Disney Plus Hotstar Announces Adaptation of Epic 'Mahabharata'

Gaurav Banerjee, head of content and development, Disney+ Hotstar and HSM (Hindi-speaking market) entertainment network, Disney Star said the show, whose cast is still being worked out, will launch in 2024 and will be co-produced by Mantena, Mythoversestudios, and Allu Entertainment.

Disney Plus Hotstar took to Twitter and announced the show by releasing concept art pictures.

Disney has 221 million paid subscribers globally, out of which, Hotstar makes up around 58 million, Disney said. The service is known as Hotstar only in India, Indonesia, and some other Asian markets. Disney+Hotstar is expected to get a boost in subscribers with "Mahabharata".

"Our philosophy for our D2C services is that there is no one size fits all. While all of our global brands such as Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars are available across our different platforms, we understand that some of them may not resonate as well with local audiences in certain markets", said Rebecca Campbell, chairman, of international content and operations at Walt Disney.

Disney is looking at content white spaces, Campbell said, or in other words, trying to come up with local stories with talent that is familiar. "We try to come up with something that will work locally and then see if the stories can travel".

Stay tuned...