Battle field to modern life: Malayalam filmmaker reimagines Mahabharata for contemporary world

Thiruvananthapuram: The Mahabharata is not just an ancient epic. It is a mirror held up to humanity across time. Its wars are not only fought on battlefields but inside the human heart. Its questions about duty, desire, power, loyalty, and truth remain painfully relevant even today. Every generation, knowingly or unknowingly, lives its own Mahabharata.

Drawing from this timeless wisdom, film-maker Jayaram Kailas is bringing a bold new cinematic vision to life. Rooted in the epic yet deeply connected to the modern world, the film explores how the Mahabharata continues to guide human beings through moral conflicts, personal struggles, and life-altering choices. With the powerful tagline “Way of Mahabharata,” the project seeks to show that the answers we search for today were already asked and explored thousands of years ago.

Also Read

Buniyaad Bharatvarsh Ki: Manohar Khattar flags housing, transport challenges amid fast urbanisation

‘Permit us to kill bears’: Women living in border villages warn govt amid rising attacks in Uttarakhand

‘Mere size ka helmet nahi milta’: Biker’s candid reply goes viral; MP cop turns it into wider appeal

“This is the first of its kind attempt in Malayalam cinema where the epic Mahabharata is been told in the context of modern world and in today’s contemporary issues as its core. We are hoping to start the shooting by January”, said Jayaram Kailas to News9.

For the first time in Indian cinema, an epic of this magnitude is being envisioned in direct conversation with contemporary life. The film does not merely retell mythology. Instead, it draws parallels between the ancient and the present, revealing how the philosophies of the Mahabharata can serve as a compass for navigating today’s complex world. The story, screenplay, and dialogues, crafted entirely by Jayaram Kailas, approach the epic with care, depth, and sensitivity, honouring its spirit while reinterpreting its essence for a global audience.

This ambitious big-budget project is being produced in six languages, with the title, cast, and production details to be announced soon. Artists and technicians from multiple regions and linguistic backgrounds are coming together, united by a single creative vision that transcends boundaries.

Conceived to meet the standards of major international film festivals, the film will also be released in English, taking the essence of the Mahabharata beyond borders. A strong emphasis has been placed on visual storytelling, with VFX designed to stand shoulder to shoulder with global productions. World-class overseas studios are handling VFX and color correction, ensuring a visually rich, immersive experience unlike anything Indian audiences have seen before.

At its core, this film is an attempt to pass on fragments of an eternal truth to remind the world that the Mahabharata is not a story of the past, but a living philosophy, still shaping the choices, conflicts, and destinies of humankind.