How can stories shape society? Can mythology evolve with the times? Who sets the narrative of the world order? Are we asking the right questions from the so-called ‘guardians’ of the realm?
MAYA, a fictional universe created by celebrated cinema auteur-philosopher Anand Gandhi and trailblazing game designer-tech specialist Zain Memon, may hold the answers to the perplexing questions.
Gandhi, who is known for his work on “Ship of Theseus” and “Tumbbad”, talked to The Statesman about his latest larger than life project.
“MAYA is a monumental new work of science-fiction fantasy from the next-generation storytelling studio, Department of Lore Inc. Equal parts sci-fi, fantasy, and philosophy, MAYA speaks to the hyperaware, hyper connected minds of today. It asks the questions we are too distracted to ask, exploring how minds are shaped, choices are nudged, and futures are manufactured invisibly.
“The MAYA narrative unfolds across every medium that shapes our dreams, be it films, games, novels, toys, graphic novels, and immersive experiences. We are witnessing the greatest experiment in narrative control in human history — MAYA is a response to that.
“MAYA does not just entertain, it empowers. It demystifies the invisible architecture of control, from the data trails we leave behind to the subconscious nudges we do not even notice. This universe is a toolkit for immunity against digital manipulation,” the filmmaker adds.
On what inspired him to create the project, Gandhi notes that humans are facing grave challenges as a species, especially in the post-artificial intelligence (AI) world where one cannot tell truth from lies.
He says, “We are entering a world where we cannot rely on earlier quantifications of truth. We need new paradigms of framework of how the collective human future looks like. So, MAYA is the first attempt at separating these questions from opinions or raising critical issues.”
So is there an audience for such content?
Zain Memon, the man behind popular board games SHASN and AZADI, says it is high time filmmakers or creative thinkers stop second guessing their audience.
“The moment we second guess our audience, we start gate-keeping. There is always a sharpest and smartest way of saying things and there will definitely be an audience for it. In MAYA, the question is not about technology itself, but the key-holders to the same. Today, there is rise of techno-feudalists who decide the discourse of the day. They even hold the power to suggest behaviour and belief patterns,” he says.
He also credits the success of SHASN and AZADI to his belief in his audience.
“SHASN and AZADI were runaway hits because people want content which stimulates them. We have a new game coming next year on how the country’s fourth pillar – media – can change the course of an election. We believe it will be a poignant talking point,” Memon adds.
Developed over four years, the MAYA universe has been crafted in collaboration with evolutionary biologists, linguists, architects, philosophers, and system theorists. One may wonder about the need to bring in such subject specialists to create fiction.
“Story and science are the same pursuits. Experts from varied fields came onboard to create MAYA because it is hard for these specialists, even within disciplines, to know what each other are doing. Such an intervention is important to break complex ideas. We wish to take the greatest breakthroughs and insights, and translate them into the language of fables,” Gandhi pitches in.
The first novel “Maya: Seed Takes Root” will be launched globally next week. It is an extraordinary biological network of sentient trees, known simply as ‘Maya’, acts as the living internet of planet Neh.
Gandhi, who showed the pandemic of consumerism and manufactured greed in his phenomenal work “Tumbbad”, often reflects the society and the world around oneself, in most of his projects.
“I believe all good fiction should show us ‘what is, what could be, what should be, and what ought to be’. Art should be able to reflect who we are as a civilization, where we are going, and where we could possibly go. Most often, we do not understand how we are captured and captivated by perfectly planted stories. MAYA makes us sit and think on these lines as I feel this introspection is crucial,” he says.
“The Matrix” star Hugo Weaving, Kani Kusruti, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, and others are expected to join the MAYA universe. Stay tuned!