Mahabharat is an Indian mythological[2] series based on the ancient Indian Sanskrit epic Mahabharat.[3][4][5][6][7] It aired from 16 September 2013 to 16 August 2014 on Star Plus.
Mahabharat | |
---|---|
Genre | Mythology |
Created by | Siddharth Kumar Tewary |
Based on | Mahabharat by Vyasa |
Written by | Sharmin Joseph Radhika Anand Anand Vardhan Mihir Bhuta Siddharth Kumar Tewary |
Directed by | Siddharth Anand Kumar Amarprith G Mukesh Kumar Singh Kamal Monga Loknath Pandey |
Creative director(s) | Amol surve |
Starring | Saurabh Raj Jain Pooja Sharma Shaheer Sheikh Aham Sharma |
Narrated by | Saurabh Raj Jain |
Composer(s) | Ajay-Atul Ismail Darbar |
Country of origin | India |
Original language(s) | Hindi |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 267[1] |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Siddharth Kumar Tewary Gayatri Gil Tewary Rahul Kumar Tewary |
Production location(s) | Umbergaon, Gujarat |
Editor(s) | Paresh Shah |
Camera setup | multi camera |
Production company(s) | Swastik Productions |
Distributor | Star India |
Release | |
Original network | StarPlus |
Picture format | 576i 1080i (HDTV) |
Original release | 22 September 2013 – 16 August 2014 |
External links | |
Website | |
Production website |
It was produced by Swastik Productions Pvt. Ltd starring Saurabh Raj Jain as Shri Krishna, Shaheer Sheikh as Arjun, Pooja Sharma as Draupadi, Aham Sharma as Karna, Arav Chowdhary as Bhishma, Arpit Ranka as Duryodhan.
- 2Cast
- 4Reception and impact
Plot[edit]
Mahabharat presents the story of Hastinapur, a kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan where the Kaurav and the Pandav brothers compete for its throne. Yudhistir, the eldest Pandav, and Duryodhan, the eldest Kaurav claim to be the next in the line of succession.The Pandavs are the sons of Pandu while Kauravs are the sons of Dhritrashtra.
The story begins with Devavrata, the son of Shantanu and Ganga a disciple of Parshuram. He earns the name Bhisma by swearing an oath of celibacy in order to fulfill his father’s wish to marry Satyavati. He also vows serve the throne of Hastinapur and is granted the boon of icchya-mrityu (the ability to live as long as he does not choose to die). Thus, Bhisma gives up his rightful throne and Satyavati rules the kingdom as the ‘Rajmaata’ (Mother of the King) after her husband’s death. Her son, Vichitravirya, an alcoholic and heavily dependent on Bhisma, cannot rule the kingdom, leading Satyavati to decide that Vichitravirya’s future son must rule the kingdom. As Vichitravirya is incapable of choosing a wife for himself, Bhisma has to do so.
The three princesses of the Salva Kingdom, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika are won over by Bhisma, who takes them to Hastinapur to be married to Vichitravirya. However, Amba had already chosen a groom and demands to be released. She returns to her lover but is spurned for being the rejected wife of another man. Vichitravirya then marries Ambika and Ambalika.
When Amba demands justice, she is given the choice to marry Vichitravirya and become the queen of Hastinapur. Instead, she requests that Bhisma marry her as it was he who won her. However, Bhisma refuses, due to his oath of celibacy, resulting in Amba’s anger. Therefore, Lord Shiva grants Amba the boon of rebirth with a memory of the past and the fate to cause Bhisma’s death. Reborn as Shikandi in the Panchal Kingdom, she partakes in Bhisma’s death and fulfills the boon.
In Kuntibhoj, Princess Kunti obtains a boon from the sage Durvasa whereby she may invoke any deity and bear his child. Out of curiosity, she tests the boon, calling upon the Sun God and is granted a son named Karna. However, Kunti, as an unmarried woman, sets Karna afloat on the river Ganga to avoid embarrassment. She later marries Pandu, son of Vichitravirya and invokes other deities to give her three sons, Yudhistir, Bhim and Arjun. Karna’s true identity is never revealed until the end of the Kurukshetra War. Karna, a skilled archer and belonging to a lower caste, was often mistreated as he was raised by Adirath, a charioteer, and his wife, Radha. Duryodhan, the Pandhavs’ mortal enemy is the only one to ever support Karna and thus, Karna vows to always protect Duryodhan and fights on his behalf during the Kurukshetra War.
Bhisma asks for Gandhari’s hand in marriage for his blind nephew Dhritarashtra, resulting in her brother Shakuni’s fury. Bhisma persuades him as Dhritrashtra would be the future king of Hastinapur. However, during the coronation ceremony, Dhritrashtra’s younger brother Pandu is crowned king due to the influence of Vidur, another of Dhritrashtra’s younger brothers. Shakuni, feeling cheated, swears to destroy the Kuru race. He poisons the mind of Duryodhan against the Pandavs and sows the seeds for the Kurukshetra War where Shri Krishna imparts the Bhagavad Gita to his Pandav cousin Arjun. The war results in the deaths of many, including Bhisma, Karna and all the sons of Dhritrashtra and Gandhari.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Actor | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|
Saurabh Raj Jain | Krishna/Vishnu | Rukmini’s husband, Pandava's cousin |
Aarav Chowdhary | Bhishma | Shantanu and Ganga’s son. Grandsire of Pandavas and Kauravas |
Thakur Anoop Singh | Dhritarashtra | Ghandhari’s husband, father of the Kaurav's and King of Hastinapur |
Riya Deepsi | Gandhari | Dhritarashtra’s wife, Shakuni's sister and mother of the Kauravas |
Shafaq Naaz | Kunti | Pandu’s wife, mother of Pandavas and Karna |
Rohit Bharadwaj | Yudhisthir | First Pandava, Son of Kunti and Dharma. Husband of Draupadi and Devika |
Saurav Gurjar | Bheema | Second Pandava, Son of Kunti and Vayu, husband of Draupadi, Hidimba and Valanthara |
Shaheer Sheikh | Arjuna | Third Pandava, Son of Indra and Kunti, husband of Draupadi, Subhadra, Uloopi and Chitrangadha |
Vin Rana | Nakula | Fourth Pandava, Son of Madri and Ashwini Kumar, husband of Draupadi and Karenumati |
Lavanya Bhardwaj | Sahadeva | Fifth Pandava, Son of Madri and Ashwini Kumar, husband of Draupadi and Vijaya |
Pooja Sharma | Draupadi | Common wife of the Pandas, princess of Panchala and daughter of King Drupada |
Arpit Ranka | Duryodhana | Eldest Kaurava, Bhanumati's husband and Karna's friend |
Nirbhay Wadhwa | Dushasana | Duryodhana’s brother, 2nd Kaurava |
Aham Sharma | Karna | Son of Kunti and Surya, elder brother of Pandavas, King of Anga, Duryodhana's friend and Vrushali's husband |
Praneet Bhat | Shakuni | Gandhari’s brother and King of Gandhara |
Recurring[edit]
- Atul Mishra as Ved Vyas
- Akhilendra Mishra as Kansa
- Kunwar Vikram Soni as Krishna
- Tarun Khanna as Balram, Krishna’s elder brother
- Preeti Puri Choudhary as Devaki, Balram and Krishna’s birth mother
- Vandana Singh as Yashoda, Balram and Krishna’s foster mother
- Pallavi Subhash as Rukmini, Krishna’s wife
- Gurpreet Singh as Prince Rukmi, Rukmini’s brother
- Ketki Kadam as Radha, Krishna’s lover
- Sameer Dharmadhikari as Shantanu, Ganga and Satyavati’s husband
- Vivana Singh as Ganga, Shantanu’s wife and Bhishma’s mother
- Sayantani Ghosh as Satyavati, Shantanu’s wife
- Aryamann Seth as Vichitravirya, Ambika and Ambalika’s husband
- Ratan Rajput as Amba, Princess of Kashi
