Filmmaker Ashwin Kumar, who recently tasted box office success with ‘Mahavatar Narsimha’, is all set to embark on his ambitious cinematic journey with ‘Mahavatar Parasuram’, which is expected to go on floors in November. In an exclusive chat with India Today, the director revealed that the project is already in pre-production and shed light on his upcoming films, including the ‘Mahavatar’ universe.
‘Mahavatar Parashuram’ will be the second film from the Mahavatar Cinematic Universe to go on floors. Kumar called the project a bold reimagining of mythology. “It’s already in pre-production and will give audiences an experience they’ve never seen before on screen. Parasuram is the real fountainhead of the anti-hero – someone who stood up to set the system right when it went wrong. That’s a very powerful story, and we’re aiming to go on floors within the next three months, mostly by November.”
Speaking about the confidence that ‘Mahavatar Narsimha’s’ success has brought him, Kumar said, “It definitely boosts my confidence because when you see so much love from people, it makes you feel like you should keep doing things like this. Pressure is only there if I don’t know what I’m doing – but I already know the next seven films I want to make, so it’s very clear in my head.”
The filmmaker explained the process behind his work, recalling how the climax of the ‘Mahavatar Narsimha’ film took a year to create: “The entire last 20–25 minutes of my film took about a year of creation. When you put in that much time, you realise that making films is like baking a cake. You can’t just rush it out of the oven – you need patience, love, and attention. However long it takes to make something beautiful, you have to give it that time. Having said that, yes, we’re going to ‘bake’ seven cakes together (seven films together).”
While most of his upcoming slate is rooted in animation, Kumar confirmed that not all projects will follow the same path. “Not all of these films will be animated. The Mahavatar Cinematic Universe will mostly be animated, but I’m also planning two live-action films – one is a horror project, and the other is based on the concept of Ardhanarishvara,” he revealed.
‘Mahavatar Narsimha’ crossed Rs 200 crore globally and is a blockbuster.
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