Bedi, Ratnam to recreate 'The Mahabharata'
By Vickey Lalwani ©2005 Bollyvista.com
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Bobby Bedi with his 'The Rising' lead star, Aamir Khan
After 'The Rising', which hits the theatres on August 12th, Bobby Bedi will nosedive into making 'The Mahabharata'. Mani Ratnam will direct the venture, which will cost at least 100 crores.
In what would be Bollywood's biggest cinematic venture (grapevine says that the budget could touch even 300 crores) and the mother of all blockbusters, the buzz is that Bedi and Ratnam are thinking of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan and Rani Mukherjee in pivotal roles. Further grapevine suggests that Aishwarya Rai will play Draupadi. Speaking to this writer, Bobby Bedi said, "Yes, I am planning 'The Mahabharata'. I am not too sure whether it will be my next film after 'The Rising' because I plan to shoot only from January 2007 onwards," adding, "I have not yet cast anybody, But yes, I will make the film with big established actors."
Bedi says that the thought of making this film arose while reading Girish Karnad's book Agnivarsha that is set in the pre-Mahabharata days. "I read Karnad's book about five years back and that is what set my mind ticking in this direction."
Bedi explained why Ratnam will don the director's hat. "I've known Mani for 25 years. I have seen all his films. He is a great filmmaker who dwells upon every detail in his films, which will be of paramount importance in recreating the epic."
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