Actors fit for Mahabharat’s Hollywood Adaptation

Actors fit for Mahabharat’s Hollywood Adaptation: Superhero films are falling and reaching a point of saturation. Nowadays these big budget movies rely on the visuals, graphics, franchise and star power. But miss the most important ingredient of filmmaking, a good script and storyline. And post pandemic trends suggest that the audiences will only come to theatres for an event film that’s larger than life. The great story, simplistic, feel good movies are somewhat an OTT thing now. The need of the hour is epic movies that need a theatrical release backed with a grippy and interesting story. This is the reason that movies like Avengers End Game, Infinity War, RRR, Tenet have made waves post the pandemic.

So, if you think projects like these are huge and can’t be matched by any other story or concept. Then you need to know about the Indian Epic Mahabharata. This story is so epic that all the above mentioned movies are not even the tip of the iceberg in front of this epic. Just imagine if directors like James Cameron or Zack Snyder teamed up with some Indian director like S S Rajamouli. The movie can shatter all records. So, here is a list of actors who can be a perfect choice for Mahabharata’s epic casting. 

Yudhishthira (Leonardo DiCaprio)

First in our list is the righteous, noble King and elder brother of the Pandavas ‘Yudhishthira’. This role needs an actor who processes command in his body language but still has humbleness and innocence on his face. Who better than Leo for this layered character. DiCaprio processes an unmatched charm and can pull off any role with his acting skills. He can perfectly portray the role of a warrior King who is truthful and kind by heart.

Bhima (Dwayne Johnson)

Bhima is the strongest of the 5 Pandava brothers. His character can be directly associated with brute strength. It is said that Bhima had the power equivalent of 1000 elephants. He was the biggest destructive force on the battle ground. The man could literally tear apart warriors with his bare hands. It’s very tough to find someone who can match the brutality and strength of Bhima. The only name which comes to mind is ‘The Rock’. Dwayne Johnson seems to be the only guy who can pull this role off, his physique and personality are a perfect match for this role.

Arjuna (Robert Downey Jr.)

Now comes the third Pandava ‘Arjuna’, the main protagonist of our story. The ultimate warrior and supremely talented archer, arguably the best in the business. Arjuna is a very complex and layered character. He’s a great warrior, obedient son, and a good brother. But sometimes fails to understand his existence and role. Arjuna is delusional about the need of war against his own. He’s confused and scattered when he needs to fight against his own family for right. His character is engaged in the most important part of Mahabharata where he receives life lessons from the Lord (Krishna) himself. This character can only be played by an actor who has variations in his acting but is easy on screen. An actor like Robert Downey Jr. is perfect for this role.

Nakula (Ryan Reynolds)

Nakula is not much talked about character of Mahabharata amongst the masses. But this Pandava had a very important role in the War. The Pandava is said to be a skilled warrior and had mastered the art of sword-fighting. Nakula was also said to be the most handsome and good looking man of the Mahabharata era. He also killed the 3 sons of Karna in the Kurukshetra War (on the 18th day). Our pick for the role is ‘Ryan Reynolds’. As we have witnessed the actors sword-fighting skills on screen. 

Shadeva (Robert Pattinson)

Shadeva, the twin brother of Nakula, is also miles away from the mainstream spotlight but this doesn’t take away anything from the warrior’s bravery and heroism in the war. The youngest Pandava too had a huge contribution in the epic battle. He was also an accomplished swordsman like his twin brother. The youngest Pandava had killed the evil master-mind ‘Shakuni’ on the 18th day in the  Kurukshetra War. We think the twin should match his brother’s charm and presence. So, we feel that Robert Pattinson would be best suited for this role.

Karna (Chris Hemsworth)

Karna was one of the biggest warriors of Mahabharata era. It is believed that he was the son of Sun. Because of this he had powerful divine armour, immune from any attacks. Karna’s character is a perfect grey character. He is a righteous man and believes in charity. Karna even gave his armour when asked for it (charity). But the powerful warrior was on the wrong side. He stood for his friendship and supported his friend ‘Duryodhana’ (even after knowing that he was wrong). This mighty warrior role needs someone who is capable of showing complex emotions and also has a screen presence of a mighty warrior. According to us Chris Hemsworth would be the perfect pick for this role.

Duryodhana (Henry Cavill)

Now comes the supervillian, the evil of our story ‘Duryodhana’. He was the cousin of Arjuna. Duryodhana was an evil without any backstory or reason. The guy was just evil by nature. He wanted each and everything for himself. From Kingdom to respect and prestige, he wished for everything without working for it. His jealousy and ambitions could lead him into doing anything. Anyways he’s a strong warrior accompanied by his master mind maternal uncle and 99 brothers. Now who to cast? We have an idea: let’s turn superman into super evil. Henry Cavill is our pick, what’s your take on it.

Shakuni (Johnny Depp)

Now we have the super evil, the master mind ‘Shakuni’. He was the maternal uncle of Duryodhana. ‘Brains can beat brute strength’, this man proved this statement right. He stayed with his nephew and made him more evil. Filled him with more anger and jealousy (against the Pandavas). Shakuni was a big trickster and an expert in planning and plotting. He had also mastered the art of dice game. This character needs an actor who possesses acting skills par excellence. In our view the only man who can portray this evil character is Johnny Depp.

Draupadi (Jennifer Lawrence)

The leading lady of the epic, Draupadi’s role can be a tough task for any actress. It needs a dedicated and super talented actress like Jennifer Lawrence. Draupadi was the wife of the Pandavas. It was said that she was born from fire. The Queen had a tough time throughout her life but never gave up. She was miss treated and humiliated in front of the whole court by Duryodhana. Which is considered by many the reason for downfall of Kauravas and even resulted in the epic war of the Kurukshetra.

Krishna (Hrithik Roshan)

Krishna’s part in Mahabharat is the most important and crucial aspect of it. Krishna is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He helped the right to win over evil. Lord Krishna was also the mentor of Arjuna. His teachings and messages to Arjuna are restored in the book ‘Bhagavad Gita’. The book is considered to be one the most motivational, inspirational and powerful books of all time. However, in the war Krishna had decided that he’ll not touch weapons. He gave his huge army to Duryodhana and stood by Arjuna as a mentor (to establish equality). The role of Krishna needs a complete actor, who looks and acts equally well. The best actor for this role would be the Indian ‘Greek God’, Hrithik Roshan. Hrithik is a complete actor with perfect looks for a Godly character and the actor also possesses great acting skills.

Bhishma (Amitabh Bachchan)

Bhishma was the grandfather of both Pandavas and Kauravas. He was also the protector of the Kuru Kingdom. As he had taken the oath to protect the King and Kingdom forever. He was almost a perfect man and a great warrior. But was caught up because of his morals and oath. This even forced him to stand against the right and had to support Duryodhana (Kauravas). Bhishma was arguably the most powerful warrior of Mahabharata and possessed  the abilities to end the war single handedly. This larger than life character needs an actor who is larger than life on screen. There can’t be a better choice for this role than India’s Megastar ‘Amitabh Bachchan’. Bachchan’s personality is larger than life on screen and has a thundurus commanding voice even at the age of 79.

Also Read: Tragic Stories From Mythology Around The World