iWorld
When Gods Meet the Grid JioStar’s AI Mahabharat Rewrites Epic History
MUMBAI: When Arjuna draws his bow this time, even the algorithms hold their breath. JioStar’s Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh is here to prove that when ancient mythology meets artificial intelligence, the result can be divine disruption.
In an era when filmmakers worldwide are wrestling with AI’s role in creativity, JioStar has galloped ahead of the chariot line. Its latest web series, Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh, uses AI not as a gimmick but as a guiding force to reimagine India’s most revered epic for a new generation. The show’s trailer already hints at a visual spectacle that fuses emotion with engineering where machine intelligence breathes new life into gods, warriors, and moral dilemmas that have shaped Indian thought for millennia.
Launching on JioHotstar on 25 October and premiering on Star Plus on 26 October, the first instalment spans 100 episodes, inviting viewers to relive the dynastic war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas now rendered with astonishing realism and cinematic scale. The AI-assisted production doesn’t just recreate battles and palaces; it reconstructs the soul of the Mahabharata itself, translating its philosophical weight into a modern, immersive visual language.
“For many of us, the Mahabharat is more than just a story; it’s the tales we grew up hearing from our parents and grandparents,” said Collective Artists Network founder and group CEO Vijay Subramaniam. “With AI Mahabharat, we get to experience those same timeless stories in a completely new way, brought to life through the power of modern AI technology. The trailer is just a glimpse of what’s ahead emotional, grand, and immersive.”
The collaboration between creative storytellers and machine intelligence lies at the heart of JioStar’s latest leap. JioStar CEO of entertainment Kevin Vaz called it “a fusion of a timeless epic and machine intelligence that mirrors the spirit of a new India.” He added, “Through this series, we’re building a bridge between tradition and the future, proving that our oldest and most revered stories can still be our most futuristic yet.”
The show stands as a technological and cultural statement that India’s storytelling tradition can evolve without losing its soul. For a generation raised on screens and scrolls, Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh offers not just nostalgia, but a rebirth of mythology in pixels and code.
From Krishna’s counsel to Karna’s tragedy, every scene is rendered with AI precision yet retains the heart of human conflict and emotion. If JioStar’s gamble pays off, Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh may just mark the beginning of a new genre, one where myth meets machine, and creativity becomes truly infinite.
Because when the Gita meets the grid, destiny isn’t just written, it’s rendered.
iWorld
Telcos push for unified rules as spam shifts to OTT platforms
Over 80 per cent fraud moves online, operators seek common framework.
MUMBAI: The spam may have left your phone network but it hasn’t left you alone. India’s telecom operators are once again dialling up the pressure for a unified regulatory framework, warning that fraud is rapidly migrating to internet-based platforms where oversight remains far looser. According to industry communication, a leading operator has written to multiple arms of the government including the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance arguing that tighter controls on traditional telecom networks are inadvertently pushing bad actors towards over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms.
The concern is not new, but the framing has sharpened. What was once an industry grievance is now being positioned as a consumer protection issue. Operators say that tackling spam in silos no longer works, as fraudsters seamlessly shift across platforms, exploiting regulatory gaps. The result: a moving target that traditional safeguards struggle to contain.
Executives point to a clear shift in fraud patterns. OTT platforms are increasingly being used for phishing links, impersonation scams and bulk unsolicited messaging, with industry estimates suggesting that over 80 per cent of spam activity has now migrated online. In this environment, the lines between telecom networks, messaging apps and financial fraud are blurring fast.
At the heart of the industry’s demand is a call for a technology-neutral regulatory framework, one that applies consistently across telecom and internet-based communication services. Operators argue that the absence of uniform safeguards, such as sender verification systems, robust spam filters and clearly defined accountability mechanisms, has created enforcement blind spots that fraudsters are quick to exploit.
The proposal is straightforward but far-reaching. Telcos are pushing for baseline anti-fraud measures across all communication platforms, alongside faster response systems and deeper coordination between ministries. Given the interconnected nature of telecom networks, digital platforms and financial systems, they argue that fragmented oversight only weakens the overall defence.
The broader issue is regulatory arbitrage, the ability of bad actors to hop between platforms based on which is least regulated at any given time. Without harmonised rules, operators say, efforts to curb fraud risk becoming a game of whack-a-mole.
As digital communication continues to expand, the debate is shifting from who regulates what to how consistently it is regulated. For now, telecom operators are making their case clear: in a world where spam travels freely, regulation cannot afford to stay fragmented.
