The story goes back to Gibson’s ‘The Passion of Christ’ project, whose enormous success rode on the back of massive church support. Gibson found no producers, so he put in 30 million dollars of his own and ended up earning 612 million dollars.
Back in India, the first such experiment was ‘Chaar Sahibzaade,’ an animated film produced by Baweja Studios with a budget of Rs 15 crore which earned Rs 70 crore globally after Gurudwaras supported the movie.
On similar lines, spiritual leaders from Shaiva, Advaita, Dvaita, Shakta, Swaminarayan, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh and Yoga traditions joined together in Athens to support the eight film series on Indian Gods.
The event also witnessed formal announcement of ‘The Chronicles of Devi: Chapter 1 — Mahishasura’, the first of the eight-film series on Indian Gods made by noted film maker Manu Kumaran and Harman Baweja of Baweja Studios.
According to the filmmakers the stories are being developed under the guidance of Bharatiya Santa Maha Parishad, which brings together religious leaders from different traditions.
The film is being positioned as more than just a film project. Instead of relying on conventional promotions, the team plans to reach audiences through temples, ashrams and spiritual networks across India and the global diaspora. The idea is to build trust first, and viewership later.Kumaran said the effort is to reconnect modern audiences with traditional narratives. “For generations, these stories survived through oral traditions. That chain has weakened. Cinema can carry them forward in a way younger audiences understand,” he said.
The first film in the series is expected to release around Dussehra in 2027. The project is estimated at a budget of around 46 million euros.
