Was Santosh Sivan the first choice to direct Mohanlal starrer ‘Mahabharatha’?

Mohanlal’s upcoming high budget movie titled Mahabharatha is the most talked about in recent days. Several reports about the movie have been making the rounds. This film is based on the popular novel Randamoozham, written by MT Vasudevan Nair. The budget for this movie is reportedly as huge as Rs 1,000 crore.

Director VA Shrikumar was roped in to helm the movie. However, sources now state that he was not the first choice of the team. Shrikumar’s current projects include his directorial debut Odiyan starring Mohanlal in the lead role. The director had claimed that although he had no experience in directing a full movie, he was personally chosen by MT Vasudevan Nair to direct the film.

Now reports have emerged that actor Mohanlal had first approached ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan to helm this project. The popular cinematographer who is busy with a number of big projects, including Mani Ratnam’s CCV, was not able to take up the offer. After this, the offer was passed on to Shrikumar.

The film is said to have a gripping plot revolving around a narration of the Mahabharata from the view point of the Pandava Prince Bheema. The story gives us a glimpse into the human nature of the characters instead of focusing on their godliness. The film will apparently focus on the insults that Bheema was subjected to.

The film will bring to light the fact that Bheema’s strength was not a deterrent to others hurling insults at him. The film’s highlight would be the screenplay by MT Vasudevan Nair. The author is a seven-time National Award winner, having received the award four times for Best Screenplay. He has also won more than 21 Kerala State Awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director.

Mohanlal recently wrapped up Kayamkulam Kochunni, where he will be seen in an extended cameo. Based on the life of the Robin Hood-style highwayman who lived in the early 19th century in the Central Travancore region, he plays the character Ithikara Pakki in the film.

(Content provided by Digital Native)