After Aamir Khan, Vishal Bhardwaj eyes adapting the Mahabharata, says it is going to be a ‘huge task’: ‘I have already done some work on it’

3 min readMumbaiFeb 20, 2026 05:13 PM IST

Just a week after the release of O Romeo, a violent love story starring Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has turned his attention to what could be one of the most ambitious projects of his career. Known for drawing inspiration from classic literature, most notably adapting works of William Shakespeare, Bhardwaj has now revealed his desire to reinterpret an epic of a different magnitude: the Mahabharata.

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Speaking to Press Trust of India, Bhardwaj shared his thoughts on the possibility of adapting the epic for contemporary audiences: “I feel like adapting the Mahabharata into contemporary times, the entire Mahabharata. But it’s such a huge task, and I have already done some work on it. I don’t know if that will be my next project. Right now, the time is to celebrate O’Romeo.”

Vishal Bhardwaj is not alone in expressing interest in bringing the epic to the big screen. Filmmakers such as SS Rajamouli have also spoken about their desire to adapt the Mahabharata. For Aamir Khan, the project has long been a dream. In a recent conversation with News18, Aamir reflected on the cultural weight of the epic and the responsibility it carries.

“That’s my dream, let’s see if it becomes a reality one day. I really would love to have the opportunity to do that, but it is a big responsibility. Indians are so strongly connected, it is in our blood. I don’t think there is any Indian who hasn’t read the Bhagwat Gita or, at the very least, heard it from their grandmother. Making a film, which is so fundamental for all Indians, is also a big responsibility. I often say this, ‘You can let Mahabharata down, Mahabharata will never let you down.’ You do a bad job, you’ll let it down. I want to make sure that if I ever make this film, I make it in such a way that all Indians feel really proud.”

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Calling the Mahabharata the “mother of all” Hollywood fantasy films, Aamir further elaborated: “Over the years, we have seen a lot of Hollywood films which are big entertainers, Lord of the Rings or Avatar. The world has seen it all. But this (Mahabharata) is the mother of it all. So I think Indians will be really proud if it comes out well. I am taking my time because I want to make sure I get it right.”

Last year, in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Aamir Khan officially confirmed that he is working on adapting the epic and envisions it as a multi-part film series with different directors. “It’s too early to say, but we might need multiple directors. If we have to plan it in a certain timeline… because if you do one after another, it will take very long. Like they did in Lord of the Rings. So something like that, in that case, you will need more than one director.”

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