brand, and, globally, Disney is known for its ability to weave compelling storytelling with cuttingedge technology, so there really cannot be a better studio to narrate this epic in the manner that befits it. For the first time ever in Indian cinema, a single narrative will be told across two movies.

"At the heart of everything we do at Disney is the aim of telling great stories and creating memorable experiences that transcend generations. The Mahabharata is the epitome of such an ambition in the Indian context and, as we all know, this epic has a deep emotional connection with every Indian. We intend to tell the story in a manner it deserves to be told on screen, and are thrilled to have the incredibly talented Abhishek Kapoor at the helm, with one of the most knowledgeable and talented writers on the subject, Ashok Banker, scripting it," says Siddharth Roy Kapur, managing director, Disney India.

Abhishek adds, "Mahabharata expresses the universal truth; it has defined my understanding of spirituality and of all humanity. I aim to translate this onto the big screen, engage minds and deliver a world class cinematic experience."

The film will go into pre-production post the completion of Abhishek's next venture with the studio, Fitoor.