The proposed $150-million Mahabharata film, based on the Indian epic, will be produced to the best global standards drawing upon the finest creative and technical talent, UAE-based billionaire businessman Dr B R Shetty said.

The magnum opus be produced in such a way that it will capture the imagination of a global audience, he said as he shared the vision for the film, together with director V A Shrikumar Menon at an international media event in Abu Dhabi.

The announcement of the film had been made earlier in India.

Dr Shetty said: “It has always been my vision to take this grand epic to the people of the world and this project gives me the opportunity to honour my commitment to the epic.

“Mahabharata is one of the greatest epics. This movie will be a true ‘Make in India’ made for the world. Mahabharata mesmerises as well as brings focus on life and living.  I believe that this film will not only set global benchmarks, but also reposition India and its prowess in mythological storytelling. Importantly, I am awestruck by the fantastic screenplay by
M T Vasudevan Nair and I have tremendous faith in the ability of V A Shrikumar to paint this narrative on celluloid,” Dr Shetty added.

The film will be a coming together of the crème de la crème of the global cinema in terms of its cast and crew. The technical crew would include some of the great names in world cinema including Academy winners. The cast will have the best of talents from Indian cinema as well as some big names from Hollywood, he said.

A global team led by an internationally renowned casting director will handpick the cast. Discussions in this regard has already begun with various parties, said Menon.

“My vision for this magnum opus is to be a rendition of the one of the world’s greatest epics that will take the audience’s breath away. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal will be playing the role of Bhima and has set aside two years for this project. This dedication and investment of time will be required from every actor. We will have the best of global and Indian talent associated with the film. We are paying special attention to the VFX and over 50 per cent of the production budget has been reserved for it to ensure that no corners are cut in delivering a dazzling visual experience.”

“We are fully geared to attain the next level of production quality and visual magic, as well as narrative wizardry with this initiative,” he said.

‘Mahabharata’ is to be made with master versions in three languages -- Malayalam, English and Hindi. It will be dubbed and sub-titled in all Indian languages as well as major foreign languages.

Elaborating on the plans for distribution of the film, Menon said: “We will soon be announcing specific additions to the team in the areas of marketing and distribution to build global alliances to ensure ‘Mahabharata’ reaches audiences worldwide. We aim to have a large global release worthy of the film, targeting multi-country and multi-platform releases as also international franchises across its lifetime. We will begin showcasing the project at major film markets across the world soon.”

Dr Shetty is the founder and chairman of Abu Dhabi-based NMC group. He also heads UAE Exchange, Xpress Money and Travelex. A serial entrepreneur, Dr Shetty has business interests in pharmaceuticals, global financial services, retail, advertising and information technology.

Menon is an Indian ad film director. He is the founder chairman, managing director and creative head of Push Integrated Communications, an integrated communications company that provides a gamut of services including business consulting, branding, advertisement, corporate events, public relations etc. As an ad film director, he has directed more than 400 films for various brands. His first feature film titled ‘Odiyan’ is set to release in 2018.

The film will be an adaptation of M T Vasudevan Nair’s Jnanpeeth Award winning novel Randamoozham (The Second Turn). The novel narrates Mahabharata through the eyes of Bhima, the second of the Pandavas. The screenplay is written by the writer himself, who holds a record of maximum national awards for screen writing in the history of Indian cinema. - TradeArabia News Service