Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is reportedly reconsidering his decision to adapt the Mahabharata after what happened with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat.
A source told Bollywood Hungama that Khan may drop his plan for Mahabharata, as doing history or mythology has become tricky. "Aamir Khan is weighing the pros and cons of doing the Mahabharata knowing he's bound to land up in trouble with fringe groups protesting light right and centre. Aamir may drop his plans of doing the Mahabharata for now," the source said.
The release of Padmaavat, starring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in lead roles, met with several roadblocks, with fringe groups alleging the movie demeaned Rani Padmini, the film's protagonist. Several states refused to screen the movie fearing violence.
Khan announced his desire to adapt the Mahabharata last year and said it would consume more than a decade of his life. "My dream project is to make the Mahabharata but I'm afraid of starting the project as I know it will consume at least 15-20 years of my life," said Khan while promoting Secret Superstar.
As for what role he would like to essay, Khan said he was most attracted to Karna.
"My favourite character is Karna, but I don't know if I'll be able to play him due to my physique. I may just have to play Krishna. I also liked the character of Arjun. He was the only person who asked Krishna why he had to kill his own people," said the actor.
According to reports, Reliance head Mukesh Ambani was attached to the 1000 crore project.
While the fate of Khan's Mahabharata is in jeopardy, there's one confirmed project on Mahabharata. South Indian actor Mohanlal has been confirmed to essay the role of Bheem in the movie adaptation of Malayalam novel Randamoozham.
Randamoozham chronicles the events of the Mahabharata from Bheem's point of view.
