Bhima Lone Warrior by M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Gita Krishnankutty (Translator)

I first heard about this book on the news. It was going to be made in to the most expensive Indian movie ever! Mohanlal would be Bhima! My initial reaction was weary sigh! Mahabharata? Once again? Cant we come up with new material at all? Still curious, I looked up the book online. Surprisingly, all the reviews for the book were good. It was available in my local library as well. So, I picked it up and started reading it. I just have one word to describe the book- Brilliant! We all know the story all of the beats. But, by making Bhima the protagonist and making him introspective, insightful and human, each incident acquires a fresh meaning. The other interesting narrative choice was to to give both Kunti and Draupadi more agency than they are typically given. This means that we have different perspectives on everything from Draupadi's wedding to Karna's character arc and the Pandavas themselves. Put this on top of your to-read list whether you have encountered other versions of the epic or no. That said, given the spirit of the book and some of the liberties it takes with the story, I don't see how this movie can be made in India today. The makers would be lynched!
Link to the book