- Aparna Dixit as Ambika, Dhritarashtra’s mother
- Mansi Sharma as Ambalika, Pandu’s mother
- Arun Singh Rana as Pandu, Kunti and Madri’s husband
- Suhani Dhanki as Madri, 2nd wife of Pandu, mother of Nakul and Sahadev
- Kaushik Chakravorty as Shalya, Madri's brother
- Naveen Jingar as Vidura, Mahamantri of Hastinapur, younger brother of Pandu and Dritarashtra
- Nissar Khan as Dronacharya, Guru of Pandavas and Kauravas
- Hemant Choudhary as Kripacharya
- Chandani Sharma as Kripi
- Ankit Mohan as Ashwatthama, Dronacharya’s son, Duryodhana's friend
- Ajay Mishra as Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra’s aide
- Ali Hassan as Takshak and Jayadratha
- Garima Jain as Dushala, Duryodhan’s sister and Jaydrath’s wife
- Nazea Hasan Sayed as Vrushali, Karan’s wife
- Sudesh Berry as Dhrupad, Shikandini, Drishtadyun and Draupadi’s father
- Shikha Singh as Shikhandini, Drupad’s 1st child, reincarnation of Amba
- Karan Suchak as Dhrishtadyumna, Drupad’s 2nd child
- Vibha Anand as Subhadra and Yogmaya, Arjun’s wife
- Deepak Jethi as Virata
- Paras Arora as Abhimanyu, Arjun and Subhadra’s son
- Vaishnavi Dhanraj as Hidimbi, Bheem’s first wife and Ghatothkacha's mother
- Ketan Karande as Ghatothkach, Bheem and Himdimbi’s son
- Richa Mukherjee as Uttara, Abhimanyu’s wife
- Pravisht Mishra as Uttar, Uttara’s brother
- Puneet Issar as Parshurama, Guru of Bhishma, Drona and Karna
- Raj Premi as Kalayavan
- Rio Kapadia as Subala
- Sandeep Arora as Vikarna, Duryodhan’s brother
- Shweta Gautam as Sudharma
- Siddhant Gautam as Ekalavya
- Tinu Verma as Jarasandha
- Joy Mathur as Shishupala
- Rumi Khan as Kichaka
- Vidyut Xavier as young Karna
- Alam Khan as young Duryodhan
- Ashnoor Kaur as young Dushala
- Kunal Bhatia as Agni
- Mohit Raina as Shiva
- Nikhil Arya/Sachin Verma as Indra
- Ananya Agarwal as Malini
- Anju Jadhav as Sukhada
- Jayantika Sengupta as Arshi
- Kanishka Soni as Parashvi
Production and promotion[edit]
Star spent ₹100 crore (US$14 million) on the project and spent another ₹20 crore (US$2.9 million) on marketing the show, making it India's most expensive TV series of its time. Its record of being India's most expensive TV show was later broken by Swastik Pictures' Porus.[8]
According to producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary, the Draupadi cheer haran (disrobing) sequence,[9] which Tewary himself directed, took 20 days to shoot.[10]
Reception and impact[edit]
Critics[edit]
Writing for Rediff, Nishi Tiwari wrote that 'If it maintains the quality of writing and able actors who portray key characters, we may have another winner among us'.[11] DNA praised the costumes, scenery, Krishna's flute theme which was given by Raj Mohan Sinha,[12] and most of the CGI special effects, but said the story pace was too fast.[13]
Awards and accolades[edit]
It won the trophy for the Best Drama in Star Guild Awards 2013 as well as number of accolades in other award shows.[14] It won the Indian Telly Awards for Actor in a Supporting Role (Drama), given to Aham Sharma for his portrayal as Karna, and Actor in a Negative Role to Praneet Bhat in 2014. The crew members also won the awards for Best Costumes for a TV Programme, Best Make – Up Artist, and Best Stylist.[15] It has been dubbed to other languages including Bengali, Marathi, Oriya, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.[16]
Viewership[edit]
Its premiere had a viewership of approximately 8.4 million people.[17] The show has become the highest rated weekday mythological epic show in the last three years on Indian television.[18] The viewership ratings of the week of 1 December 2013 reached 9,801 TVTs. The game of dice leading to Draupadi's 'cheer haran' took Mahabharat at its peak viewership(10TVTs.4 TVM) and helped the broadcasting channel Star Plus clock the highest GTVMs ever achieved by any channel in Indian Television History.[19]
Other countries[edit]
In Indonesia, the drama was broadcast on antv dubbed in Indonesian in March 2014. The casts of Mahabharat were invited to hold a fan meeting tour at Jakarta and Bali. The Times of India reported in 2014 that the show has a huge fan following abroad and as result, the prominent characters from the show had been called to Indonesia for a special event.[20] The main casts of Mahabharat, performed on 'Mahabharat Show: Fan Meeting Tour' in the year 2014 .[21][22][23][24][25][26][27] As from 6 December 2015, the show starts airing in its original version and subtitled in English on MBC Digital 4 every Sunday in Mauritius. In Thailand, the drama was broadcast on Channel 5 dubbed in Thai starting January 2, 2016.[28] In Myanmar,it has been dubbed in Burma as မဟာဘာရတ and telecasted Everyday at 8:30 pm on Sky Net World Drama Channel.[citation needed]
Awards[edit]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Star Guild Awards | Best Ensemble Cast | Sidharth Kumar Tewary | Won |
Best Mythological Series | Swasthik Picture | |||
Indian Television Academy Awards | Best Visual Effects | Swasthik Picture | ||
Best Historical/Mythological Serial | Mahabharat | |||
Indian Telly Award | ||||
Best Costumes for a TV Program | Bhanu Athaiya | |||
Best Makeup Artist | G. A. Jamesh | |||
Best Ensemble | Sidharth Kumar Tewary | |||
Best Actor in a Negative Role | Praneet Bhat | |||
Best Stylist | Shweta Korde | |||
Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Aham Sharma | |||
Star Parivaar Awards | Favourite Naya Sadasya (Male) | Shaheer Sheikh | ||
Pehel Nayi Soch Ki | Saurabh Raj Jain and Pooja Sharma | |||
Saathi Nayi Soch Ka | Aham Sharma | |||
Nayi Soch | Saurabh Raj Jain | |||
Favourite Kutumb | Mahabharat | |||
2015 | Scroll of Honour |
References[edit]
- ^'Mahabharat Episodes'. www.hotstar.com. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^'Parmavatar Shri Krishna to premiere soon; 5 mythological shows that redefined the genre and left us asking for more'. India Today. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^TNN 15 September 2013, 10.27 AM IST (15 September 2013). 'Mahabharat launced for the youth of the nation! - Times Of India'. Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^'Shakuni's role in Mahabharat once in a lifetime: Praneet Bhatt'. The Times of India. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^'Is Shafaq Naaz miffed with Mahabharat makers?'. The Times of India. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^'Shaheer Sheikh and Rohit Bhardwaj's Buddy Diwali!'. The Times of India. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^'Riding high on 'Mahabharat' ratings, Star Plus tops the chart'. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^Ajita Shashidhar. 'Broadcasters betting big money on the small screen with Rs.100 crore shows'. India Today. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
- ^'The cheer haran sequence in Mahabharat took 20 days to shoot'. The Indian Express. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^Kanabar, Ankita R. (2 April 2014). 'The cheer haran sequence in Mahabharat took 20 days to shoot'. Indian Express. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ^Nishi Tiwari. 'Review: Mahabharat, so far so good'. Rediff. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^'A young boy from Bihar'.
