P R E S S R E L E A S E

While everybody has been expecting Rajamouli to announce a film on the Great Epic of Mahabharatha, the same has come from unexpected quarters. Titled 'The Mahabharatha', the film will be made at an incredible cost of Rs. 1000 Cr! And Complete Actor Mohanlal will star as Bhima (probably) in the movie.

"Setting a rare record in the Indian film industry, Dr B.R. Shetty, UAE based billionaire businessman and philanthropist is investing Rs. 1000 crore (USD 150 million) to produce India`s biggest ever motion picture. This magnum opus is being directed by noted ad man and advertising film maker VA Shrikumar Menon," a press statement read.

The film will be made in two parts. Here is the schedule.

1. 'The Mahabharata' will be produced in two parts and is scheduled to go on floor by September 2018 for a release in early 2020.

2. The second part of the film will be released within 90 days of the first part.

3. The idea is to reach out to over 3 billion people in 100 languages.

A multi-lingual, it will be made in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu and will be dubbed into other major Indian languages and leading foreign languages!

The technical crew would include some of the great names in the world cinema including some academy winners.

The cast will have the best of talents from Indian cinema as well as some big names from Hollywood.

A global team led by an internationally renowned casting director will handpick the cast.

Serial entrepreneur and billionaire Dr. BR Shetty has been a keen supporter of Indian arts and culture for over many decades.

The film is actually a visual adaptation of M T Vasudevan Nair`s Jnanpeeth Award winning novel 'Randamoozham' (The Second Turn). This novel narrates The Mahabharata through the eyes of Bhima, the second of the Pandavas. The screenplay is written by the writer himself who holds a record of maximum national awards for screen writing in the history of Indian cinema.

Dr. BR Shetty, Founder and Chairman of UAE Exchange and NMC Healthcare, says, "The Mahabharata is an epic of all epics. This movie will be a true 'Make in India' made for the world. The Mahabharata mesmerizes as well as brings focus on life and living".