In search of Indianness
India’s cultural consciousness is embedded with pearls of heritage carried forward through generations in the form of folk art.
Actress Deepika Padukone will play the central character in the re-telling of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. She has teamed up with producer Madhu Mantena and will be producing the film too.
Deepika first turned producer with Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak, a film inspired by the life of acid attack survivor, Laxmi Agarwal.
Her second production, Mahabharata, will be narrated through the perspective of Draupadi which will give a fresh take on the mythological tale.
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“I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to be essaying the role of Draupadi. I truly believe that it is the role of a lifetime. While the ‘Mahabharat’ is popularly known for its mythological tales and cultural influence, many of life’s lessons are also derived from the ‘Mahabharat’ but most often from its men. Telling it with this fresh and new perspective will not only be interesting but also very significant,” Deepika told IANS.
Deepika also told Mid-Day that the new perspective is going to be significant and interesting. “We all know the Mahabharat for its mythological tales and socio-cultural influence. We derive many of life’s lessons from the epic. But the narrative we are most familiar with is that of the epic’s leading men. This new perspective will be not only interesting but also significant.”
Mahabharata will be made in a series of parts with the first one slated to release in Diwali 2021.
Madhu Mantena also revealed details of the film.
“While we have all consumed the ‘Mahabharat’ all our lives, the uniqueness of our film is seeing the same story from the point of view of Draupadi, who is one of the most significant heroines in our country’s cultural history. And Deepika is not just the biggest Indian actress today, but someone who can take this narrative across borders. If it weren’t with her, we would not be making this film on such an ambitious scale.” he told the news agency.
Deepika is also part of Ranveer Singh starrer ’83, a sports biopic directed by Kabir Khan that is slated to release next year.
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