- ^Chaya Unnikrishnan. 'Show review: 'Mahabharat''. DNA. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ^'Reality shows see a drop in ratings this week - Times Of India'. Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 8 December 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^'13th Indian Telly Awards: Complete List of Winners'. Times of India. 18 October 2014.
- ^Janani Karthik (6 December 2014). 'Mahabharatham is back on Vijay TV - The Times of India'. Indian Express. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^Debashish Mukerji. 'Riding high on 'Mahabharat' ratings, Star Plus tops the chart'. India Today. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ^Priyanka Srivastava. 'Major networks in epic ratings battle as mythological shows like Mahabharat take on reality TV for nation's viewers'. Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- ^'Rise in the ratings of TV shows this week - Times Of India'. Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 1 December 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ^'Indonesia calling for Mahabharat!' (8 December 2014). Times of India. Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^'Mahabharat's Shaheer Sheikh, Aham Sharma & Rohit Bhardwaj woo their fans in Indonesia!'. Pink Villa. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ^'Look what 'Mahabharat' Stars are busy doing in Indonesia!'. Pink Villa. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^'In Pics: Team 'Mahabharat' works hard in Jakarta and parties harder in Bali!'. Pink Villa. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^'Casts of Mahabharat will be performing using English, Hindi and Indonesian Languages'. tribunnews. 2 October 2014.
- ^'Mahabharat Show'. tribunnews. 3 October 2014.
- ^'Stars of Mahabharat will perform at Jakarta'. tribunnews. 1 October 2014.
- ^'Residents of Bali bought tickets for Fans Meeting of the casts of Mahabharat'. tribunnews. 4 October 2014.
- ^'ซีรีย์อินเดีย มหาภารตะ'. Channel 5 (in Thai). 2 January 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
External links[edit]
- Mahabharat on IMDb
- Official Website on Hotstar
Series Directed by
Mukesh Kumar Singh | ... | (36 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Amarpreet G.S. Chhabra | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Siddharth Anand Kumar | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Kamal Monga | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Loknath Pandey | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Series Writing Credits
Siddharth Kumar Tewary | ... | (creator) (102 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Neha Kothari | ... | (69 episodes, 2013) |
Vedavyas | ... | (24 episodes, 2013) |
Radhika Anand | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Mihir Bhuta | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Sharmin Joseph | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Salim Khan | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Ratish Marulkar | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Devdutt Pattanaik | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Bharti Sharma | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Anand S. Vardhan | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Series Cast
Saurabh Raj Jain | ... | |
Shaheer Sheikh | ... | |
Arav Chowdharry | ... | |
Pooja Sharma | ... | |
Arpit Ranka | ... | |
Aham Sharma | ... | |
Praneet Bhatt | ... | Shakuni 127 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Rohit Bharadwaj | ... | |
Saurav Gurjar | ... | |
Thakur Anoop Singh | ... | |
Nissar Khan | ... | Dronacharya 127 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Riya Deepsi | ... | Gandhari 127 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Shafaq Naaz | ... | |
Vin Rana | ... | Nakul 127 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Lavanya Bhardwaj | ... | Sahadev 127 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Naveen Jingar | ... | Vidur 127 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Nirbhay Wadhwa | ... | Dushasan 127 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Ankit Mohan | ... | Ashwatthama 127 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Karan Suchak | ... | Dhristadyumna / ... 126 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Shikha Singh | ... | |
Sudesh Berry | ... | Drupad / ... 126 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Atul Mishra | ... | Ved Vyas / ... 122 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Sayantani Ghosh | ... | |
Sameer Dharmadhikari | ... | Santanu / ... 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Paras Arora | ... | |
Richa Mukherjee | ... | Uttara 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Hemant Chaudhary | ... | |
Aparna Dixit | ... | |
Aryamann Seth | ... | |
Vibha Anand | ... | Subhadra / ... 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Arun Rana | ... | |
Kaushik Chakraborty | ... | Shalya 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Ratan Rajput | ... | |
Tarun Khanna | ... | Balram / ... 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Suhani Dhanki | ... | Madri 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Pallavi Subhash Shirke | ... | Rukmini 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Nazea Sayed | ... | Vrushali 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Pravisht Mishra | ... | Uttar 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Vaishnavi Dhanraj | ... | Hidimbi 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Deepak Jethi | ... | Virat 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Ajay Mishra | ... | Sanjay 121 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Mansi Sharma | ... | |
Vivana Singh | ... | Ganga / ... 96 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Ketan Karande | ... | Ghatotkacha 96 episodes, 2013-2014 |
Amit Mehra | ... | Lord Shiva 30 episodes, 2014 |
Vandana Singh | ... | Young Yashoda 30 episodes, 2014 |
Alam Khan | ... | Young Duryodhan 17 episodes, 2013 |
Raj Shah | ... | Young Dushasan 17 episodes, 2013 |
Devesh Ahuja | ... | Young Nakul 15 episodes, 2013 |
Rudraksh Jaiswal | ... | Young Sahadeva 15 episodes, 2013 |
Miraj Joshi | ... | Young Bhim 15 episodes, 2013 |
Rohit Shetty | ... | Young Yudhisthir 15 episodes, 2013 |
Soumya Singh | ... | Young Arjun 15 episodes, 2013 |
Shweta Gautam | ... | Queen Sudarma 14 episodes, 2013 |
Sandeep Arora | ... | Vikarna 9 episodes, 2013 |
Deblina Chatterjee | ... | Madri 9 episodes, 2013 |
Jayantika Sengupta | ... | Arshi 9 episodes, 2013 |
Rio Kapadia | ... | King Subala 8 episodes, 2013 |
Ashnoor Kaur | ... | Young Dushala 8 episodes, 2013 |
Ketki Kadam | ... | Radha 7 episodes, 2013 |
Chandani Sharma | ... | Kripi 7 episodes, 2013 |
Puneet Issar | ... | |
Garima Jain | ... | Dushala 6 episodes, 2013 |
Aayush Shah | ... | Teenage Ashwathama 5 episodes, 2013 |
Gananay Shukla | ... | Young Karna 4 episodes, 2013 |
Vdyut Xaviier | ... | Karna Young 4 episodes, 2013 |
Yagya Saxena | ... | Young Ashwathama 3 episodes, 2013 |
Gurpreet Singh | ... | Prince Rukmi 3 episodes, 2013 |
Raj Premi | ... | Kalayavan 2 episodes, 2013 |
