Mahabharat on Star Plus

Mahabharata is such an epic that has been part of many books, television series and movies over many years. Documentary movies have been made on this flawless epic. Even British and US broadcasters have adopted this epic for documentary movies. In India, the most famous on-screen depiction was that of B.R. Chopra's Mahabharata. I was about five years old then, and I gladly saw its repeats later on Doordarshan. After almost a decade and a half, I heard it was being remade by none other than the makers of Dev o Ka Dev Mahadev. It was the best mythology serial I ever saw with Mohit Raina in the lead, and its special effects and storytelling were simply the best.

The actors...

I started watching Mahabharat on Star Plus since its first episode and never missed one.

The first name I want to take is that of Praneet Bhat. His signature walk, one-eyed talk and his famous lines "Mere Bacchae..." make you hate his Shakuni, and that proves how great his acting skills are. Shakuni was the crudest and sly person in the epic, and he portrays that as though he is Shakuni. Special mention to scenes when he stays at Hastinapur for his sister to seek revenge and hurts himself.

Rohit Bhardwaj, who was Mohan, and Shaheer Sheikh, who was Anant in Navya... surprised me with their Yudhisthir and Arjun. I liked them both in the Modern age drama, Navya, and now they play quite different roles in Mahabharat. Special mention to the role of Brihannalla and Kanka, as well as Abhimanyu's death scenes.

Saurabh Raj Jain, who was a well-known face as Vishnu in both Jai Shree Krishna and Dev o Ka Dev, is Krishna here, and that was truly pleasing to the eyes. His half smile and witty eyes are indeed a resemblance to the Vishnu/Krishna of our imaginations. Special mentions to Gita moments, Draupadi's man Raksha, and Abhimanyu's Death.

Veebha Anand, who was Sugna in Balika Vadhu, plays Subhadra, which suited her really well. Her smile and her eyes were superb, describing the "Chanchal" Subhadra. Special mention to after Subhadra's marriage to Arjun, when they face Panchali and her scenes at Uttara's wedding.

Karna

Aham Sharma, whom I don't know why I never noticed anywhere, is dashing and calm as Karna. He took my attention away in those emotional scenes post the revelation of his true identity, and also in the scenes where he fights. His calm yet heavy voice and his lean figure make him an unconventional ( because we were all accustomed to the moustached middle-aged man image) yet gripping character. He is indeed more suitable than anybody else in this role. Special mention to the fight sequence with Abhimanyu. His expressions were superb.

Arav Chowdhary, who plays Bhishma pita maha and Devabrata, is the first impressive character in this epic who stays till the last and hence deserves mention. He is a total resemblance to B.R. Chopra's Bhishma, and his voice suits the great man's character. The scenes where he is cursed by Amba, Draupadi's Vastraharan time and his death scene deserve special mention.

Uttara Abhimanyu

Paras Arora, who was my favourite for his Veer Shivaji portrait on the Colours serial of that title, has improved more than ever. From Shivaji to Rajjo to Mahabharat, his acting has improved superbly. Abhimanyu is my personal favourite character in the epic, and he outshone everyone during the last three episodes, ending with his death. Special mention, Chakravuha (his introduction), Conversation with Uttara and death scenes. Aham Sharma is the one who steals the scene; he was nowhere near Paras in the last one. He proved his worth among people of extreme talent.

Richa Mukherjee does justice to my favourite character, Uttara. Her childish innocence turned into grown-up talk at that mere age, changed by circumstances, and has been portrayed superbly by the young talent. Special mention of Scenes with Abhimanyu and that Introduction dance.

The Crew...

Siddharth Kumar Tewary, the man who created this epic in such a beautiful way. He deserves all the credit. The writers Sharmin Joseph, Radhika Anand, Anand Vardhan, Mihir Bhuta and Siddharth Kumar Tewary were, in fact, the backbone of the storytelling. Special mention to how the Epic Story started with Vasudeva telling the viewers all we need to know... The directors who keep alive the scripts in our imaginations, namely, Siddharth Anand Kumar, Amarprith G, S Chawda, Kamal Monga and Loknath Pandey. The Graphic team and special effects team, who made it seem real, and also the trainers who trained the actors in weapons and horse riding, are the real stars of the epic.

It is truly the largest television show, with its Bengali, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Marathi versions being aired on different channels and even an Indonesian version in Indonesia.

What caught my attention most was the Music from Atul-Ajay and Ismail Darbar. The lyrics are so meaningful with the mention of the Gita, Krishna, Vedas and Mahabharat being a historical event truly worth mentioning. Also worth mentioning are the background scores of Draupadi and Abhimanyu.

The best scenes...

My favourite Scenes from this epic serial are

1. Abhimanyu's Death and his last conversation with Uttara and Arjun

2. The fight between Bhishma and Parasurama

3. Arjuna comes home with Subhadra after marriage, and Draupadi's feelings

4. Pasha game and disrobing of Draupadi.

Parting words...

A huge fan of this serial, I, as a fan, hoped it to continue, especially the characters of Abhimanyu and Uttara, who are my favourites, but are regarded as a minor part of the epic. Yet those parts have been given importance in this series like no other. I am very moved by the dialogues of Krishna, which are facts and Universal truths applied to life and times even now.

||WITHIN INFINITE MYTHS LIES ETERNAL TRUTHS||

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