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http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/an-epic-novel-to-turn-rs-1000-crore-film/article18089725.ece
Randamoozham , with a pan-Indian cast, will be the ‘costliest’ Indian release ever
Back in the early 1980s, a young man came back from the brink of suicide because he wanted to read a novel that had just begun to be serialised in a Malayalam weekly. Randamoozham ( Second Turn in English translation), considered the masterpiece of Jnanpith award winner M.T. Vasudevan Nair, made Pazhayidom Mohanan Namboothiri, now one of the best-known traditional chefs in Kerala, want to live on.
The epic novel is now being made into a film at a cost of Rs. 1,000 crore and is expected to be the most expensive Indian film ever. It is being produced by UAE-based entrepreneur B.R. Shetty.
The story has Bhima narrating the Mahabharata from his point of view.
M.T., as the novelist is popularly known in Kerala, has written the script. The writer, a national-award winning film-maker himself, has penned some of the finest scripts in Indian cinema.
Two-part work
“I have not left anything out of the novel, and the film will have two parts,” M.T. told The Hindu here on Monday. “I believe that Randamoozham could not be condensed to three hours or less, and that is why it has taken this long for it to reach the production stage.”
Randamoozham , translated into different languages and still one of the best-selling works in Malayalam, is widely admired for its deep analysis of various characters of the Mahabharata and the beauty of the language.
Malayalam actor Mohanlal will play Bhima, and seasoned adman V.A. Shrikumar Menon will helm the film. “The cast is being finalised,” Shrikumar said. “We will have actors from major Indian languages.”
Filming begins in 2018
Shrikumar said the film’s shoot would start in September 2018. “It will reach cinemas in 2020,” he said. “It will be made in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu.”
The film is titled Randamoozham in Malayalam and Mahabharata in other languages.
“The shoot alone is likely to last a year,” Shrikumar said. “And there would be a lot of graphics, which could cost something like Rs. 200 crore.”
The two parts will be released within three months of each other.
Mr. Shetty, who was born in Kaup in Udupi district, said the film has been conceived as a ‘Make In India’ project for the world to sit up and watch. It would be shot in different locations across India. The story of Mahabharata, on which the film is based, Mr. Shetty said, "offers a lesson to the world" in contrast to the "gimmickry" of the popular films of the day.
Mr. Shrikumar said he is glad that Mr. Shetty came forward to fund the ambitious project. “It was Mr. Shetty who insisted that there should be no compromise on the quality of the film and said that finance should not be a constraint,” he said. “He told me that the Mahabharata was the pride of India and its film version also should be world class.”
Randamoozham , with a pan-Indian cast, will be the ‘costliest’ Indian release ever
Back in the early 1980s, a young man came back from the brink of suicide because he wanted to read a novel that had just begun to be serialised in a Malayalam weekly. Randamoozham ( Second Turn in English translation), considered the masterpiece of Jnanpith award winner M.T. Vasudevan Nair, made Pazhayidom Mohanan Namboothiri, now one of the best-known traditional chefs in Kerala, want to live on.
The epic novel is now being made into a film at a cost of Rs. 1,000 crore and is expected to be the most expensive Indian film ever. It is being produced by UAE-based entrepreneur B.R. Shetty.
The story has Bhima narrating the Mahabharata from his point of view.
M.T., as the novelist is popularly known in Kerala, has written the script. The writer, a national-award winning film-maker himself, has penned some of the finest scripts in Indian cinema.
Two-part work
“I have not left anything out of the novel, and the film will have two parts,” M.T. told The Hindu here on Monday. “I believe that Randamoozham could not be condensed to three hours or less, and that is why it has taken this long for it to reach the production stage.”
Randamoozham , translated into different languages and still one of the best-selling works in Malayalam, is widely admired for its deep analysis of various characters of the Mahabharata and the beauty of the language.
Malayalam actor Mohanlal will play Bhima, and seasoned adman V.A. Shrikumar Menon will helm the film. “The cast is being finalised,” Shrikumar said. “We will have actors from major Indian languages.”
Filming begins in 2018
Shrikumar said the film’s shoot would start in September 2018. “It will reach cinemas in 2020,” he said. “It will be made in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu.”
The film is titled Randamoozham in Malayalam and Mahabharata in other languages.
“The shoot alone is likely to last a year,” Shrikumar said. “And there would be a lot of graphics, which could cost something like Rs. 200 crore.”
The two parts will be released within three months of each other.
Mr. Shetty, who was born in Kaup in Udupi district, said the film has been conceived as a ‘Make In India’ project for the world to sit up and watch. It would be shot in different locations across India. The story of Mahabharata, on which the film is based, Mr. Shetty said, "offers a lesson to the world" in contrast to the "gimmickry" of the popular films of the day.
Mr. Shrikumar said he is glad that Mr. Shetty came forward to fund the ambitious project. “It was Mr. Shetty who insisted that there should be no compromise on the quality of the film and said that finance should not be a constraint,” he said. “He told me that the Mahabharata was the pride of India and its film version also should be world class.”
Are they planning to give the role of Arjun to Dhanush and "Gangaputra" Bhishm Pitamah to Rajnikant
