Anand Gandhi & Zain Memon Interview | “MAYA Is A Mythology For The 21st Century”

(Zain) : Anand and I started collaborating almost 13 years ago, when he was directing Ship Of Theseus (2012). I came onboard when it had already received a lot of love at TIFF and MAMI. I started interning with him and one thing led to another—our collaboration and artistic visions cohesively aligned when I assisted him during Tumbbad (2018). I would constantly pitch ideas to him about films, games, virtual reality and graphic novels and we started brainstorming what that world could look like. We couldn’t do it in Tumbbad but we put all those ideas together and started building MAYA somewhere in 2020 and we have been working on it since then. MAYA is a mythology for the 21st century—a network of stories, fables and parables through which we can understand and debate our state of the world: where we come from, where we are and where we are going. It’s going to be told across multiple formats, starting with the novel that launches on September 9, with eventual releases of the graphic novels, table-top games and feature films. 

(Anand) : Absolutely. A story isn’t just a record of events — it’s proto-science, a tool for survival and imagination. Science, philosophy, and art all spring from this same impulse: to save the next generation from the suffering we endured. Think of the pre-historic world: a mother who discovers which berries are safe and which are poisonous. She passes that knowledge on, not just through words but through drawings on a cave wall, indicating both science and storytelling. She also layers it with the subjective experience of what pain feels like and how to avoid it and even projects into the future by posing questions: what do you do if you find berries that look unfamiliar? In that moment, the story becomes a problem, a riddle, and a simulation of possibilities.

Stories are how we pass on solutions in ways that are useful and memorable. But stories also shift with time, context, and culture, which is why no single story can be enough. We need a framework of stories. Today, we face problems our ancestors couldn’t imagine, in a world far more complex than theirs. Yet, the ambition of human civilisation remains the same: to create more dignity and stability for every life. And the way we work towards that audacious goal is still through storytelling. Stories act as maps, compasses, and prescriptions for the future—at once record, reflection, and proposition. When many stories and perspectives coexist, challenge each other, and build new consensus, that’s when they become myth. A myth is bigger than one author—it’s a collective creation.

That’s what we’re building with MAYA. While Zain and I initiated the project, it’s a sandbox open to many voices. Already, more than two hundred people worldwide are shaping this universe through books, games, films, animation, and more. Each brings their own perspective, adding castles, dreams, and even nightmares to the shared sandbox. And together, that’s what turns it into a living mythology.

(Zain) : Anand and I have been preparing for this moment our entire lives. Between us, we’ve worked across theatre, television, film, documentaries, virtual reality, board games, and publishing—all of which now feed into building this mythology. We bring that range of experience to the table, along with collaborators who are leaders in their fields.

For us, it’s always story first, not medium. Once we know the story we want to tell, we ask: what’s the best way to tell it? Then we commit to that medium, drawing on the fact that we already have experience in most of them. Collaboration also shapes the story itself. At CEPT, for example, students under the guidance of Shikha Parmar design architecture for the world of MAYA—spaces, buildings, even historical events—that feed directly into the narrative.

The result is a constantly evolving, interconnected web where design, games, novels, and films inform one another. Because we’re nimble, we don’t force the story to fit a medium—we let the medium emerge from the story.

(Anand): While we may be the first to build a narrative universe in India in the 21st century, we are part of a much older tradition. This region alone has produced mythologies and stories for thousands of years—epics like the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and the Puranas, all of which have been retold, reinterpreted, and reimagined across generations. Adaptation, reinvention, and storytelling from fresh perspectives are deeply embedded in our cultural legacy.

Few audiences in the world are as historically prepared to engage with myth as those in India and the subcontinent. Yet, we have always envisioned our work as global. Our narrative grammar, visual style, metaphors, and even the structures of our stories draw equally from Eastern and Western traditions, from art and science, from poetry and engineering. This synthesis allows us to create something contemporary, adventurous, and universally accessible.

We believe audiences are eager—perhaps even longing—for storytelling at this scale, though they may not have encountered it yet. Our aim is to draw them in gradually: beginning with the novel, then expanding into board games, graphic novels, animation, and finally into large-scale films and digital games. Those who engage early will not only witness but also help shape the evolution of this mythology for the 21st century. 

(Zain) : Our goal is not simply to create a few successful games or films, but to build a platform that enables countless others to tell their stories to a global audience. We believe it would be arrogant to assume we alone have the best stories to tell.

The next generation will quickly surpass us in creativity and insight, and the future of storytelling depends on their voices as much as ours. For now, Anand and I are creating the first set of stories in the MAYA universe to establish its tone and ethos. In the next phase, we plan to invite authors, artists, and creators from around the world—whose work we admire—to contribute their own stories.

Ultimately, our ambition is to make MAYA an open world, where anyone with a powerful story has the tools, audience, and platform to share it. If, fifteen years from now, the best work in the MAYA universe is not created by us but by others, that would be the ideal outcome.

(Anand): Humanity has excelled at breaking down the world into specialised knowledge. But in recent decades, we’ve struggled to piece it back together into a unified understanding of life. MAYA seeks to address this. Through story, myth, and fable, we aim to synthesise diverse perspectives and have focused on creating a consistent, cohesive world with deep internal logic. Once immersed in it, the world’s credibility is unquestionable: everything fits together coherently.

