Baahubali, RRR writer pens script about Maharana Pratap; pan-India film a fictional take on Mewar king’s reign and his descendant reclaiming honour
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There’s no slowing down KV Vijayendra Prasad. After penning the scripts of SS Rajamouli’s jungle adventure drama, his own directorial venture Bhagwa Dhwaj, and a yet-untitled movie on Article 370, the veteran writer is on to his next—a drama based on Maharana Pratap, the 16th century king of Mewar. The story will be set in two timelines; while the flashback portions will offer a fictional take on events preceding the 1576 Battle of Haldighati, the present-day narrative will
focus on Maharana Pratap’s descendant.
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Through the movie, the RRR (2022) writer is offering his own interpretation on the Mewar king’s reign. He elaborates, “Maharana Pratap retreated to the Aravalli mountains to strategise before the Battle of Haldighati between Mughal emperor Akbar and him. Akbar camped there for two years to catch the king, but he couldn’t. When some rebels wanted to kill Akbar, Maharana Pratap saved him. Akbar offered him a huge treasure if the king bowed down to him, but he refused to do so. Akbar didn’t take the large chests of money and jewels back as he felt they belonged to Maharana Pratap and his descendants.”
KV Vijayendra Prasad
This treasure forms a crucial part of the fictional story, the second-half of which is set in modern-day Rajasthan. Prasad adds, “[In the present-day narrative], his descendant has to prove that someone else took the treasure, and he has to find it to show that the king was morally upright.”
After Prasad finishes developing the script, he will pitch it to filmmakers. Given the story’s grand canvas, it has the potential to be an ambitious pan-
India project. That’s exactly how he is imagining it, says the veteran writer. So, whom has he envisioned as Maharana Pratap and his descendant? “It could be two different actors, or the same actor playing a double role. We see Maharana Pratap as a tall, powerful warrior with a great personality. According to me, Prabhas, Hrithik Roshan or Ranbir Kapoor can play the character well.”
While this story is his brainchild and offers him creative fulfilment, Prasad says he is equally happy when filmmakers approach him to flesh out their ideas and develop a screenplay. He views the latter as a way of giving back to the industry. “The film industry has given me fame and money. I want to pay back my debt through writing. When a filmmaker approaches me with a story, I tell them that they can determine [my fees], but I won’t touch it. It goes directly to the charity I [support].”
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