Mohanlal's epic film Mahabharata faces trouble over name by Kerala-based Hindu group

Malayalam actor Mohnalal recently announced that he will be playing the character of Bheema in Mahabharata. The film, however, finds itself in the middle of a controversy surrounding its name.

The film is going to be a cinematic adaptation of Randamoozham, a novel written by MT Vasudevan. The novel is written from Bheema’s perspective and that seems to be the main area of contention.

Kerala Hindu Aikya Vedi President KP Sasikala has raised an issue saying that the big budget film cannot carry the name Mahabharata if it is not made on the original epic which was written by Vyasan.

According to a Pinkvilla.com , Sasikala has openly expressed her disdain about the title of the film saying that the makers should change the name of the film to Randamoozham if it is going to be based on the novel. She has declared that no film can be titled Mahabharata if it is not on Mahabharata, the epic.

She also forewarned the makers of the film by saying that Hindus will not be insulted again at the cost of intellectuals, social leaders and writers, says the same report.

V Shrikumar Menon is directing the film on an enormous budget of Rs 1000 crore. The film is being funded by business tycoon BR Shetty. If all goes well the shooting of the film will start by 2018.