Nikhil Arya | ... | Lord Indra 1 episode, 2013 |
Mohit Raina | ... | Lord Shiva 1 episode, 2013 |
Series Produced by
Gayatri Gill Tewary | ... | producer (20 episodes, 2013) |
Rahul Kumar Tewary | ... | producer (20 episodes, 2013) |
Siddharth Kumar Tewary | ... | producer (20 episodes, 2013) |
Ajay Kumar Sharma | ... | line producer (1 episode, 2013) |
Series Music by
Raj | ... | (104 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Ismail Darbar | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Lenin Nandi | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Series Cinematography by
Thomas A. Xavier | ... | (46 episodes, 2013) |
Series Film Editing by
Paresh Shah | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Series Production Design by
Amit Singh | ... | (99 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Vipul Jagota | ... | (10 episodes, 2013) |
Tanveer Alam | ... | (1 episode, 2013) |
Series Art Direction by
Amit Singh | ... | (99 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Series Set Decoration by
Omung Kumar | ... | (10 episodes, 2013) |
Bhanu Athaiya | ... | (unknown episodes) |
Series Costume Design by
Shweta Korde | ... | (99 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Bhanu Athaiya | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Nidhi Yasha | ... | (20 episodes, 2013) |
Series Production Management
Jayant Lade | ... | executive in charge of production (63 episodes, 2013) |
Manish Hamza | ... | post-production manager (20 episodes, 2013) |
Dilip Patil | ... | post-production manager (20 episodes, 2013) |
Yash Puri | ... | post-production manager (20 episodes, 2013) |
Srinivas Rao | ... | post-production manager (20 episodes, 2013) |
Kumar Saurabh | ... | post-production manager (20 episodes, 2013) |
Series Sound Department
Sanjay Dhakan | ... | sound effects editor (uncredited) (102 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Series Visual Effects by
Jitendra Varma | ... | visual effects supervisor (102 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Nitin Andey | ... | cg supervisor / visual effects supervisor (62 episodes, 2013) |
Amarjyoti Borah | ... | visual effects artist (62 episodes, 2013) |
Dhrutiranjan Sahoo | ... | visual effects supervisor (60 episodes, 2013) |
Manish Hamza | ... | visual effects (20 episodes, 2013) |
Dilip Patil | ... | visual effects (20 episodes, 2013) |
Yash Puri | ... | visual effects (20 episodes, 2013) |
Srinivas Rao | ... | visual effects supervisor (20 episodes, 2013) |
Kumar Saurabh | ... | visual effects (20 episodes, 2013) |
Jishnu P. Dev | ... | vfx team lead (12 episodes, 2013) |
Sneha Kanekar | ... | senior compositor (12 episodes, 2013) |
Shahzneen Mehershahi | ... | junior compositor (12 episodes, 2013) |
Siddhesh Ware | ... | vfx team lead (12 episodes, 2013) |
Amit Nitore | ... | digital matte painter (10 episodes, 2013) |
Roshan Thomas | ... | visual effects artist (8 episodes, 2013) |
Thou Mangang | ... | cg supervisor: Incandlelight Studio (6 episodes, 2013) |
Siddharth Thakur | ... | digital compositor (4 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Sukhnoor Kaur | ... | visual effects coordinator: Intermezzo Studios (3 episodes, 2013) |
Nitish Naik | ... | visual effects (3 episodes, 2013) |
Murtaza Z. Garothwala | ... | Lighting Artist (1 episode, 2013) |
Ashish Malhotra | ... | team lead compositing: Maya Digital Studios (1 episode, 2013) |
Hanuman Patel | ... | visual effects supervisor (1 episode, 2013) |
Utkarsh Baile | ... | digital compositor (1 episode, 2014) |
Paresh Mistry | ... | Cloth/Groomer Artist: Maya Digital Studios (uncredited) (1 episode, 2013) |
Series Stunts
Aanandd Shetty | ... | stunts (20 episodes, 2013) |
Raam Shetty | ... | action coordinator (20 episodes, 2013) |
Series Casting Department
Mahesh Chandra Bhatt | ... | casting associate (20 episodes, 2013) |
Sahil Ansari | ... | Casting Staff / casting staff (10 episodes, 2013) |
Gaurrav Kaushal | ... | casting associate: original casting (4 episodes, 2013) |
Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bhanu Athaiya | ... | costume consultant / Costume consultant (10 episodes, 2013) |
Series Music Department
Raj | ... | composer: additional music / composer: theme music (104 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Ajay Gogavale | ... | composer: additional music / songs composed by (20 episodes, 2013) |
Atul Gogavale | ... | composer: additional music / songs composed by (20 episodes, 2013) |
Sanjay Wadnerkar | ... | lyrics / lyricist (20 episodes, 2013) |
Arpita Mukherjee | ... | playback singer (1 episode, 2014) |
Series Other crew
Amol Surve | ... | Creative Director (99 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Jaki Azmi | ... | production staff (20 episodes, 2013) |
Rohit Trivedi | ... | production staff (20 episodes, 2013) |
Ram Upadhyay | ... | production staff (20 episodes, 2013) |
Rakesh Yadav | ... | production staff (20 episodes, 2013) |
Jai Prakash Chouksey | ... | research and consultant (10 episodes, 2013) |
Nitin Mathura Gupta | ... | creative team (10 episodes, 2013) |
Ritesh Kaul | ... | head of production (10 episodes, 2013) |
Maaghvi Narsale | ... | research and consultant (10 episodes, 2013) |
Vishram Rane | ... | finance team (10 episodes, 2013) |
Ajay Yadav | ... | finance team (10 episodes, 2013) |
Manpreet Singh Arshi | ... | On Air Promotions (1 episode, 2013) |
Series Thanks
Raj | ... | special thanks (104 episodes, 2013-2014) |
Salim Khan | ... | special thanks (20 episodes, 2013) |
Mahabharat | |
---|---|
Genre | Historical Drama |
Based on | Mahabharata |
Written by | Pandit Narendra Sharma, Rahi Masoom Reza |
Directed by | Ravi Chopra |
Narrated by | Harish Bhimani |
Country of origin | India |
Original language(s) | Hindi |
No. of episodes | 94 |
Production | |
Producer(s) | B. R. Chopra |
Running time | 60 minutes (approx) |
Release | |
Original network | DD National |
Original release | 2 October 1988 – 24 June 1990 |
Chronology | |
Related shows | Mahabharat Katha |
Mahabharat is an Indian television series based on the Hindu epic of the same name. The 94-episode Hindi series[1] originally ran from 2 October 1988 to 15 July 1990 on DD National.[2] It was produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his son Ravi Chopra. The music was composed by Raj Kamal. The script was written by the Urdu poet Rahi Masoom Raza, based on the original story by Vyasa. Costumes for the series were provided by Maganlal Dresswala.[3]
Each episode ran for approximately 60 minutes and began with a title song that consisted of lyrical content and two verses from the Bhagavad Gita.[4] The title song was sung and the verses rendered by singer Mahendra Kapoor. The title song was followed by a narration by Indian voice artist Harish Bhimani of a personification of Time, detailing the current circumstances and highlighting the spiritual significance of the content of the episode. It is the most successful Mahabharata series ever produced in the television.
Mahabharat Katha Part II - Story of Barbarik and Veer Babhruvahan was a spin-off series which contained portions and stories left out in Mahabharat.
