Ashok Banker retells Lord Ram's tale through graphic novel

Ashok Banker, author of the eight-volume "Ramayana Series", has now used the graphic medium to retell the tale of Lord Ram.

"Prince of Dharma", according to Banker, is a pared-down, visually lavish sequential version of the novel.

"Readers daunted by the prospect of reading eight books of over 500 pages each can dive right into this adaptation and enjoy the same story. For graphic novel fans like myself, it is wonderful seeing these timeless characters illustrated so beautifully," he says.

The graphic novel is published by Campfire and has illustrations by award-winning artist Sachin Nagar.

Author and screenwriter Banker's writing spans across genres of crime thrillers, essays, literary criticism and fiction but he is most widely credited for his mythological retellings of Indian epics, starting with the eight-volume "Ramayana Series".

Nagar uses a semi-realistic style to make the characters and the scenes more impactful and visual.

On why he took the graphic medium, Banker says, "The graphic novel is often known as sequential art. It's an independent form of storytelling that uses a combination of visuals and words in a particular sequence, with the creative utilisation of space and color and form.

"Look at Sachin Nagar's gorgeous art in this book. That's reason enough for me! It's a film with unlimited budget, memorable characters, visual effects and action set pieces."