Prakash Mohandas: Breathing New Life into Myth with Vision, Versatility, and Voice
In an age where stories from mythology are often retold in familiar formats, Prakash Mohandas emerges as a creator who doesn’t just revisit ancient tales—he reinvents them. With his book Lanka – The Prophecy of the Bloodline, Mohandas doesn’t follow the well-trodden path of mythological retellings. Instead, he dares to ask, What happened after the Ramayana ended? This single question becomes the foundation of a larger, bolder narrative—one that blends epic fantasy with emotional nuance, strategic storytelling with philosophical insight. It’s not just mythology—it’s mythology evolved. And it tells you everything you need to know about the kind of artist Prakash is.
A multi-hyphenate creative force, Prakash Mohandas wears many hats—author, dancer, filmmaker, actor, musician, entrepreneur. He is the founder of Agni Dance, Agni Entertainment, and Agni Foundation for the Arts, each a vibrant testament to his passion for South Asian storytelling in all its forms. Whether it’s through motion, music, cinema, or the written word, Prakash believes in telling stories that are rooted in culture but expansive in imagination. His art consistently explores the balance between ancient tradition and modern relevance—something clearly visible in his debut novel.
What sets Mohandas apart as a writer is his cinematic approach to storytelling. Lanka – The Prophecy of the Bloodline reads not just like a book, but like a screenplay, a stage production, and a poetic dance—all at once. His characters move with purpose, scenes unfold with visual intensity, and emotions linger like background scores. This ability to infuse literature with the sensory depth of multiple art forms gives his writing a rare richness. It’s no surprise that readers find themselves immersed in the world he’s created, as if they’ve stepped into a saga that is playing out in real time.
Yet, despite his flair for the grand and dramatic, Mohandas never loses sight of the human core. His characters—especially the reimagined Shurpanakha—are layered with vulnerability, ambition, and contradiction. In his hands, mythology becomes a lens to explore timeless human themes: the hunger for power, the weight of legacy, the search for identity, and the possibility of redemption. By choosing to spotlight characters often overshadowed by the larger-than-life figures of Indian epics, he gives voice to the forgotten, the misunderstood, and the morally complex.
His work reflects the sensibility of someone who deeply understands narrative structure, yet doesn’t feel confined by it. Mohandas’ storytelling instinct comes from years of shaping narratives through dance choreography, scriptwriting, music composition, and visual media. This multifaceted experience allows him to see a story not just as plot points and character arcs, but as rhythm, movement, mood, and energy. It’s this synergy that fuels Lanka – The Prophecy of the Bloodline, making it not only a literary experience but a visceral one.
Off the page, Prakash Mohandas is a committed cultural curator and community builder. Through Agni Dance and Agni Entertainment, he has created platforms for South Asian voices to be seen and heard—particularly in the diaspora. His performances, events, and productions don’t just entertain; they celebrate identity, heritage, and the evolving nature of art. The Agni Foundation for the Arts furthers this mission, enabling artists from diverse backgrounds to collaborate and grow. His dedication to elevating South Asian art is not just professional—it’s personal. It’s a calling.
As an author, Mohandas embodies a unique blend of rootedness and rebellion. He respects the mythologies he draws from but isn’t afraid to question, deconstruct, and reimagine. His creative voice is both reverent and rebellious, traditional and trailblazing. In Lanka – The Prophecy of the Bloodline, this balance is evident in every chapter—where age-old prophecies meet modern psychological complexity, and where the shadow of war carries the promise of transformation.
The novel marks the beginning of a larger trilogy—an ambitious narrative arc that promises to reshape how we view the Ramayana’s aftermath and the Rakshasa legacy. But beyond the story, it marks the arrival of a writer who brings all of himself to the page. Every sentence carries the rhythm of a dancer, the vision of a filmmaker, the sensitivity of an actor, and the strategy of an entrepreneur. It’s rare to find a debut novel so confident in its voice and so fearless in its scope.
Prakash Mohandas is not just an author to watch—he’s a storyteller with the power to change how we see our past and imagine our future. In a time where stories are either sacred or sensationalized, he finds the sacred in the sensational and the human in the mythic. And in doing so, he offers readers not just a new book—but a new way to experience mythology itself.
