It was a chance remark made by Baahubali director S.S. Rajamouli that sent reports on a wild goose chase. The filmmaker’s offhanded comment that he would like to film the Mahabharat, at a public event, led to leaks of conjured up financial details of the supposed project too.

However, Rajamouli’s father, writer K. Vijayendra Prasad says that these are nothing but sensational rumours. “Did anyone check with Rajamouli or me before writing this?” he asks. “Let me tell you straight away that right now, the Mahabharat is not on the cards. But I guess creating news is the order of the day.”

Vijayendra says that at the moment, Rajamouli is entirely taken up with the second, and final part of Baahubali. “We’re working round the clock to ensure that the film releases on time on April 28. The Mahabharata hasn’t even crossed our mind,” he signs off.