The timeless epic, the Mahabharat, needs no introduction. However, the way Gen Z is reinterpreting it is truly unique. While the ancient Indian epic was filled with bows, arrows, and divine weapons, today’s generation is wielding memes as their primary tool.
The epic’s pivotal moment, Lord Krishna’s sermon to Arjuna on dharma, has been given a modern Gen Z makeover. Imagine Krishna telling Arjuna, “Bro, no cap, you’re tweaking right now. I know you’re staring at your fam like ‘bruh I can’t smoke my own cousins,’ but fam, this ain’t about your feelings, it’s about dharma. Pick up the bow, lock in, and let’s cook.”
Even complex characters and situations are being humorously translated. Take Ashwatthama, cursed by Lord Krishna to wander the earth with incurable wounds, depicted in a meme with an elephant in a room captioned, ‘Address me.’
The memes often draw parallels with Bollywood. For instance, a scene showing Lakshya (played by Aaryaman Singh) from Aryan Khan’s The Bad Boys of Bollywood discovering his parentage is captioned, ‘Karna POV: wdym I am also a nepobaby,’ referencing Karna’s own journey of discovering his true parentage.
Eklavya’s story, where he sacrifices his thumb as gurudakshina to Dronacharya, is humorously captured with a picture of Hrithik Roshan’s famous sixth finger, captioned, ‘Ragebait for Eklavya.’
And for the very core of the Mahabharat’s plot, a meme poses the question: “Guys, AITA (Am I The Asshole) for calling my wife (24F) a gift and then agreeing to share her amongst my four other brothers (25M, 25M, 28M, 30M) just because my mother (54F) told me to???” This relatable, albeit dramatized, meme encapsulates the complex family dynamics at the heart of the epic.