TLDR: An AI-driven initiative, ‘Historyverse,’ is set to launch India’s first AI-led micro-drama series, adapting the ancient epic ‘Mahabharata’ into over 600 short, ‘scrollworthy’ episodes, each 3-4 minutes long, specifically for Indian Gen Z and young millennials.
In a groundbreaking move to bridge ancient Indian narratives with contemporary digital consumption habits, Collective Artists Network Group CEO Vijay Subramaniam is spearheading ‘Historyverse,’ an ambitious project to reimagine the ‘Mahabharata’ for Indian Gen Z audiences. This initiative marks India’s first AI-led micro-drama, comprising more than 600 episodes, each meticulously crafted to be between three to four minutes in length. This innovative format is specifically designed to cater to the shorter attention spans prevalent among today’s youth and young millennials, making the epic ‘scrollworthy’ for social media platforms like Instagram.
Subramaniam emphasized that the entire production, from visuals and voiceovers to music, relies solely on artificial intelligence. He clarified that the series avoids traditional CGI characters or body mapping, showcasing the comprehensive capabilities of AI in content generation. The vision behind ‘Historyverse’ is to marry India’s rich historical and spiritual stories with cutting-edge technology.
Addressing the delicate balance between preserving the epic’s sanctity and making it accessible to a new generation, Subramaniam stated, “I have to maintain the divinity and devotion of what my grandmother would like, but I’m not making her watch it, I’m making the kids watch it, I’m making the rank and file of India watch it.” He added, “For me, serving spirituality in a palette that young India can watch is my target without affecting the divinity and the holiness of the text.” The conscious decision to release the series on social media platforms like Instagram underscores the aim to transform traditional content into a format that encourages engagement and easy consumption.
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While AI is a central enabler, Subramaniam views it as a tool rather than the ultimate winner. “For me, the real kick about the Historyverse is how do you marry technology, progress, creativity and formats, that’s the trifecta, I don’t think AI is the winner here, the fact that you can churn out stories at scale, at speed about the history of the country, AI is the enabler,” he told PTI in an interview. He acknowledged the challenges inherent in developing an AI series, particularly in evoking the deep emotions central to an epic like the Mahabharata. The project is strategically timed to engage India’s vast youth population, one of the largest globally.
