Shahid Kapoor, who has impressed the audience with his versatile performances in films like Haider, Udta Punjab, Padmaavat and Kabir Singh, is all set to collaborate with Vashu Bhagnani and Jackky Bhagnani for a big-scale period drama, based on the Mahabharata. The film is touted to be mounted on a humongous budget with global VFX teams coming on board to bring the story to the spectacle. It is slated to go on floors in 2024 after Shahid Kapoor wraps up shooting for the Roshan Andrew-directed Koi Shaq co-starring Pooja Hegde.
And now, we have an exclusive update on the director of this yet-untitled epic produced by Pooja Entertainment. According to sources close to the development, Kannada film editor turned-director, Sachin Ravi, will be directing the period epic for the Bhagnani’s. “Sachin Ravi has been in talks with the producers for a while now and things are finally set in motion now. It’s based on one of the most fascinating characters from the Mahabharata and Sachin is eager to explore this world with Shahid in the titular role,” revealed a source close to the development.
For those unaware, Sachin is known for directing Rakshit Shetty in the much-loved action adventure, Avane Srimannarayana1. The film was released in 2019 and received critical acclaim and commercial success for its unique blend of comedy, mystery and drama. The film was also dubbed and released in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi languages.
According to the source, Shahid has been keen to do a big-scale period film for a while now and has been discussing several period film ideas with various stakeholders. He has finally found a partner that aligns with his vision and is collaborating to create something special for the audience. “Sachin has the right vision and knowledge to mount the story at the scale that it warrants. He is fascinated by the idea of creating unexplored visuals and that’s exactly what this rendition of a character from Mahabharata warrants. He has found the right partners in Pooja Entertainment, who are going all out with their support on the budget front,” the source concluded.
The film will also mark Sachin Ravi’s debut in Bollywood as a director. The makers are yet to finalise the rest of the cast and crew of the film. The film is expected to release in 2025 in multiple languages. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting project!