Mahabharata, the film adaptation of MT Vasudevan Nair’s Randamoozham, which was announced a couple of days ago, has already courted controversy. As per a DC report, Professor Thuravoor Viswambharan has alleged that the novel written by MT Vasudevan Nair is not based on Ved Vyas’s epic. “A few chapters from the original Mahabharata have been adapted in MT’s version. If I take MT’s novel Varanasi and re-name it ‘Kanyakumari,’ will he or the literary lovers tolerate it,” he asked, adding: “The new generation, after watching the film, will jump to the conclusion that this is the real Mahabharata and will develop wrong notions about it. Hence, the film should not be titled Mahabharata.”
Thuravoor Viswambaran had earlier contested as a BJP candidate from Thripunithara for the 2016 Assembly elections, and is also popular for holding discussions on Hinduism, vedas, and science for a Malayalam TV channel.
Mahabharata, helmed by ad-man-turned-director, Shrikumar Menon, will star Mohanlal as Bheema, and will release in Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, English.
Bankrolled by BR Shetty, a UAE-based businessman, the movie is said to be made on a grand budget of Rs 1000 crores. The makers are reportedly in talks with various Hollywood and Bollywood actors, and are expected to make an official announcement about the rest of the cast and crew soon.
Pic: Amrita TV