B R Shetty to invest Rs 1,000cr to make Mahabharata film

Dubai-based Indian billionaire businessman B R

Shetty

will invest Rs 1,000 crore ($150 million) to produce what is touted to be India's biggest motion picture, Mahabha rata. The magnum opus will be directed by ad man and advertising film maker V r

Menon

. A

Shrikumar

Menon.

The epic will be produced in two parts and is scheduled to go on the floors by September 2018, and will be released in early 2020. The second part of the film will be released within 90 days of the first part. It will be shot in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu, and will be dubbed into major Indian languages and leading foreign languages. “The Mahabharata is an epic of all epics. This movie will be a true `Make in India' made for the world. Mahabharata mesmerizes as well as brings focus on life and living,“ Shetty , who hails from

Mangaluru

and is the richest

Kannadiga

, said on Monday .

The film claims to be a coming together of top actors from Indian and global cinema. The film will have an identity across continents, with their representatives donning myriad characters in the Mahabharata. A global team led by an internationally renowned casting director will handpick the cast.

“I would like to thank B R Shetty for having immense faith in this project and help bring it to life with his financial commitment and his innate pride on Indian heritage. We are fully geared to attain the next level of production quality and visual magic, as well as narrative wizardry with this initiative,"Shrikumar said.