For example, if a species evolved without melanin due to its environment, that logic informs the development of the next species. The ‘Vanars’—anthropomorphic apes with strong arms and prehensile tails—are one of the six species to inhabit this universe. Their society, architecture, and culture reflect their biology and environment, and once decisions about their world are made, they become permanent foundations for future storytelling. We collaborated with geologists, evolutionary biologists, and other scientists to ensure the world maintains scientific cohesion. This allows the world to evolve logically while remaining recognisable and meaningful to its audience.

This also ensures the universe remains consistent over decades, allowing others to write within it without breaking its internal logic, unlike some other expansive universes that eventually require multiverses to justify inconsistencies. All the assets we’ve created—artworks, frameworks, and stories—can be used to expand this universe. We believe storytelling media, whether cinema, games, or literature, are underutilised. Inviting people to contribute to it allows audiences to engage deeply and meaningfully from the start.

(Zain): How is a game different from a toy? A game involves interactions between players or agents with predefined objectives. When we create games at The Department Of Lore or MAYA, we focus on larger systems at play. These systems can range from economic models to large-scale conflicts or the spread of misinformation. Our approach is to break these systems into their constituent parts, identify the critical fulcrums, understand who the key players are, and then empower players with meaningful decision-making points.

Players need conflicting objectives, both with each other and within themselves. If there is a single “right” answer, it becomes a puzzle. Games, however, thrive on multiple viable approaches that depend on circumstance. This is where the story emerges organically: the narrative is not dictated, but co-authored by the player through their choices. Unlike non-interactive media, a game creates a sandbox where each player contributes to the evolving story.

Every game of Shasn: Azadi, Bards of Bad Omens, or Yuyutsu plays out differently. Each audience experiences a unique, almost authorial journey while understanding larger systems they otherwise might not grasp. For example, the abstract concept of climate change—how it unfolds over a century—is difficult to comprehend in human terms. But if players simulate centuries within a game in just a few hours, observing the consequences of different actions, they gain first-hand experiential understanding. It becomes knowledge lived, rather than passively consumed.

That is the power of games. By designing systems that let players engage, explore, and experiment, we allow them to internalise complex ideas and see the ripple effects of their choices. 

Oh, definitely. Nothing any of us create emerges from nothing. MAYA, while unprecedented as a unified work, is inspired by countless creators whose ideas and insights have shaped our thinking. In terms of individual elements, MAYA is composed of many moving parts, and we are privileged as a generation to have such a rich landscape of knowledge, literature, and imagination to draw from. In that sense, MAYA is truly unprecedented.

There is no work quite like MAYA. It cannot be easily compared to Star Wars (1977-2015), Dune (2021, 2024), or Avatar (2009, 2022). While it exists within the legacy of modern sci-fi fantasy and myth, it is far more expansive, both in scope and ambition. Its story, allegories, and philosophical underpinnings draw inspiration from a wide array of sources. MAYA engages with concerns through the lens of modern surveillance capitalism, behavioral nudges, and media influence. 

We also hope MAYA is in the legacy of the Mahabharata, embracing its philosophical depth, ontology, and complexity, while reflecting compassion, empathy, and curiosity. From a cinematic perspective, we aim to evoke the wonder and awe of works by the Wachowskis, Kubrick, Spielberg, and other filmmakers who have inspired generations. In fact, we just completed recording MAYA’s first audiobook with Hugo Weaving, known for The Matrix (1999) and The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003). Finishing that project has been incredibly exciting and is a milestone in bringing MAYA’s world to life.

(Zain): The challenge is always how to find the best talent, inspire them to do their best work, and bring them together to create something none of us could have made alone. What has worked for us is honesty—about our work, about what we think of each other’s work, and most importantly, with ourselves. In the creative process, it’s easy to start second-guessing your audience, thinking, “This might not work for me, but maybe it will for them.” In doing so, you risk creating something that is honest to no one. Instead, we focus on making work that is authentic to us, rather than trying to predict what will succeed externally.

Our careers reflect that principle. When Anand directed Ship of Theseus or Tumbbad, he was making the films he wanted to make. When I created Shasn: Azadi, I was making the games I wanted to make. With projects like MAYA, we invite collaborators not just to contribute, but to join us in creating something they are genuinely passionate about. We are not looking for someone doing a job or chasing a quick paycheck. We seek collaborators whose passion aligns with ours. This approach has been the most rewarding: it has brought us the right partners, sparked inspiration from unexpected places, and enabled us to discover artists whose work might not fit conventional commercial molds but resonate deeply with true artistry.

(Anand): Definitely read the book. I strongly recommend it. We have poured our best into this work. If anything we have created before has resonated with you, this surpasses it. This is our most refined work on paper. You will experience the stories, the scenes, the thrill, the characters, and their journeys before they reach film, before they become a recognised piece of cultural history, and before they shape culture itself.

You have the unique opportunity to engage with the creation of that culture firsthand. So please come on board and read the stories. We have written them with you in mind. I guarantee that if you have appreciated anything we’ve done previously, this will resonate even more deeply.