Sony LIV sets July launch for Graphic India’s The Legend of Karna
The animated Mahabharata-inspired series from Sharad Devarajan, Jeevan J. Kang and Graphic India will premiere on Sony LIV on July 31.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Sony LIV is adding another animated original to its slate with The Legend of Karna, a new series from Graphic India set to premiere on July 31, Deadline reported.
The India-based streaming service has greenlit the show from Sharad Devarajan and Jeevan J. Kang, whose production company Graphic India is behind the project. The series draws on the Mahabharata, centering on Karna, one of the epic’s most compelling warriors.
According to Deadline, the show follows Karna as the son of Kunti and the Sun God Surya, who is brought up in the home of a charioteer. Gifted with extraordinary skill as an archer, he enters a grand contest normally limited to royalty, a move that reshapes the future of an empire.
The official synopsis cited by Deadline describes Karna’s rise from a village workshop to Hastinapura’s royal court after Prince Duryodhana crowns him king. It also frames the story around his rejection by a court focused on birth status, his loyalty, his talent and the secrets surrounding his identity.
A mythic hero gets the spotlight
Devarajan, who is co-creator and showrunner, said in a statement reported by Deadline that Sony LIV was the right partner for the project. He called Karna “the tragic heart of the Mahabharata” and said the team wanted to tell his story as an epic about loyalty, secrets and talent.
Devarajan also pointed to the character’s central question: whether greatness is defined by birth or by action. The series, according to his statement, aims to place Karna at the center of the story after generations of being central to the epic but less often central to its telling.
The project adds to Devarajan’s long run building Indian comics, animation and screen franchises. He previously worked with Stan Lee on Chakra: The Invincible, an Indian superhero series made for Cartoon Network India in 2013.
Deadline noted that Devarajan has at times been described as “the Indian Stan Lee.” His credits include producing Netflix’s live-action film The Archies and The Legend of Hanuman, which Deadline described as one of Disney+ Hotstar’s top-rated series.
He also created the Spider-Man India character for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. On the Baahubali franchise, Devarajan worked with SS Rajamouli across gaming, publishing and digital media, and created Prime Video’s animated series Baahubali: The Lost Legends.
Sony LIV builds its animation bench
Deadline also reported that Devarajan is developing a Hindi-language version of The Adjustment Bureau with writer-director George Nolfi, and is working with Gladiator writer David Franzoni on a scripted series based on Devarajan’s graphic novel about Alexander the Great, alongside Starlings Television.
For Sony LIV, which is owned by Sony Pictures Networks India, The Legend of Karna joins a catalog known for originals including Rocket Boys, Scam and Freedom at Midnight. Its animated originals also include Jiyo Gopuda and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, according to Deadline.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.