Abhishek Kapoor to direct Mahabharata film in two parts

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

"Rock On!!" director Abhishek Kapoor will go behind the camera to bring Indian epic "Mahabharata" on the big screen, and the narrative will be divided into two movies.

Currently, Kapoor is ready to roll the cameras for "Fitoor", but "Mahabharata" will become his focus of attention soon after.

"Abhishek will be directing 'Mahabharata' soon after he shoots for 'Fitoor'. 'Mahabharata' will come in two parts. While the first part will end with a crucial scene of Pandavas and Kauravas, the second part will see the war. The film will go on floors by 2015," said a source close to the film's development.

Disney India will bring the movie to celluloid.

"It is gearing up to recreate the magic of the greatest ever epic from Indian mythology on the big screen, at a scale never seen before in Indian cinema," read a statement.

The live action movie will be written by Ashok Banker.

"We intend to tell the story in a manner it deserves to be told on screen, and are thrilled to have the incredibly talented Abhishek Kapoor at the helm, with one of the most knowledgeable and talented writers on the subject, Ashok Banker scripting it," said Siddharth Roy Kapur, managing director, Disney India.

The film will go into pre-production after the completion of Kapoor's "Fitoor", starring Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapur.