For every screen, mythology is the way to go!
Mythological tales have always been a part of India’s culture and ethos, lapped up through comics, books and films. After a break of sorts from mythology, the Hindi entertainment industry seems to be warming up to it again in a big way.
For starters, Aamir Khan apparently plans to turn the Mahabharata into a multiseason franchise like Game of Thrones, and will join hands with a streaming major for “the biggest Indian project till date”. Then, Deepika Padukone is readying to play Draupadi in a film whose story will be narrated through the eyes of its female protagonist.
That’s not all. Vicky Kaushal, too, is prepping to go with Aditya Dhar’s The Immortal Ashwatthama, a superhero action film set in modern times. Dangal (2016) director Nitesh Tiwari is set to adapt the Ramayana for a liveaction trilogy.
As trade analyst Taran Adarsh puts it: “In India, the magic of mythology will never fade. From the filmmaking perspective too, the mythos world has so many untold stories and beautiful characters. Plus, it brings in a lot of emotions, a huge amount of faith and tonnes of sentiments.”
Actors, though, believe that such characters come with their “own set of challenges”. For Padukone, Draupadi is “the role of a lifetime”, and she believes “telling it with a fresh perspective will not only be interesting but also significant”. Kaushal, on his part, feels the “charm lies in becoming part of an era that one hasn’t lived through but only heard about in stories/ religious texts”. He says: “It’s different to read about all those things in books, compared to understanding them personally. It’s like time travel, which is always thrilling.”
Interestingly, it was the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown that brought Indian mythology back to the mainstream, as reruns of shows such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shri Krishna and Uttar Ramayana etc. were very well-received. Moreover, after the previous success of Sacred Games, new web shows during the lockdown, such as
Paatal Lok and Asur, also took inspiration from the tenets of Indian mythology.
“Makers are known to rush towards subjects/genres which are popular with people at that particular point. So, be it web shows or Bollywood, everyone wants to have their share of the pie because Indians love their mythology,” says ad guru Prahlad Kakkar.
However, filmmakers feel taking up an Indian mythological story is easier said than done. Explaining the concerns around such subjects, Tiwari says, “It’s a huge responsibility to take up a project like Ramayana as people’s sentiments are involved with it. Also, what makes it really challenging is how to tell the story that appeals to a six-year-old as well as respects the faith of a 60-plus person. But thanks to technology, we can hope and try to get things right.”