- 1Cast
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
- Nitish Bhardwaj as Dwarkadheesh Bhagwan Shri Krishna, Incarnation of Lord Vishnu/ Devaki-Vasudev's younger son/ Foster son of Nand and Yashoda, Radha's Consort, Balaram and Subhadra's brother/ Pandavas' cousin, husband of Rukmini and others
- Kewal Shah as Adolescent Krishna
- Arjun (Firoz Khan) as Kuntiputra Arjuna, 3rd Pandava/ son of Kunti and Indra/ husband of Draupadi, Uloopi, Chitrangada and Subhadra/ brother-in-law of Balaram-Krishna/ father of Abhimanyu
- Ankur Javeri as Young Arjun
- Pankaj Dheer as Angaraj Karna, son of Kunti and Surya/ Adhiratha-Radha's foster son/ King of Anga Desh
- Harendra Paintal as Young Karna
- Gajendra Chouhan as Chakravarti Samrat Dharamraj Yudhishthir, 1st Pandav/ son of Kunti and Yama / Eldest son of Kuru Clan/ King of Indraprastha and later Hastinapura/ husband of Draupadi
- Praveen Kumar as Kuntiputra Bhim, 2nd Pandav/ son of Kunti and Vayu/ Second eldest son of Kuru clan/ Yuvraaj(crown Prince) of Indraprastha/husband of Draupadi and Hidimbi/ father of Ghatotkacha
- Sameer Chitre as Nakul, 4th Pandav, son of Madri and Ashwini Kumara/ husband of Draupadi
- Sanjeev Chitre as Sahadeva, 5th Pandav, son of Madri and Ashwini Kumara/ husband of Draupadi
- Roopa Ganguly as Samragni Yagyaseni Draupadi, Wife of all Pandav/Also called as Panchali/ Yagyaseni/ Younger daughter of Drupad/ Princess of Panchala/Sister of Dhrishtadhyumna and Shikhandi
- Aloka Mukherjee as Subhadra, Arjuna's 2nd wife/ Abhimanyu's mother/ Vasudev's daughter hence Krishna-Balaram's sister and Yadava princess
- Mukesh Khanna as Gangaputra Devavrata Bhishma, Shantanu-Ganga's eighth son/ eighth Vasu/ Satyavati's step-son
- Krish Mallik as Adolescent Bhishma
- Puneet Issar as Duryodhan, Eldest son of Gandhari and Dhitarashtra/ Elder brother of 99 Kauras/ Husband of Bhanumati
- Vinod Kapoor as Dushasan, Second son of Gandhari and Dhitarashtra/ Duyodhan's younger brother
- Surendra Pal as Dronacharya, Guru of Kauravas and Pandavas
- Pradeep Rawat as Ashwatthama, son of Dronacharya
- Girija Shankar as Maharaj Dhritrashtra, Vichitravirya's son from Ambika(eldest)/ later king of Hastinapur/ father of Kauravas
- Renuka Israni as Maharani Gandhari, wife of Dhritrashtra/ Queen of Hastinapur/ mother of Kauravas/ princess of Gandhara
- Tarakesh Chauhan as Maharaj Pandu, Vichitravirya's son from Ambalika(youngest)/ King of Hastinapur/ father of Pandavas
- Nazneen as Maharani Kunti, Pandu's first wife/ mother of Karna, Yudhisthira, Bhim and Arjun/ Daughter of Shoorsen hence Vasudev's sister and Yadava princess/ Foster daughter of Kuntibhoj
- Roma Manik as Rani Madri, Pandu's second wife/ Madra princess/ mother of Nakul and Sahadev
- Virendra Razdan as Mahamantri Dasi Putra Vidur, the Mahaa Mantri of Hastinapur / son of Ambika's head maid, Parishrami/ half-brother to the kings Dhritarashtra and Pandu of Hastinapura and also the uncle of Pandavas and Kauravas
- Gufi Paintal as Shakuni, Gandhari's brother/ later King of Gandhara
Recurring[edit]
- Sagar Salunke as Balram, Vasudev's elder son
- Chetan Hansraj as Adolescent Balram
- Razak Khan as Ghatotkach
- Mayur Verma (Master Mayur) as Abhimanyu
- Varsha Usgaonkar as Uttara, Abhimanyu's wife/ Virata princess
- Dinesh Anand as Vikarna, Son of Gandhari and Dhitarashtra/ Duyodhan's younger brother
- Kamlesh Maan as Devi Sulabha, Vidur's wife
- Dharmesh Tiwari as Kripacharya, Kulguru, Family Teacher
- Lalit Tiwari as Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra's advisor and also his charioteer
- Raj Babbar as Chakravarti Samrat Bharat, ancestor of Kauravas and Pandavas/ son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala
- Ashalata as Rajmata Shakuntala, Bharata's mother / King Dushyanta's wife
- Rishabh Shukla as Maharaj Shantanu, descendant of Bharata
- Kiran Juneja as Mata Ganga, Shantanu's first wife/ Bhisma's mother/ the holy river of Hindus.
- Debashree Roy as Rajmata Satyavati, Shantanu's second wife/ Vichitravirya and Chitrangada's mother/ Bhisma's step-mother
- Sudesh Berry as Maharaj Vichitravirya, Shantanu-Satyavati's second son after Chitrangada, Bhisma's step brother
- Meena Chakrabarty as Maharani Ambika, 2nd princess of Kashi/ Vichitravirya's first queen
- Menaka Babbar as Ambalika, 3rd princess of Kashi/ Vichitravirya's second queen
- Ayub Khan as Parikshit, son of Abhimanyu and Uttara/ Grandson of Arjuna-Subhadra
- Om Katare as Adhiratha, Charioteer/Karna's foster father
- Saroj Sharma as Radha, Adhiratha's wife/ Karna's foster mother
- Ramlal Gupta as Ugrasen, King of Mathura
- Goga Kapoor as Kans, son of Ugrasen
- Ashok Banthia as Senapati Kritvarma
- Ajay Sinha as Akroor, Vrishni Chief
- Bashir Khan as Satyaki, General
- Vishnu Sharma as Vasudev, Son of Shoorsen, prince of Vrishni tribe
- Kshama Raj as Rohini, Vasudev's elder wife
- Sheela Sharma as Devaki, Vasudev's younger wife
- Rasik Dave as Nand Raj, Chief of Gokul/ Foster father of Krishna
- Manju Vyas as Yashoda, Nand's wife/ Foster mother of Krishna
- Channa Ruparel as Maharani Rukmini, Krishna's chief wife
- Parijat as Mata Radha, Krishna's consort
- Pradeep Sharma as Drupada
- Arun Bakshi as Dhrishtadyumna
- Paintal as Shikhandi/ Sudama
- Ashok Sharma as Virata, King of Virata
- Chandni Sharma as Sudeshna, Queen of Virata
- Sameer Rajda as Uttar, crown prince of Virata
- Sharat Saxena as Kichak, Army General of Virata
- Kapil Kumar as Shalya
- Deep Dhillon as Jayadratha, Dussala's husband, Kaurava's brother-in-law
- Rakesh Bidua as Kashya, King Of Kashi
- Jahnavi as Amba, 1st princess of Kashi
- Vikrant Mathur as Subala, Shakuni's and Gandhari's Father, King of Gandhara
- Shivendra Mahal as Parshuram / Lord Shiva
- Dara Singh as Hanuman (cameo)
- Satish Kaul as Indra
- Gopi Krishna as Chitrasena
- Rana Jung Bahadur as Jarasandh, King of Magadha, Father-in-law of Kans
- Karunakar Pathak as Shishupala, King of Chedi, Cousin of Krishna and Balaram
- Pawan Shukla as Shalv Kumar, Prince of Salwa Kingdom
- Prem Sagar as Rishi Kanva
- Pankaj Berry as Rishi Kindama, sage who cursed Pandu
- Rajesh Vivek as MaharishiVed Vyas
- Vikas Prasad as Ekalavya
- Randhir Singh as Hidimba / Bhootana (Putana)
- Sabrina as Bhootana, (Putana)
- Paramjeet Chima as Dashraj, Satyavati's Father
- Harish Bhimani as Samay/ Narrator
- Sumeet Raghavan as Young Sudama
Episodes[edit]
Episode 1 - Introduction of Kuru Family, Raja Bharat and Raja Shantanu
Episode 2 - Ganga Kills Her Sons
Episode 3 - Bhishma Is Grown-up
Episode 4 - Bhisma Pratigya/Iccha Mrityu Vardaan
Episode 5 - Amba, Ambika and Ambalika's Introduction
Episode 6 - Birth of Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidur
Episode 7 - Karna's Birth-story, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari Get Married and Pandu and Kunti Get Married
Episode 8 - Madri is gifted to Pandu, Pandu is resting and Sage Kindama's curse on Pandu
Episode 9 - Dhritarashtra is king his sanyas and Kansa is king and Akashwani about Krishna
