iWorld
Snap to It Mahabharat Finds a New Lens with Historyverse and Snapchat
MUMBAI: When Mahabharat meets a Snap filter, you know history’s getting a glow-up. Collective Artists Network’s Historyverse, the tech-driven storytelling platform reimagining India’s past, has teamed up with Snapchat to bring one of the country’s oldest epics to one of its youngest audiences.
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Historyverse’s AI-enabled series Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh will now reach Snapchat’s vast Gen Z community in India, giving the timeless saga a modern makeover through the app’s playful digital formats from bite-sized episodes to immersive AR Lenses that let users step right into the story.
“Our collaboration with Snapchat is a perfect reflection of what we stand for bridging culture, creativity, and technology,” said Collective Artists Network founder and group CEO Vijay Subramaniam. “With Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh, we’ve reimagined a story that has defined generations using AI. Partnering with Snapchat lets us take this heritage and introduce it to Gen Z in their own language and on their preferred platform.”
Snapchat, long considered a digital playground for India’s 70 million-plus Gen Z users, sees this tie-up as a way to merge myth with modernity. “We’re chuffed to partner with Historyverse to bring the world of Mahabharat to our community,” said Snap Inc head of content partnerships & AR Saket Jha Saurabh. “From short-form content to immersive AR Lenses, this gives millions of Snapchatters a unique way to experience one of India’s greatest epics.”
The AI-enabled adaptation, created under Historyverse and powered by Galleri 5’s homegrown G5 AI Pipeline, is already streaming on JioHotstar and airing on Star Plus from 25 October. The series uses advanced AI-driven storytelling and visual design to retell the Mahabharat with a futuristic flair where timeless dharma meets cutting-edge tech.
Meanwhile, Historyverse’s presence on Snapchat has been growing at warp speed. Its vertical Sanatani Itihaas has already crossed 100,000 followers, reached 6 million unique viewers in the past month, and racked up 14 million Spotlight views proof that even ancient tales can trend in the age of AR.
With this collaboration, Snapchat becomes the new Kurukshetra where tradition and technology spar playfully for Gen Z’s attention. For the Mahabharat’s warriors, destiny was written in the stars; for today’s creators, it might just be written in Snaps.
As Historyverse and Snapchat team up, the message is clear history doesn’t have to stay in textbooks. Sometimes, all it takes is a camera lens, a clever filter, and a little bit of AI magic to make the oldest stories feel brand new again.
iWorld
Prime Video to stream Tamil thriller Exam from May 15
Seven-episode series from National Award-winner A. Sarkunam streams in India and 240-plus countries
MUMBAI: Prime Video announced on April 27th that Exam, a taut seven-episode suspense drama set against the crucible of high-stakes competitive testing, will premiere on May 15th in India and across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Written and directed by A. Sarkunam, a National Award-winner, the series is produced under the Wallwatcher Films banner by the creative duo Pushkar and Gayatri, who have previously delivered Suzhal: The Vortex (both seasons) and Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie for the platform. Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan lead the cast, with Abbas in a pivotal role.
The show will stream in Tamil with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, and subtitles in 15 languages, including English, a distribution sweep that underscores Prime Video’s push to globalise Indian regional content.
Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India, framed the series as both timely and commercially astute. “Exam is a very timely and relevant story that captures the emotional intensity of competitive exams and masterfully transforms it into a thrilling high-stakes drama,” he said. “We believe it is a story that will resonate deeply with millions.” Madhok noted that it was a privilege to once again collaborate with Pushkar and Gayatri following the success of Suzhal and Vadhandhi.
For Pushkar and Gayatri, the series is as much a moral reckoning as a thriller. “With Exam, we wanted to dig into ambition, injustice, and those moral crossroads that people face when pushed to the edge,” the creative producers said. “At the heart of this story is a young woman who refuses to remain powerless. Her journey is not about glamorising defiance, but about exploring the emotional and ethical cost of standing up to a system stacked against her.” They described Prime Video as “an incredible collaborator” and “the perfect home” to bring the series to global audiences.
Wallwatcher Films, which Pushkar and Gayatri founded and run, has been on a productive streak with the platform. Beyond Exam, the company is also readying Vadhandhi Season 2 for Prime Video, making the duo one of the platform’s most active regional creative partners.
The real exam, it seems, is for Prime Video itself: can a Tamil drama about systemic injustice and a young woman’s defiance crack audiences from Chennai to Chicago? If Pushkar and Gayatri’s track record is anything to go by, the answer is likely yes, and the results will be out on May 15th.
