A Gulf-based billionaire is planning to smash the record for the
most expensive Indian movie by splashing out $150 million to make a film
of the Hindu epic “Mahabharata”.
The cost of
producing the two-part extravaganza is set to dwarf that of “Baahubali”,
which is India’s biggest budget film to date at around 4.5 billion
rupees ($45 million).
“I believe that this
film will not only set global benchmarks, but also reposition India and
its prowess in mythological storytelling,” said businessman B. R. Shetty
in a statement late Monday announcing the project.
“I
am confident that this film will be adapted in over 100 languages and
reach over 3 billion people across the world,” added the Indian
billionaire, who lives in the United Arab Emirates.
Filming
is due to start late next year with the first instalment set to hit
screens in early 2020, the statement said. It will be released in
several Indian languages and dubbed for foreign audiences as well.
The
blockbuster, which will be directed by south Indian filmmaker V.A
Shrikumar Menon, will be the latest retelling of the “Mahabharata”, an
ancient Sanskrit story about a battle between feuding princes which
includes the “Bhagavad Gita”.
It has had many
screen adaptations, including a highly successful television series in
the 1980s, and inspired a number of films.
The
announcement comes before the release next week of the second and final
instalment of “Baahubali”, a Telugu- and Tamil-language film featuring
elaborate battle scenes. The combined cost for the two parts was about
$45 million.
While budgets for Indian
movies are rising they are still well short of those in Hollywood, where
a blockbuster often costs more than $200 million to make.
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