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||

Uttara's Hope

This is part of the "Uttara Series" You will find under the Mahabharata. The series is also available on Wattpad. She was clad in white attire. Her churamani and jewellery were all taken away. She sat numbly in front of his dead body for a whole day, pregnant with his heir, looking at his face as though he was asleep. He had told her more than once that this day could come and that she had to protect their heir. He feared her future without him. That one day turned the fifteen-year-old Princess of Matsya into an aged lady. She became quiet and aloof. Her only concern now was her baby. Her baby wiggled in her womb. She remembered him saying, " I will always be with you." All she wanted now was a son like his father. But she knew all Hastinapur wanted was an heir to the throne. The war had ended five days after his death, and they were back in the palace of Hastinapur victorious. She, for the first time, entered her real in-laws' home, but without him. All sh...

Asuras are not Demons

Demons in the Abrahamic religion are not the same as Asuras of Hinduism. Originally deities of Iranian origin, they were seen in the tribal context as no different from Devas but as counterparts to maintain balance. In early epics and Puranas, asura meant a chosen leader of great capacity. Only later, perhaps due to the Iranian link, their image declined. It was with the Brahmanas that the sharp divide appeared: devas as divine, asuras as evil. Puranic myths demonised them mainly to assert the superiority and immortality of devas, while asuras were cast as symbols of the "other." Since Tribes still worshipped them and embraced their power of negativity, being important to balance, they soon became synonymous with tribes, which was not the case mythologically. There are instances of Bali or Ravana being Kshatriya or Brahmin Asuras and competent kings. Indian demonology itself is vast and layered, shaped by surviving tribes, each with unique myths. Celestial, aerial, and terres...

Maharana Pratap: The Sun of Mewar

Many of you have read my fan fiction as well as historical representations of the life and times of Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar. I provided small details of his life in many articles. But never have I ever made a separate historical post on him. It is very difficult to put together his life without the help of folklore because historical evidence is scarce. This one was requested, and hence here it goes. Needless to say, this one is very special. This is a blend of history and folklore. Leave your love. ❤️ Background and Birth: The year was 1540. Mewar was under a cloud of uncertainty. Banbir, their ruler for four years now, was a very incompetent ruler who always spent his time in luxury, drinking and dancing with girls. The crown prince Udai Singh was rumoured to have been killed by him. Chittorgarh was in darkness. Around March 1540, Mewar once again saw hope as some trusted generals, along with Kunwar Udai Singh, attacked Chittorgarh, taking Banbir by surprise. He was soon ...

Rakhi Tales

The year was 1535 CE. The Rajmata of Mewar, widow of Rana Sanga, was in a dilemma. On one hand was an attack from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat as a threat to her capital, Chittorgarh, and the throne of her beloved teenage son Vikramaditya. On the other hand, there was the son of her husband's archenemy, Humayun, who could be of some help. Rani Karnavati wrote a letter to Humayun, who was in the east at that time. Along with it, she sent a Rakhi, a thread of brotherhood, asking him, as a sister, for protection against the enemy. But the road was too long and time, of great essence. Humayun arrived at Chittorgarh, in response to her letter, keeping his end of the bargain but a little late. Rani Karnavati had already performed the Jauhar. They never met. Humayun established Rana Vikramaditya on the throne of Mewar, as he had promised as a brother, and returned to his post. Two dynasties, political rivals and sworn enemies, from Sanga-Babur to Pratap-Akbar and even Raj Singh-Aurangzeb, yet ...

Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes (1538 - 1597)

I am back with another History post, this time it is on the wives and sons of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, his son and heir Maharana Pratap and Rana Amar Singh. This is a continuation of the Sisodia Family History I posted some time back. The information has been taken from Annals of Mewar by James Todd, Maharana Pratap by B.N. Rana, and Maharana Pratap by Rima Hooja. Udai Singh II was the son of Ranisa Karnawati and Rana Sangram Singh. He was born on 4th August 1 522, at Chittorgarh and died on 28th February 1 572 at Gogunda . He was the Ruler of the Sisodia Dynasty. He is believed to have 56 sons and 2 5 wives, apart from the many insignificant queens in his Rani Mahal. Here is a list of his main queens and their sons. Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara of Jalore was his chief queen and consort. Her son is Maharana Pratap. He was married to her before he went to war with Banbir, as her father, Akshayraj Rao, was a friend and ally of his father, Rana Sanga. Saj...

