While Aamir Khan hopes to take the Mahabharata to the big screen, creator Sudeep Lahiri plans to release an AI-powered adaptation of the epic on Instagram. He plans to release micro episodes to tackle the main plot points
An AI-generated image from the series
Bringing the Mahabharata to the big screen has been a dream of sorts for Aamir Khan. Recently, the superstar revealed that he would soon begin work on the magnum opus. It turns out he isn’t the only one training his focus on the Indian epic. Titled Mahabharata, a modern version of the epic will make its debut on Instagram this week. The centuries-old story has been told from one generation to another, and this time, it is designed for today’s fast-scrolling audience and touted to be India’s first AI-led micro-drama adaptation of the mythological tale.
Creator Sudeep Lahiri believes the vast canvas of the epic offers scope for many adaptations. His offering will have over 600 episodes, each about three to four minutes long. Ask him whether he sees his AI version thriving when Khan has teased a big-screen epic, and Lahiri says, “They are different experiences. A film or series made for theatres or OTT is built for immersion over hours. Ours is for the daily scroll, the late-night binge, the ‘just-one-more’ watch. It’s not about replacing long-form, it’s about giving mythology a new form that travels faster and further.”
Aamir Khan and Sudeep Lahiri
Lahiri highlights that the project’s use of AI sets it apart. While Lahiri and Vijay Subramaniam supervised a team of 15 members working on the adaptation, they relied on artificial intelligence to generate everything — from visuals to voice-overs, from the script to even episode structure. It took them a week to build each episode. Lahiri elaborates, “We asked ourselves: how can we make a story as rich as the Mahabharata feel personal and binge-able? With its three-minute format, each episode captures one moment and emotion. We don’t retell the entire arc, we take you straight to the moment where everything shifts. It’s punchy and
cinematic.”
Through Mahabharata, the creator not only wants to reacquaint the current generation to one of our cultural centrepieces, but also show how AI can make it all possible. “AI can help with visuals and scripting, but the game-changer is how it lets us play with tone, pace, and rhythm. There is a deep well of stories in India, and we want to bring them to life. We want to make this feel fresh, scrollable, and still rooted in culture.”
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