Kunal Kohli's Ramayana

After making an unsuccessful foray into acting earlier this year with Phir Se, Kunal Kohli is going back to what he is best at — direction. And the filmmaker has a rather ambitious project in the pipeline.

“I am making an interpretation of the Ramayana. Why another one? Because I feel that the message and characters of the Ramayana are more relevant today than ever before. We’re living in times when the Ramayana asserts its value in unexpected ways,” Kohli says.

If you’re already casting for the film in your head, you may be surprised to hear the filmmaker say, “No stars! The casting is currently in progress, and I want relative newcomers. It is important to have unfamiliar faces in the Ramayana. Established actors with set images do not work in the mythological context.”  

Kohli plans to depict only certain episodes from the Ramayana in his film. “It is not possible to film the entire scripture. That was possible when Ramanand Sagar shot it as a television series. For a film, one has to select certain portions,” he says, adding, “We plan to complete the film and release it by next year.”

Is Kunal making an attempt to be politically correct by taking up this project at a time when Hindutva is a major political force? “Not at all!  I am not political in the least. I don’t even pretend to understand politics. My decision to make a film based on the Ramayana has nothing to do with politics,” he says.