Last week, 83 producer Vishnu Vardhan Induri announced that he was bringing six National Award-winning directors together for his next, One Nation. Priyadarshan, Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, John Mathew Mathan, Manju Borah, Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, and Vivek Agnihotri are teaming up to helm the six-episode mini-series that sheds light on India’s unsung heroes.

Only days into the announcement, the filmmakers have begun work on their respective segments. We hear that south superstar Mohanlal, and Kangana Ranaut have been approached to lead the project.

Priyadarshan has collaborated with Mohanlal on over 25 films, including Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (2021). Naturally then, the superstar was his first choice when the director locked the script of his segment.

A source reveals, “He has given a narration to Mohanlal, who is impressed by the story. But the two have yet to finalize the details. Meanwhile, Vivek has approached Kangana Ranaut for his segment. The two have been keen to collaborate professionally. The series, given its subject, seems like the perfect platform for the duo to come together. It will study events of the past 100 years, from 1925 to the present day, unearthing stories of little-known local heroes who made huge contributions to the country.”

While Induri remains tight-lipped about the cast, he reveals that each segment will be an hour long. “While some stories have been [brought to the table] by the directors, there are some that we have researched,” he says, adding that Mathan of Sarfarosh (1999) fame took some convincing to come on board. “We plan to begin shooting by the second or third quarter of 2023. The OTT release will primarily be in Hindi, and will be dubbed in multiple languages.”

Assamese director Borah is considered one of the country’s finest filmmakers. Induri says that he roped her in as he wanted the project to have a pan-India presence. “The stories come from different parts of the country, and have the core emotion of service to the nation. They can [reflect] any episode — the freedom movement, natural calamities that happened in the country, riots, or national crisis.”