Girish Malik's docu-drama 'Mahamāntra – The Great Chant' set to premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India

Girish Malik’s latest docu-drama, Mahamāntra – The Great Chant, is set to premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India as a Special Showcase, marking one of the festival’s most anticipated screenings of the year.

The 75-minute English-language film is Malik’s most urgent and spiritually charged work yet, conceived over years marked by global pandemics, wars, climate anxiety, and social upheaval, as a cinematic response to a world searching for meaning, balance, and awakening.

The director known for his visually immersive storytellingblends mythology, history, science, sound, movement, and symbolism into a singular narrative that urges collective resilience and higher consciousness.

Malik’s filmography has consistently pushed boundaries: his debut JAL (2014) competed at Busan, won a National Award, and entered the Oscar contention list; Torbaaz (2021) trended in over 20 countries on Netflix; and Band of Maharajas (2024) advanced in two Oscar categories from the 97th Academy Awards’ Best Picture Reminder List.

The documentary is narrated by (Honorary) Brigadier Dr Arvind Lal, Padma Shri who also serves as a co-producer.

The music is composed by multiple Grammy nominee Bickram Ghosh, while Padma Shri awardee Shubha Mudgal lends her distinctive and devotional voice to the project.

The docu-drama also features several renowned contributors, including Sri Swami Svatmananda, a Vedic scholar and former tech expert; Dr Rajeshwar Mukherjee, Professor of Vedic Science and Theoretical Physics at Nalanda University; and Gupta Kaushik (G. K. Sir), a Sanatan advocate, philosopher, and philanthropist.