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Shifting gears from the aerial actioner Sky Force to Vicky Kaushal’s mythological epic Mahavatar, writer Niren Bhatt says both genres demand rigorous research and authenticity
(From left) Veer Pahariya and Akshay Kumar in Sky Force; (right) Vicky Kaushal as Chiranjeevi Parashurama in Mahavatar
Horror comedy, aerial actioner, mythological drama—each genre is far removed from the other. But each of them finds a place in writer Niren Bhatt’s filmography. Only months after displaying his command over horror comedies with Munjya (2024) and Stree 2 (2024), Bhatt delivered the aerial actioner, Sky Force, last week. While the Akshay Kumar and Veer Pahariya-starrer receives positive reviews, the writer has moved on to his next, the mythological drama, Mahavatar, starring Vicky Kaushal. “It is a new genre for us,” begins Bhatt.
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That telling the story of Chiranjeevi Parashurama on the big screen will be an immense responsibility for director Amar Kaushik and him is not lost on him. Bhatt says, “It tells the story of Bhagwan Parashurama, who was the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. There are lots of references from Bhagavata Purana and 11 other scriptures. There are ancient texts that you can read in libraries, but people don’t read them. They are used mostly for pujas.”
Niren Bhatt
One would think there is nothing common between Sky Force and Mahavatar. But the writer says that though the worlds are dramatically different, each film demands rigorous research. “We did intense research on the Armed Forces to get everything right. Similarly, when you are writing a mythological film, you need to [be accurate]. You can’t go wrong with either genre. I have already read ancient plays and 11 novels on Parashurama to get all the details right,” he states. The drama is expected to roll sometime next year.
Sky Force is based on India’s first airstrike on Pakistan in the 1965 war. As the film’s additional screenplay and dialogue writer, Bhatt says he dived deep into the historic chapter, taking extra care to portray the real-life heroes with authenticity. “This film is tricky to write as it is about an [Air Force officer] who went missing in action. When you are writing about the Armed Forces, you need to focus on every [little aspect]—from the jargon to the body language, and the code of conduct. For that, we had an Indian Air Force pilot, who fought in the Kargil War, vet our script. When you make a movie on the Armed Forces, you have to get everything validated by them. If you are paying a tribute to the heroes, you cannot go wrong.”
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