Now Reading: Chandoo Mondeti clarifies no Bhansali link to Mahakaal film
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Chandoo Mondeti clarifies no Bhansali link to Mahakaal film
The Story in Brief
Filmmaker Chandoo Mondeti has clarified that Sanjay Leela Bhansali is not involved in his upcoming Hindi-Telugu bilingual tentatively titled Mahakaal, starring Akshay Kumar and Rana Daggubati. 123telugu.com had reported on 30 September 2026 that Bhansali would back the film under Bhansali Productions and provide the story. Speaking exclusively to telugu360.com on 30 September, Mondeti stated that the story and direction are by him, and that Bhansali has no connection to the project.
Mondeti confirmed that Rana Daggubati, Akshay Kumar and he are doing the film together, and that Karan Johar will produce the Hindi version. The Telugu version's production house is yet to be finalised. The project is in early stages, with pre-production just beginning. In a subsequent telugu360.com report on 1 October 2026, Mondeti said Bhansali has narrated two stories to him and wants him to direct one under his banner after Mahakaal. The film is based on the history of Ujjain and the Mahakal temple. Shooting is expected to begin in early 2027, m9.news reports.
Indian Opinion Analysis
123telugu.com and m9.news frame Mahakaal as a high-stakes Bollywood crossover, with m9.news speculating on its genre and 123telugu.com reporting Bhansali's involvement as fact without sourcing. Telugu360.com's two interview-based reports provide the corrective: the director states Bhansali has no role in Mahakaal but is in talks for a separate project. The speculative outlets omit or downplay that denial, while telugu360.com's second story confirms the separate Bhansali collaboration, giving readers the full picture. The next concrete step is the script lock and shooting start in early 2027, as reported by m9.news.
Coverage: 4 sources, 2 neutral, 2 sensationalist
Sources (4): 123telugu.com (sensationalist), telugu360.com (neutral report), telugu360.com (2) (neutral report), m9.news (sensationalist)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Update, 1 October 2026: this story now draws on 4 sources.
