On March 28, Doordarshan kicked off its re-run of Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, sparking a wave of nostalgia among the older generation and a meme fest among the youngsters. As many huddled around the television to witness the Arun Govil-fronted saga, filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari sat at his desk in his Chembur home, giving shape to his three-part Ramayana.

"Once I realised that the lockdown [will go on for long], my writers and I resumed work. We are developing the script over group calls on FaceTime. Most of the members are based in different parts of the country," he says of the live-action feature film that is produced by Madhu Mantena, Allu Arjun and Namit Malhotra. The directorial duties will be shared between Tiwari and Ravi Udyawar.