Episode 10 - Birth of Balarama and Five Pandavas
Episode 11 - Krishna Janma
Episode 12 - Pootna's Death
Episode 13 - Krishna brahmand darshan and Krishna gets caught while stealing makhan
Episode 14 - Maiya Mori Mai nahi makhan khayo and Kaliya Nag Tandav
Episode 15 - Radha and Gopikas, protest against Mathura, Devakasur and Trulambasur Vadh
Episode 16 - Kansa invites Krishna to Mathura
Episode 17 - Kansa Vadh
Episode 18 - Pandu's Death
Episode 19 - Satyavati, Ambika, Ambalika take sanyas with Rishi Vyas
Episode 20 - Duryodhan Poisons Bhim and Bhim Gets Strength of 1000 Elephants
Episode 21 - Sudama's chivda and Drona arrives to Hastinapur
Episode 22 - Shastra Pooja, Drona insults Karna and Arjun's Test
Episode 23 - Ekalavya, Karna's Education, Arjun's Test of Bird's Eye
Episode 24 - All grown up, prince is to be nominated and everyone exhibit their skills in Rangbhoomi, Karna challenges Arjun and Duryodhan gives Anga desh to Karna
Episode 25 - Drona's guru dakshina to capture Dhrupad
Episode 26 - Krishna gets Sudarshan chakra from Parshuram, defeats Jarasandh and orders building Dwarika
Episode 27 - Yudhishthir Is Crowned as Prince. Rukmini Is Being Forced to Marry Shishupal
Episode 28 - Krishna Rescues Rukmini
Episode 29 - Lakshagriha Is Built in Varnavata by Purochan
Episode 30 - Tunneling in Varnavat Begins
Episode 31 - Escape from Lakshagriha
Episode 32 - Hidimb Vadh and Bhima's marriage
Episode 33 - Bakasur Vadh
Episode 34 - Dristadyumna & Draupadi Birth and Draupadi Swayamvar
Episode 35 - Arjun Wins Draupadi and Later She Became the Wives of 5 Pandavas
Episode 36 - Pandavas Leave from Panchal to Hastinapur
Episode 37 - Pandavas Arrives at Hastinapur and Kingdom Is Divided
Episode 38 - Pandav Get Khandavprastha
Episode 39 - Coronation of Yudhirsthir, Khandavprastha Becomes Indraprastha
Episode 40 - Arjun runs away with Subhadra
Episode 41 - Arjun Weds Subhadra. Arjun Gets Devdatta Conch and Gandiva and Bhima Gets His Gada
Episode 42 - Jarasandh Vadh, Rajsuya Yagnya begins, Shishupal's Story
Episode 43 - Rajsuya Yagya, Shishupal Vadh
Episode 44 - Vyas Predicts War, Draupadi Laughs at Duryodhan
Episode 45 - Pandavas Go to Hastinapur to Gamble
Episode 46 - Yudhishthir Loses Everything
Episode 47 - Vastraharan of Draupadi
Episode 48 - Pandavas Get Back Everything
Episode 49 - Re-match of Dyut
Episode 50 - Vanvas Begins
Episode 51 - Gandharvas Catch Duryodhan
Episode 52 - Arjun Worships Lord Indra and Lord Shiva for Divyastra and Gets Pashupatastra
Episode 53 - Krishna's story of one grain of rice, Bhim meets Ghatotkach and Hanuman, Arjun learns dance from Chitrasen
Episode 54 - Arjun gets curse of impotency from Urvashi, Abhimanyus as a kid, Jayadraths head is shaved
Episode 55 - Story of Poisoned Water and Yaksha, Abhimanyu Is Grown-up
Episode 56 - Agyatvas in Matsya Desh
Episode 57 - Karna's curse, Draupadi as Maid Sairandhri rejects Keechak
Episode 58 - Keechak Vadh by Bheema
Episode 59 - Kaurav Attack Matsya Desh
Episode 60 - Viraat yudh and clothes for Uttara's dolls
Episode 61 - Abhimanyu's Marriage and Pandavs Decide to Send a Doot to Hastinapur
Episode 62 - Dhritarashtra Does Not Agree and Sends Sanjay
Episode 63 - Duryodhan gets Narayani Sena from Krishna
Episode 64 - Krishna Goes to Hastinapur as Shanti Doot
Episode 65 - Krishna tooks Virat Avtar and Indra takes Karna's kawach kundala
Episode 66 - Karna's Identity Is Disclosed
Episode 67 - Vidur resigns as a prime minister, Kunti meets Karna
Episode 68 - Sanjay gets divya drishti, Ulluk goes to Pandavas
Episode 69 - Duryodhan tricks Shalya to join Kauravas
Episode 70 - Shikhandi's Story
Episode 71 - Arjun Worships Goddess Durga, Rules of War Laid
Episode 72 - Kurukshetra War Begins and Arjun Drops His Weapons, Geeta Saar Begins
Episode 73 - Geeta Saar Continues
Episode 74 - Geeta Saar Continues and Krishna Shows His Maha-Avtaar
Episode 75 - Yudhishthir Gets Blessings, Yuyutsu Changes Side and War Begins, Abhimanyu Faces Bhishma
Episode 76 - Uttar dies, Arjun faces Bhishma and day 2 begins
Episode 77 - Arjun is unstoppable, 3rd day is over, 4th day begins, Bhim is surrounded, 10 Kauravs are killed, Krishna takes out his Sudarshan
Episode 78 - 9th Day Is Over and 16 Kauravs Are Dead, Bhishma Tells Arjun How to Take Him Out of the War
Episode 79 - Bhishma lies on the Bed of Arrows, Karna meets Bhishma
Episode 80 - Day 11, Drona tries to capture Yudhishthir but is unsuccessful, Shantanu comes to Bhishma
Episode 81 - Chakra Vyuh Planned, Duryodhan Promises Susharma
Episode 82 - Abhimanyu Vadh
Episode 83 - Arjun Vows to Kill Jayadrath and Story About Jayadrath's Curse
Episode 84 - Arjun Breaks Kamal Vyuh to Get to Jayadrath
Episode 85 - Jayadrath Vadh
Episode 86 - Ghatotkach dies
Episode 87 - Drona Dies
Episode 88 - Dushasana dies and Karna fights with Arjun, Krishna puts the rath in the land so that Arjun is saved
Episode 89 - Karna's curse, Karna Dies
Episode 90 - Shakuni Dies, Yudhishthir Curses All Woman Kind and Duryodhan Becomes Iron Bodied
Episode 91 - Balaram arrives, Bhim-Duryodhan Gada Yudh
Episode 92 - Duryodhan Dies, Ashwathama, Kripa and Kritvarma Remain, Parikshit's Story
Episode 93 - Dhritarashtra Tries to Kill Bhim
Episode 94 - Yudhisthir Becomes King of Hastinapur, Bhishma Dies
Episode 95 - Mahavir Barbrik
Production[edit]
According to production team member Kishore Malhotra, the total cost of producing the series was ₹9 crore (US$1.3 million).[5]Nitish Bharadwaj was chosen by B R Chopra, Ravi Chopra, (screenplay writer) Pandit Narendra Sharma and (dialogue writer) Rahi Masoom Raza, to play the central role of Krishna, at the age of 23.[6][7] Firoz Khan was chosen to portray the character of Arjuna (which he later adopted as his screen name, not to become confused with a more popular actor of the same name) despite being rejected in auditions.[8] Praveen Kumar was selected to portray Bhima after Chopra was looking for someone 'who could look the robust mythological character'.[9] Around six actors were shortlisted for the role of Draupadi, including Juhi Chawla, who opted out of the show as she had bagged a film. Ramya Krishnan and Roopa Ganguly were the final names, and at last Roopa Ganguly was chosen, as her Hindi was good. Govinda (actor) and Chunky Pandey were signed for the role of Abhimanyu, but they opted out when they bagged films. Later, Master Mayur played the role.[10]Raj Babbar and Debashree Roy were the only two star actors of that time, who agreed to be parts of this venture.[11]
Broadcast[edit]
It was shown in the United Kingdom by the BBC,[12] where it achieved audience figures of 5 million.[13][14] It was also the first programme broadcast on BBC2 after its 1991 revamp,[15] but had also been shown late at night on BBC 1 the previous year.[16] It has also been shown on FBC TV in Fiji and Star Utsav. It also aired on Epic. Dubbed versions were aired in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and also in Indonesia in the early 1990s on TPI (now MNCTV) and in the early 2000s on ANteve (now antv).
