Mahabharat on Star Plus

Mahabharata is such an epic that had 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 had 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 Duradarshan. After almost a decade n 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.

Krishna Saurabhbh Raaj 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, who 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 lea 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 deserved 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 Colors 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 outshined 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 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 horseriding are the real stars of the epic.

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

What caught my attention most is 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 the mention. 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 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||

Jauhar: All You Need to Know

“We have no Knowledge of the beginning and end of the world, the first and last of this ancient book has fallen out” Abu Talib Karim Rightly said by the poet laureate of Emperor Shah Jahan above, we do not actually know the beginning and end of anything in the universe, be it the traditions, culture or human race, or the world. What we know are fragments of the past we extract out of evidence. It is in vain to try and determine the first and last of something. For the past few months owing to some media hype on Jauhar, many of you had asked me questions. I tried to answer most of them. However, a lot remained unsaid and unwritten. Mostly because some things are impossible to put into words. But here I try my best. Today is a very significant day in history. On the 23 rd of February 1568, the world saw the last “Jauhar” of Chittorgarh, recorded in the medieval history of India. Akbar had invaded Mewar and the siege of four months ended in the Saka. There was no better day for...

The Queen of Mewar

There have been many versions, folktales and local stories in Rajputana on their Kings and Queens. None of these versions is, however, historical as history only mentions her as wife to Maharana Pratap, his consort and Queen Mother to Amar Singh. She was busy making a garland when Ratnawati rushed inside, hardly able to breathe. Concerned, the elder sister stopped her work and looked at her panting young sibling. " What is it? What's wrong?" "Jija maa sa is not letting me go to the haat mela alone. Please come with me, I need to buy some bangles." The spoiled younger one pleaded. " Wait, let me do my aarti first, then we can go." The reluctant Ratnawati sat down impatiently. In another room, their mother was helping their father get ready for the day. He was the Samant of Bijolia, the representative of the Rana of Mewar. Throughout the day he had to deal with administrative problems in Bijolia and give people justice, but today he had something...

The Queen Mother of Mewar

Let me start by saying, this is a representation of history and folklore in my own words, trying to show how great a soul this lady was. And let me start with a line here. “Naari Ki Balidaano Ko Sadev Bhulta Aya hai Itihas.” Yes, most women lay forgotten in the pages of history, only alive through the folklore and local tales that fail to reach the pages of books due to a lack of historical evidence. Their names don’t remain, but their haunting hand prints on the fort walls before Jauhar, their names on inscriptions as daughter, wife and mother, often make us wonder, who were they, how were they and how were their lives! Historically, the only thing we know about Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara, princess of Jallore and queen of Mewar is that she was the first queen of Rana Udai Singh II, the mother of most probably her only son Maharana Pratap and daughter of ally of Rana Sanga, Akshay Raj of Jallore. Apart from that her entire life has no historical existence and is spun on ...

The Princess of Marwar

Historically we know nothing about Phool Bai Rathore except that she was the daughter of Ram Singh Rathore, granddaughter of Raja Maldeo Rathore and fifth wife of Maharana Pratap. There is no historical evidence of Akbar's alliance with her in particular however Maldeo did give his granddaughters in a marriage alliance with Mughals and other major dynasties. Phool Kanwar's cousin Maanwati Bai (Better known as Jodha Bai or Jagat Gossain) married Salim, Akbar's son and later emperor Jahangir. The Princess was in her chambers. The Mehrgarh Fort was in a quiet dark state and everyone feared what lay ahead. The men of the Rathore clan had gone to ally with the Mughal emperor Akbar. Rao Maldeo had decided that it was the only way to save Marwar's future. His second son Udai and youngest one Chandrasen supported his decision to save the country. But his heir and firstborn Ram Singh Rathore was a rebel. He was not going to bow down before the Mughals and lose his dignity. A...

