It just got as official as it gets, folks - director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has registered the title Mahabharat: The Greatest Battle Ever Fought with the IMPPA in Mumbai. Ever since the word came out, there have been laments from all over. People had expected Rajamouli or Aamir Khan - the two biggest Indian filmmakers now - to make the epic. After Bahubali hit the markets as an Indian-made movie with international reach, even the average Indian audient has been aware of the scope mythology and epics have in the modern entertainment scene.
Period drama serials have been ruling the silver screens for some time now and even netflix has caught on. What makes or breaks a period drama is its production value, hence the hopes that Mahabharatha - undoubtedly the story that began all storytelling - could become a film in the hands of Rajamouli or Aamir Khan. Immediately after Bahubali-2 released, a fanbase has been building up for Mahabhartha. Two of the country’s top filmmakers, Aamir Khan and Rajamouli, had expressed interest in making a magnum opus on Mahabharatha. While Aamir is said to have changed his plans and turned Mahabharat into a web-series, Rajamouli has always maintained that he will need at least 10 years to complete the project. Rajamouli, who declared it would be his dream project, has made it amply clear that Mahabharatha is a movie he is going to contemplate for several coming years and that he probably means it to be his last project.
We aren't sure if Rakeysh Mehra pulled the carpet from under Rajamouli as the Telugu news outlets are insisting, but it is unlikely that the ace Telugu director would cross out his longterm plans. What may reassure Mahabharatha enhtusiasts is the fact that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is a director who also produces his own movies. Aamir Khan and he had collaborated for Rang De basanthi and some other movies to his credit are Bhaag Milka Bhaag, Delhi-6, and Mere Pyaare Prime Minister. So we know his cinematographical sensibilities and the fact that he does not shy away from poignant scripts. All of his movies have been based in the north and as the epic is loosely based in the Ganges plains, he may have an advantage. Let's wait for the movies art collaterals to come out instead of giving up on Mehra too soon
