This story is from November 10, 2014

Mahabharata

The story is spun around the tussle between the Singh and the Ali families, who vie for control of illicit trades over generations. Their epic rivalry is flagged off in the coalfields of Bengal and Bihar in a newly independent India. The families make crores from illegal mining and set up a huge empire of illicit trade.
Mahabharata
The story is spun around the tussle between the Singh and the Ali families, who vie for control of illicit trades over generations. Their epic rivalry is flagged off in the coalfields of Bengal and Bihar in a newly independent India. The families make crores from illegal mining and set up a huge empire of illicit trade.
With the nationalization of the coal mines in the early 70s, they shift to the lucrative smuggling trade that flourished in the dockyards of Kolkata.
A couple of decades later, the scenario changes yet again. With the opening up of the economy, smuggled goods lose their sheen. The Singhs and Alis move with the times to tap the vast real estate potential of Kolkata. A bloody turf war unfolds, sucking the family members deep into a vortex of treason, hatred and crime.
Fissures start developing within the Singh-Ali combine that had so far been brothers in crime. They part ways bitterly, eventually turning into sworn enemies who go for each other's blood.
As the years pass, the conflict intensifies and the two clans eventually lock horns over control of the cricket betting racket. Bookies are planted, double agents employed and crores are at stake as the Singhs and Alis engage in a final battle to the finish. Politics, intrigue, muscle power and cricket merge to create a heady climax.
ALSO READ: Draupadi is bar dancer, dice game is cricket betting in Mahabharata adaptation
In the film, the Singhs hail from the Barakar region and are headed by Pravash, the grand old patriarch (Bheeshma), to be played by Prosenjit. The Alis, on the other hand, are children of a north Bengal timber mafia adopted by their governess Pritha (played by Arpita Chatterjee), who represents Kunti. She is married to Pravash's ailing grandson Nilesh, who dies young. Her illegitimate son is Karna (Indraneil Sengupta).

It's an intelligence bureau officer, Murari Ghoshal (Parambrata Chattopadhyay as Krishna) who manipulates the power shift between the two families, often using them as pawns in a larger political context. He eventually sides with the Alis and provides the philosophical facet to the drama and propels it to its logical conclusion.
Instead of five Pandavas, the Ali family comprises three brothers. Eldest Arshad is the sane, sober one (Yudhishthir, to be played by Abir Chatterjee). Headstrong Rustam (Biswanath Bose) is Bheema and Arjun (Dev as Sohrab) is the sharp, sensitive soul of the family who makes the perfect moves but questions the strife. The rival camp is led by Durjoy (Saswata Chatterjee as Duryodhan), a boorish revenge-seeker who is egged on by strategist Muyaia Chisti (Rudranil Ghosh as Shakuni), a cunning manipulator. Kaushik Sen as the manager Prabuddha (Vidur) is the conscience-keeper of the Singh clan. Srijit Mukherji plays Satyaki, a journalist, and Kaushik Ganguly plays Jayadrath.
Bar dancer Zubeida is the Draupadi in the film. She becomes the pawn in a betting game between the Singh and Ali brothers at a nightclub. Contemporary elements like Ponzi money in films and the role of the media and politics have been weaved into the plot, giving it a Machiavellian touch.
With an ensemble cast that has almost half of Tollywood, and a tale as mesmerizing as the Mahabharata, this promises to be mouth watering stuff for film-lovers. So, hold your breath till the epic explodes on screen by end2015. The countdown is on.
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