“This is a historic moment for South Asian cinema. We are about to tell the story of a man who was born in Indian subcontinent and redefined the way the world thinks - Gautama Buddha. The impact of his philosophy can be measured by the fact that hundreds of millions of people across the globe have embraced it and made it a way of life. Buddha's philosophy is more contemporary today than ever before," pronounced Beyond Dreams Entertainment Limited's CEO Yash Patnaik while announcing a historic epic on Buddha.

After working on the project for almost eight months, Beyond Dreams Entertainment Limited, Mumbai and Light of Asia Foundation of Colombo have built a multi-million massive film project. Noted screenplay writer Atul Tiwari has been roped in to write the story, screenplay and dialogues of this epic. Tiwari has written many landmark movies like Bose, the Forgotten Hero, Mission Kashmir, etc.

Professor Nimal D'Silva, leading Buddhist scholar in the South Asia region, has been appointed to head the research along with scholars from China, Japan and Korea. An Indian delegation headed by Patnaik has already done a location study along with Mr. Benegal and Tiwari. During the trip, Benegal and Patnaik visited the President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakshe, who gave his full-hearted support for the project.

"The message of the film gives answers both to the global crisis of conflict and environment," says Goonaratne, while describing his biggest dream of making a film on Buddha, a dream he has been nurturing for the past 20 years. Gooneratne has already acquired over 1000 acres of land near Colombo where a massive set will be build to recreate the era for the filming of the epic. The film is expected to go on floors around mid-2008 and is slated for a mid-2009 release.

Courtesy: IndiaFM