Feb 12, 2026 3:31pm IST
‘Gulkanda Tales Was Originally Conceived as Two-part Film with Kamal Haasan’: Rahi Anil Barve Talks About His Upcoming Projects (EXCLUSIVE)
Amazon Prime Video's period comedy-drama series “Gulkanda Tales” has been stuck in limbo for the last several years now. The show, starring Kunal Kemmu, Pankaj Tripathi and Patralekhaa, was completed in 2023 but remained unreleased due to its subject, considered to be “unfavorable” in today's political climate.
Director Rahi Anil Barve doesn't specify the reasons behind its delay but reveals that “Gulkanda Tales” was originally planned as a two-part feature film with Kamal Haasan in the lead role. Speaking exclusively to Variety India, he said, “It was originally conceived as my two-part film, ‘Ashwalinga,’ with Kamal Haasan sir in mind. After ‘Tumbbad,’ I turned it into a six-hour OTT series with eight episodes. You may think I'm over-talking, but remember my words: when you finally see it, you'll realize we created something so miraculous that I doubt it can ever be made again on world OTT—not just Indian.”
“Gulkanda Tales” is said to be a large-scale, visually appealing, crazy comedy set in the times of the Kama Sutra. Rahi calls it a ‘beautiful show’ just caught in the ‘wrong climate'. “Honestly, I doubt if even ‘Sacred Games’ could have come out today," he adds. The director was also working on a Netflix series, “Rakt Bramhand,” but that project, too, has also been put on the back burner for reasons not known.
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For now, Rahi is deep-diving into the prep for “Pahadpangira,” which is expected to go on floors in the first half of this year. The film was initially supposed to be a sequel to “Tumbbad” but is now being mounted as a separate film under Ekta Kapoor's banner, Balaji Motion Pictures. “‘Pahadpangira’ is very much alive. The real struggle is to trim the budget to the right number. Right now, it's around 60-70 crore, which is too high. Coordinating actor dates during the coming monsoon is another big hurdle. But I'm close,” he reveals.
“Pahadpangira” is believed to be a dark fantasy rooted in mythology and folklore, dealing with the dawn of feminism and the custom of sati pratha. Rahi is also developing another film, “Pakshitirtha,” but that is currently in the vault for now. “To be honest, ‘Pahadpangira’ needs to succeed first before this one can take flight,” he concludes.
Rahi recently returned with his second directorial, “MayaSabha: The Hall of Illusion,” starring Jaaved Jaaferi, Veena Jamkar, Deepak Damle and Mohd. Samad in lead roles. The film released on January 30 in cinemas to mixed reviews.
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