Bollywood’s love for mythology dates back to several decades. But soon, actioners and love stories took precedence. But the next few years will witness a plethora of mythology features such as Ram Setu, Adipurush, Ramayana, Brahmastra, Chanakya, Mahaveer Karna, Sita: The Incarnation and Draupadi.

However, these films often come under scrutiny for deviating from the original idea. Kriti Sanon, who will be essaying the role of Janaki in Adipurush believes that playing such a part “comes with a certain responsibility”. “I’ve to keep a check on how much you can play as an actor as there’s a certain boundary that you cannot cross. We’ve to adhere to facts and not end up hurting sentiments,” she says.

Manoj Muntashir, who has penned the dialogues for Sita: The Reincarnation, Adipurush and Chanakya, asserts that filmmakers “need to capitalise on our epics”. Ask him about what kept them away from this genre over the past few years and he explains, “All of a sudden, India has woken up to its legacy. Baahubali broke many grounds.”

In 2019, Arati Kadav wrote and directed Cargo, a science-fiction rooted in Indian mythology. Agreeing with Muntashir, she says, “Mythologies are a goldmine we’re sitting on and we’ve to just tap into them.” So, is the trend here to stay? “Mythology films can give even the top sci-fi films a run for their money. If we rehash what the millennial generation has seen and already dismissed, we won’t be able to win them. Also mythology films involve high-grade VFX and massive production scale.”

Trade analyst, Taran Adarsh resonates with her thoughts, but he believes A-list actors headlining these projects “is a positive sign”. “If big stars are cast, that will take care of the budget aspect, too. But if you make a good mythological film, there’s a huge audience wanting to watch it. Jai Santoshi Maa (1975) didn’t have stars and it was low-cost film but it became huge,” he says.