Reception[edit]
- Roopa Ganguly enacting in the Vastraharan sequence.
- The sequence is often claimed to be the most climactic one of the series.[17] For the sequence Chopra recreated the visual effect of the Vastraharan sequence of Babubhai Mistry's Mahabharat (1965) starring Padmini as Draupadi.[18] His visual effects won more favour than that of the 1965 film and has still been considered by a part of critics to be the most brilliant in line.[19][20]
- While Vyasa wrote about Dharma providing Draupadi with clothes, Chopra, in the sequence, delineated the popular myth of Krishna having provided with clothes, which received criticism that Chopra had been led by religious fanaticism.[21]
Lavanya Mohan of The Hindu on her article 'Retelling of Mahabharata on Television over the years' wrote 'The version that left the maximum impact on me is BR Chopra’s. Yes, the sets were gaudy, the effects comical, and the acting got a little too dramatic at times, but the writing and the way the episodes were paced ensured that the series was ahead of its time.'It is commonly known to be associated with this serial along with 'Ramayana' serial, where it is said that streets in cities remained isolated and people left their work to watch this series.[22]
Home media[edit]
The series was uploaded on the website 'Rajshri.com' along with its dubbed Tamil version.[23] Home video of Bengali dubbed version of its series has been released by Heart Video.[24]
Legacy[edit]
Mahabharat along with Ramayana (1987) became one of the successful mythological television series in Indian television. Many actors went on to become popular through the series. Mukesh Khanna shot to fame as Bhishma and went on to name his production company after the character's name and Roopa Ganguly went on to become a successful actress in Bengali cinema.[25][26]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'B.R. Chopra (Indian filmmaker) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia'. Britannica.com. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^McLain, Karline (2009). India's immortal comic books: gods, kings, and other heroes. Indiana University Press. p. 46. ISBN978-0-253-22052-3.
- ^'Behind the scenes: Dress designers to actors & deities'. The Tribune. 20 April 2003. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
- ^Title Song Lyrics from the TV Series Mahabharat, 21 September 2013, retrieved 1 December 2014
- ^Mahabharat Ki Mahabharat: The Making of B.R. Chopra's 'Mahabharat'
- ^''I DID NOT want to play Krishna in Mahabharat''.
- ^'Janmashtami 2017: Actor Nitish Bharadwaj recollects his days from the Mahabharat'.
- ^Tankha, Madhur (29 August 2012). 'Mahabharat's Arjun gets blacklisted!'. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^''Bheem' waiting for a special role'. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^'Actors talk about what went into making Mahabharat in 1988'. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^'B.R. Chopra's serial 'Mahabharat' promises to be another bonanza 31101988'. m.indiatoday.in. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^'BBC Genome:Mahabarat - transmission times'. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^':: omnimb.ca > Epic Hindi Language Series Mahabharat Launches Exclusively on Rogers OMNI Television Channels In Ontario and British Columbia ::'. 29 April 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^Jones, Mark (7 June 2013). 'The Returned: how British TV viewers came to lose their fear of subtitles'. the Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^'Watch Hindi Update Serials'. The TV Room. 16 February 1991. Retrieved 1 September 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^'Watch Hindi Update Serials'. The TV Room. Retrieved 1 September 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^'Actors talk about what went into making Mahabharat in 1988'. www.hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^'Mahabharat (1965) - Review, Star Cast, News, Photos'. Cinestaan. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^'Why the new Mahabharat is an epic fail- Entertainment News, Firstpost'. Firstpost. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^'Happy B'day BR Chopra: The Story Behind His Iconic 'Mahabharat''. The Quint. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ^Dissanayake, Wimal (1993). 'The concepts of evil and social order in Indian melodrama: an evolving dialectic'. In Dissanayake, Wimal (ed.). Melodrama and Asian Cinema. Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-0-521-41465-4. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- ^Mohan, Lavanya (16 October 2015). 'Epic television'. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^'Mahabharat on the net'. 22 December 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^'Mahabharat now in Bengali'. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^Ghosh, Bishwanath (25 July 2015). 'Ideology vs. stature'. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^Tankha, Madhur (8 May 2015). 'No child's play'. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
External links[edit]
- Mahabharat on IMDb
B R Chopra's series cast some famous names like Mukesh Khanna, Raj Babbar, Praveen Kumar and Rupa Ganguly but for many, the show became pretty much their identity. Mr Chopra's Mahabharata originally aired from 1988 to 1990. Here's a look at some of the members of the cast after almost three decades.
Raj Babbar - Bharat
Actor Raj Babbar started his Bollywood career with 1977 film Kissa Kursi Ka and starred in several popular films like Umrao Jaan, Nikaah and Kalyug. But his portrayal of Bharat in the television series is one of his most popular roles. Mr Babbar was last seen in Bollywood film Tevar. He joined politics in 1989 and is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand for the Congress.
Image (R) posted on Facebook by Raj Babbar
Kiran Juneja - Ganga
Actress Kiran Juneja started her small screen career with critically acclaimed show Buniyaad in 1987. The next year she took the role of Ganga in Mahabharata. She has also starred in supporting roles in films like Fashion, Jab We Met and Khosla Ka Ghosla. She is married to Sholay director Ramesh Sippy.