The Emperor's First Wife

Ruqaiya Sultana Begum was born to Babur's second surviving son, Hindal Mirza, and his wife, Sultanam Begum, in 1542 C.E., merely a few months after Hamida Banu gave birth to the heir Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. She was well-versed in Persian, Urdu and Arabic and was attracted to poetry and music. Being a proud descendant of the Timurid clan, most of Rukaiya's childhood was spent in Kabul, near the Bagh E Babur, built by Babur himself. From early childhood, she had seen the struggle of her family to regain their lost power in Hind. In 1551 C.E., just after her father died young at a battle for Humayun, leaving her and her mother in the harem of the emperor, it was Hamida Banu who wanted the marriage of Rukaiya to her first cousin, Akbar. Theirs was the first in-house marriage of the Mughals, soon to be followed by many more in the generations to come. At the mere age of nine, she had married the crown prince, and when Humayun won back Lahore, she was fifteen. At the mere age ...

Nawab E Bengal

Background: Nawab Alivardi Khan was ruling Bengal at the peak of Nawabi rule, expanding his strong empire. He had successfully suppressed the Marathas and had given a strong message to the British East India Company’s rising influence at Calcutta. Highly aware of the British Colonial policies across the globe, Nawab Alivardi Khan was strict with his policies and stronghold over Murshidabad, the then capital of Bengal (including present-day Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, and Bangladesh). He had two daughters and no sons. Amina Begum was the elder one, followed by Ghaseti Begum. Amina had three sons with her husband and courtier, Ahmed Khan. The second son, Mirza Mohammad, fondly called Siraj-Ud-Daulah (light of the country)by his grandfather, was born in 1733C.E. He was his grandfather’s favourite because he was born while he won over the Marathas. Alivardi Khan never let the “fortune child” of the family out of his sight. Siraj grew up accompanying his g...

The Reva Cries

Roopmati had watched the troops leave. She had stood behind the chief queen as she traditionally bid goodbye to her sons. She had waited for the Sultan to come to her. He did. He was confident that the sudden advancement of Akbar’s foster brother Adham Khan could be curbed. It was not war, just precaution. He reassured her. Malwa would never bow to the Timurids. And he would not let anything happen to her. To Her. Roopmati felt suffocated by her husband’s affectionate hug. She felt trapped in the scrutinising eyes of all the people in the palace. Angry, blaming eyes. She tried to pace herself and sing, but her voice cracked in fear. Her melody was drowned in tears. Every evening, a messenger would come to the chief queen with the news of war. Roopmati was kept in the darkness. She was not told about anything. She knew the rumours. She was a witch. A temptress who caused doom to the Sultan of Malwa. She was a spy of the enemy planted in his life to destroy him. She wondered if he came b...

Prithviraj Chauhan: A Saga

Note: This piece is a work of fiction based on folklore and the Prithviraj Raso, an epic saga by Chand Bardai, who happened to be the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan. The dates corresponding to wars, names of people and places are, however, historically fact-checked from various sources, including the works of Todd (semi-historical), The Amir Khusrau and contemporary sources like R.C.Majumder. The incidents are fictionally woven. Rai Pithora Around the year 1140 A.D., Ajmer was ruled by Anangpal of the Tomara Dynasty. Delhi was the seat of power of the Sultanate, which was a constant power struggle for them. He managed to capture briefly most parts of west Rajputana, and present-day Haryana and Punjab were also part of his kingdom. The old king had a son and two daughters. His concern grew as his son Surya was not talented enough to rule Ajmer. His youngest daughter, Princess Karpuri Devi, was married to Someshwar Chauhan of the famous Chauhan clan. Their son, Rai Pithora, helped...

Mewar: Origin of Guhilots

Origin: Lord Rama had two sons, Labh and Kush . The Ranas of Mewar are descendants of the former. Labh had built his capital at Lah-Kot (Lahore) , and the branch from which the Mewar blue blood arrives resided there until Kanaksen (Often traced as the founder)moved to Dwarika, Saurashtra. "Sen" was used as a title term for many decades by this Suryavanshi clan until it later changed to "Dit" or "Aditya", names of the Sun. Aditya was changed to Guhilot permanently after the expulsion from Saurashtra when they settled in the Ahar valleys (Aravallis). The Sisodia clan sprang from a Prince of Chittoor who had killed a hard chase hare (sissoo in local dialect). The branch often used " Ranawat ", meaning "Royal Blood", as a title, but over time, Sisodia emerged as the retained branch name. Kanaksen wrestled dominance of the Parmar race and founded Birnagar in AD 144. Four generations hence, Vijay Sen ...

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