11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
As Ranbir Kapoor gears up for Ramayana, the newest take on Indian mythology is a 5-minute AI film on the Bhagavad Gita
Just when you thought India's obsession with mythology movies had peaked between Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming Ramayana, Prabhas' Adipurush (2023) and Ranbir Kapoor's Brahmāstra: Part One (2022), along comes a twist no one saw coming: a five-minute AI-powered VR short film on the Bhagavad Gita. Yes, you read that right. Ram Madhvani
Filmmaker Ram Madhvani, best known for Neerja (2016) and Aarya, is now stepping into the world of immersive media with a bold new project that uses artificial intelligence and virtual reality to reinterpret one of India's most revered spiritual texts. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Madhvani revealed that this short film — developed quietly over two years — is currently being screened in private previews. While it may be just five minutes long, the project is far from small in ambition. It's a proof of concept for something far more expansive: Madhvani hopes to eventually cover all 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita and ultimately reimagine the entire Mahabharata in VR. 'In VR we have an opportunity to restore the sanctity of immersive storytelling. And what better source than epics and texts that have endured for centuries?' he said.
For Madhvani, this isn't just about mythological content — it's about creating a transformative experience. He believes that spiritual and philosophical narratives hold a rare power in the Indian psyche. The goal? To use VR and AI to evoke a genuine feeling of divinity in the viewer — particularly for younger generations who may be spiritually curious but emotionally disconnected from ancient texts. He aims to imbue the viewer with a profound feeling of divinity, an experience he feels a younger generation might particularly benefit from.
But this vision isn't limited to private headsets or niche tech events. As revealed in an interview with AdGully, Madhvani plans to take VR experiences to temples and tourist sites across India — imagine experiencing the miracles of Shirdi Sai Baba or the construction of the Taj Mahal through immersive visuals, right at the physical locations themselves.
It's a dramatic pivot for a director known for emotionally grounded, real-world stories which have won him many awards and international nominations. But if there's one thing Madhvani knows how to do, it's scale intimate narratives into something universal — and now, possibly spiritual.
And so, the question stands: Do we need this AI-powered Gita experience? Maybe not, but we're getting it anyway.
