Filmmaker Girish Malik’s ambitious docudrama Mahamantra was screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) 2026 under International competition section. The recognition follows the film’s special showcase at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa and its inclusion in the Academy Awards Reminder List.
Blending spirituality, science, consciousness and contemporary global concerns, Mahamantra explores themes of conflict, ecological imbalance, anxiety and humanity’s search for inner stability in an increasingly uncertain world. The film combines expert insights, dramatic reconstructions and immersive visual storytelling to examine how ancient wisdom may offer guidance for modern challenges.
Reflecting on the origins of the project, Malik said, “Mahamantra didn’t start as a film; it started as a feeling. Everywhere I looked, something was breaking—wars, instability, global crises and tensions between nations. It seemed like humanity was losing its centre, and in that noise I realised I was losing mine too.”
The filmmaker’s search for answers led him to conversations with Hon. Brigadier Dr. Arvind Lal, Swami Swatmananda, and Dr. Rajeshwar of Nalanda University, whose perspectives became integral to the film. Rather than a conventional documentary, Malik chose the docudrama format to explore philosophical and spiritual ideas on both an emotional and intellectual level.
The project also features a distinguished creative team. Grammy-nominated composer Bickram Ghosh has crafted the film’s score, while acclaimed singer Shubha Mudgal lends her voice to the soundtrack. Produced in English to engage a wider audience, the film was conceived as a global conversation rooted in Indian spiritual traditions.