GECs
Bobby Bedi has epic plans for ‘Mahabharata’
MUMBAI: Noted film producer and Kaleidoscope Entertainment promoter Bobby Bedi is on an epic project. His plan: to repurpose Mahabharata so that it can roam across various formats including a TV series, a film trilogy, an animation product, and a theme park.
Bedi had first announced plans for the Mahabharat project around the time his big-budget film Mangal Pandey released in August of 2005.
“For creating the entire chain of products, it would require an investment of around Rs 4 billion. The idea is to make it for the global market,” Bedi tells Indiantelevision.com.
First would be the creation of reality TV through a talent hunt for the Mahabharata characters. This, he says, would take about a year.
The talent hunt would next move to a Mahabharata TV series which could stretch to 150 episodes. Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi would direct the series. “It will transform Indian television and travel across the world. We can make it in many languages,” Bedi says.
Bedi intends to invest Rs 160-170 million in just the development stage. “For completing the entire chain, it would require over three years. Developing gaming would require around $2 million,” he says.
The animation work will be assigned to a company which has US and Indian base. He, however, refused to divulge the name of the animation firm.
Will he rope in joint ventures to fund the project? “No, the investment will be done by Kaleidoscope. We may have partners,” he says.
Mahabharata will be made into a comic book series as well. A theme park based on the Mahabharata is also in the pipeline.
Delivering the keynote address at “India – The Big Picture,” Bedi said the project would involve multiple location shoots and be in multi-languages. “This is the direction Indian entertainment should be taking,” he added.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
