Amish Tripathi: "My entire life has been about pretty dramatic shifts"

‘Legends of The Ramayana with Amish’ streams on discovery+ from April 7, 2022.

A new discovery+ mythological docu series explores lesser known stories and folklore around The Ramayana by journeying to locations vital to the story of Lord Rama. Amish Tripathi, best known as the author of The Shiva Trilogy, takes on a new role as the anchor of ‘Legends of The Ramayana with Amish’ (streams on discovery+ from April 7, 2022).

Tripathi shared details of this new adventure and the upcoming series:

This is your first time as a show host. Anchoring requires different skills from being a speaker or writer. What was the transition like?

My entire life has been about pretty dramatic shifts. I was a banker who became a writer. Now I am a diplomat as well. Life has taken me on interesting journeys and putting myself in uncomfortable zones helps me grow. My deep interest in this subject was a key reason for taking this on.

When Discovery approached my team, I was immediately interested in doing something on not just The Ramayana but the unexplored parts of a story that is so familiar to every Indian. What makes it intriguing is that we think we know the story, and yet so many parts come as a surprise.

Valmiki speaks of an underground river at Chitrakoot. We actually found that river. I got over my claustrophobia and we shot there. This is an international-level production and I am very happy that while we have got scientific experts and represented things in a rational way, we have also presented it in a respectful way.

What were some of the unknown aspects and where were the stories found?

Some of the stories we cover come from the text itself. Some I was aware of and some even I was not aware of, and many others may not be aware of either.

In some versions of The Ramayana there is mention of Lord Rama’s elder sister Shanta, whom many may not have heard of.

Then there is this community called the Ramnamis in Chhattisgarh who have turned their bodies into temples by tattooing their entire body with the name Rama. This is something I did not know about and shows how Lord Rama’s name, his journey, animates the Indian way so deeply.

So the show covers parts in the text and explores parts that come from traditions and folk rituals too.

What are some of the locations you travelled to?

The series is a travelogue that starts in Ayodhya and then we go to Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Nashik, Hampi, Rameshwaram, Sri Lanka and then back to Ayodhya. We are following the journey Lord Rama would have traversed many millennia ago and are recording what we see.

In some ways anchoring a show is about performing in front of the camera.

Yes, it is and I have to admit that I had a bias that most of us in the publishing world have about the film world and actors - and it is an unfair bias - that these actors have a wonderful, cool and glam life. They just have to go in front of the camera, say a few lines and they make tons of money. But it’s not easy. Being in front of the camera with lights bearing down on you, shooting on live locations, in the heat in some inaccessible places could be very uncomfortable. But the Discovery team and our directors wanted some rocking shots. For one shot I was standing at the edge of a massive cliff with sea waves crashing below and a drizzle. Through all that I had to smile and deliver a good line. In another shot I had to time delivering a particular line with the crashing of a wave behind me. The moment the director saw a wave coming, he would call action and I had to time my line with the waves crashing and water rising. I learnt that being in front of the camera is a tough job, especially on live locations and that great stuff comes only when the entire crew is obsessive about that perfect shot.

What is the status of your new book and what’s the update on the film adaptation of the earlier works?

War of Lanka is delayed because there was a problem with my publisher Westland. So there will be a new publisher and the book should hopefully be out by August. The Shiva Trilogy is being adapted into an OTT series with Roy Price, Shekhar Kapur and Suparn Varma attached and the ‘Legend of Suheldev’ movie adaption is also underway.