Sadhguru, Graphic India Team on Animated Epic ‘Shiva: The Adiyogi’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Indian yogi Sadhguru is collaborating with Graphic India on "Shiva: The Adiyogi," an animated feature reimagining the origin story of Hindu deity Shiva as the first yogi. The project pairs Sadhguru's spiritual authority and global following with Graphic India's animation expertise, aiming for a worldwide theatrical release and building on the studio's track record with Indian mythological epics.
Sadhguru and Sharad Devarajan share story credit, with Devarajan also producing, co-writing and co-creating the film through Graphic India, the studio behind "The Legend of Hanuman" franchise. The narrative spans from before creation to Kailash, featuring the warrior Veerabhadra and culminating in Shiva imparting 112 methods for transcending physical existence at Kanti Sarovar. Jeevan J. Kang and Subrah S. Iyar are executive producers, with Navin Miranda and Nayana Bijli as co-producers; Devarajan's prior credits include the "Baahubali" animated series and co-creating Marvel's Indian Spider-Man character Pavitr Prabhakar.
- Sadhguru and Graphic India developing animated film "Shiva: The Adiyogi"
- Retells Shiva's origin story, targets worldwide theatrical release
- Sharad Devarajan of "Baahubali" fame co-writes and produces
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Sadhguru is a well-known Indian yoga teacher and spiritual figure with a large international following, though he has no background in film production. Shiva is one of the central deities in Hinduism, and in this tradition he is regarded as the first "yogi," or teacher of yoga. The new project reimagines Shiva's origin story as an animated film, blending Sadhguru's spiritual reputation with the storytelling of a commercial studio.
Graphic India is the animation studio behind the project, previously known for adapting Hindu mythology into animated form, including "The Legend of Hanuman." Its founder, Sharad Devarajan, shares story credit with Sadhguru and is also producing and co-writing the film; he has separately worked on projects such as an animated "Baahubali" series and co-created an Indian version of Spider-Man for Marvel.
The film matters partly because it signals growing interest in turning Indian religious and mythological stories into large-scale animated features aimed at international cinema audiences, not just domestic or streaming markets. It also reflects a trend of spiritual leaders lending their profile and following to entertainment ventures, which can raise questions about how religious material is adapted for commercial release.