Debashree Roy - Satyavati
Bengali star Debashree Roy started her career in 1978 and, after a brief struggle, shot to acclaim with a role in Aparna Sen's 36 Chowringhee Lane. Though she was applauded for her performance, the film failed commercially. 1982 film Troyee made her a star. Debashree Roy was at the peak of her career when she signed up to play Satyavati in Mahabharata. Her career graph took a downward dip after 2008 and she was last seen in 2014 film 24th July. She was briefly married to Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee.
Mukesh Khanna - Bheeshma
After starring in several Bollywood films, actor Muukesh Khanna was cast as Bheeshma in Mahabharata. He later worked in other popular shows like Chandrakanta and Shaktimaan and currently stars in TV series Waaris.
Girja Shankar - Dhritrashtra
Apart from Mahabharata, actor Girja Shankar was also a part of TV show Alif Laila. He has worked in several films like Divine Lovers (1997), Irada and was last seen in Punjabi film Gadaar: The Traitor.
Renuka Israni - Gandhari
Actress Renuka Israni's claim to fame has been Mahabharata. After the show, she starred in small roles in films like Rishtey, starring Anil Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor. She played the role of Sakshi Tanwar's mother in Bade Achche Lagte Hain.
Gufi Paintal - Shakuni
Gufi Paintal made sure no one forgot the character of Shakuni for a long time. The actor has featured in small roles in films like Dillagi and Samrat & Co.. On television, he played the role of Mughal Emperor Humayun in 2013 show Maharana Pratap and currently stars in Shani as Vishwakarma.
Puneet Issar - Duryodhana
Actor Puneet Issar will, perhaps, never shake off his controversial big screen role as antagonist opposite Amitabh Bachchan in Coolie (1983), when Big B suffered his infamous and near-fatal injury while filming a fight scene with his co-star. In the weeks that followed, Puneet Issar was demonised by Big B's adoring public while the star lay comatose in hospital. Amitabh Bachchan made a full recovery and so did Puneet Issar's career, although he was typecast as a villain - he played Duryodhan in the B R Chopra version of Mahabharata and was later cast as Parshuraam in Mahabharata redux, which aired in 2013 and was produced by Ekta Kapoor.
On TV, he last appeared in Bigg Boss season 8 in 2014.
Pankaj Dheer - Karna
Mahabharata was actor Pankaj Dheer's big break after which he starred in films like Sanam Bewafa, Badshah and Gippi. His other popular television shows are Chandrakanta, where he played Raja Shivdutt, King of Chunargarh, and Harishchandra. The actor, whose son Nikitin Dheer starred in Shah Rukh Khan's Chennai Express, currently plays a pivotal role in TV show Badho Bahu.
Gajendra Chouhan - Yudhishtira
Mahabharat Star Plus Cast
B R Chopra's Mahabharata remains actor Gajendra Chouhan's most recognized show in his body of work. In 2015, Mr Chouhan was controversially appointed the chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India. FTII students went on strike, citing Gajendra Chouhan's perceived lack of qualifications. His appointment was also widely criticized by celebrities like Ranbir Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, Rishi Kapoor and director Kiran Rao.
Arjun - Arjun
Actor Firoz Khan, popularly known by his screen name Arjun, starred in several films before landing the role of Arjun in Mahabharata. He's also worked in films like Mehndi, Aa Gale Lag Jaa and Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat. He was last seen in Yamla Pagla Deewana 2.
Praveen Kumar - Bheem
Before becoming Bheem for B R Chopra, Praveen Kumar was an athletics star, who won several championships in his field of discus throw. He won a silver medal in the 1966 Commonwealth Games and represented India at 1968 and 1972 Olympics.
Apart from Bheem, he popularly portrayed Saaboo in the Chacha Chaudhary series. In films, he was mostly cast as the villain's henchman or a goon. Praveen Kumar quit acting to become a politician.
After losing from Aam Aadmi Party ticket in Delhi's Wazirpur constituency in the 2013 elections, he joined the BJP.
Rupa Ganguly - Draupadi
Actress Rupa Ganguly debuted opposite Anil Kapoor in 1985 film Saaheb but her ticket to fame was (like for many others) Mahabharata. After that, she starred in acclaimed Bengali films like Gautam Ghosh's Padma Nadir Majhi and Rituparno Ghosh's Antarmahal.
She also starred in TV shows like Kasturi, Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil and Kuch Toh Hai Tere Mere Darmiyaan, her last television appearance.
Surendra Pal - Dronacharya
Actor Surendra Pal played the role of Dronacharya in Mahabharata and later starred in several other television shows like Chanakya, Shaktimaan, Maharana Pratap, Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev, Siya Ke Ram, Maryada and Shagun. He currently stars in Jaana Na Dil Se Door.
Surendra Pal has also played small roles in films like 1920 London, Seher, Jodhaa Akbar and Khuda Gawah.
Nitish Bharadwaj - Krishna
Nitish Bharadwaj started his small and big screen career simultaneously. He featured in National Award-winning film Trishagni and Mahabharata at about the same time. He reprised the role of Krishna in 2014 TV show Ajab Gajab Ghar Jamai and was last seen in 2016 film Mohenjo Daro. Nitish Bharadwaj also joined the BJP in 1996.
Varsha Usgaonkar - Uttara
Varsha Usgaonkar had a thriving career in Marathi films when she was cast as Uttara in the show. She's also known for her portrayal of Rani Laxmibai in 1990s series Rani Of Jhansi. She reprised the role years later in The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey, starring Aamir Khan.
She has also featured in Marathi television shows like Aakash Zep and Eka Mekansathi.
Ayub Khan - Parikshit
Actor Ayub Khan is the nephew of thespian Dilip Kumar. Ayub has starred in several films like Dil Chahta Hai and Gangaajal, but he's mostly known for his roles on the small screen - from earlier shows like India Calling to Uttaran and Ek Haseena Thi. He currently stars in Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki.
Pradeep Rawat - Ashwatthama
Pradeep Rawat's first role was that of Ashwatthama in Mahabharata, after which he starred in several Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. He played the principal antagonist in Aamir Khan's Ghajini and Deva in Lagaan, also starring Aamir. His upcoming film is Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai.
Goga Kapoor - Kans
Goga Kapoor played the role of a villain in most of the films he starred in - Amitabh Bachchan's Agneepath and Toofan, included. He played a negative role again in Mahabharata as well. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya and Refugee are a few other films he starred in. Goga Kapoor died in 2011 due to prolonged illness. He was 70.
Paintal - Shikhandi
Comedian Paintal, brother of Gufi, is known for his roles in films like Jawani Diwani (1972), Rafoo Chakkar (1975), Bawarchi (1972) and Piya Ka Ghar. He was last seen in Hindi film 30 Minutes, along with his son Hiten.
Rajesh Vivek - Ved Vyas
Actor Rajesh Vivek starred in Mahabharata as Ved Vyas but before that, he played the role of Dr Rajendra Prasad in Gandhi (1982) and was also seen in Ram Teri Ganga Maili. The actor also starred in TV show Devon Ke Dev Mahadev and in films like Lagaan, Swades and Jodhaa Akbar. He died of a heart attack in 2016 at the age of 66.
Chetan Hansraj - young Balram
Chetan Hansraj started as a child artiste in Mahabharata and later continued his TV career with Kkusum. He worked in other popular Balaji television shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. He was also a part of TV shows like Jodha Akbar and Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev. He currently plays the antagonist in Chandra Nandni.
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