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 be killed by him. Chittorgarh was in darkness. Around March 1540, Mewar once again saw hope as some trusted generals along Mewar with Kunwar Udai Singh attacked Chittorgarh taking Banbir by surprise. He was soon to re...

The Warrior Bride

Kelwa/Kailwa is a small village situated around two hours away from Chittorgarh and an hour from Lake Pichola. It was mainly inhabited by the Rathores and ruled by the Chundawat clan, who were once the rulers of Mewar. One chief of Kelwa, was Rawat Sihaji Singh Chundawat. He was a very close ally of Rana Sanga. His son Jaga Singhji too died fighting for Rana Udai Singhji in one war with the Afghans in 1555 AD. Kelwa’s heir was the minor child of Jaga Singhji and his widow Sajjan Bai Songara Chauhan. Being from the clan of the Chauhan Rajputs, she was a warrior at heart. From the early age of about four, her only son was brought up under his uncle Naga Singhji, to fight for his motherland and serve it like all other Mewaris. Fatta (Patta), as fondly called by everyone was a deft warrior even before he reached his teens. His name and bravery spread across the land, to Rana Udai Singh’s ears in Chittorgarh. He was also the nephew to Ranaji’s close aide Rawat Chundawatji. Upon the order of...

Teeja Saka Chittor Ra

23rd February 1568. The sun rose on the eastern horizon, not with the hope of a new day. But, with the horror of what was to follow. The first rays of the Sun God were met by the chants of “Jai Bhavani!” that echoed in the air of Chittorgarh. The Mewaris knew it was time. Four months back, when the Mughals camped at the base of the fort, a helpless Chittorgarh had watched. Rana Udai Singh had left with his closest aides to make the new city westwards, his capital. If rumours were to be believed, he had left behind a cavalry of 8000 soldiers, under Rao Jaimal of Merta and Rawat Patta of Kelwa to look over the fort. He had also left behind some of his lesser queens and infant princes, as an assurance to the people that Chittorgarh was invincible. Their safety and hope had lived in Kunwar Pratap. Truth be said, they had already taken the crown Prince as their King. Ever since Ranisa had left with him till he became the Senapati, he had time and again proved to be a better lead...

The Navroz Incident

This popular folklore has been recreated from Col, James Todd's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. Names I have added, from my own historical research. This one is especially for Garima to thank her for the books and love! Yet another Veer Gatha from the dessert! Ps. This is folklore with no evidence of history, please remember that Bikaner, lying in the western part of the Thar, was a small yet independent state ruled by a clan of Marwari Rathores until Raja Kalyanmal surrendered to Akbar's Rajput Policies in 1571. His fourth son Prithviraj Rathore, being a great warrior and poet was respected as one of the "Nine Gems" in Emperor Akbar's court. Prithviraj, was the son of Kalyanmal's first wife and queen Rani Songaribai Rainawati, a cousin of Maharani Jaiwanta Bai of Mewar. Hence he was cousin to the valiant Pratap Singh of Mewar. He was also married to one of Rana Udai Singh of Mewar's daughters from his other wives, sister to Kunwar Pratap, Baisa Ja...

Charumati's Love

T his is written based on folklore. This is a representative work of fiction and not claiming any historical happening in the conversations. This is to show the spirit of the women of Rajputana. The year 1657. Shah Jahan had taken ill and was rumoured to be dying in Agra Fort. He was about eighty and the pressure of having an empire had taken a toll on his body. The seat of power was slowly shifting from Agra to Delhi since the prominence of the Laal Quila had increased and if the news spread was to be believed his sons were in a battle for the throne already. It was time each king chose sides once again. Dara Sikhoh was the eldest and the righteous Heir to the throne. He was believed to be a man who held high morals and was hence respected by the enemies and alliances as well. Aurangzeb was his sibling and the youngest of the brothers. Short tempered and cunning he was always dreaded by the court. As Shah Jahan took ill, Aurangzeb took this as a golden opportunity to wage ...

Symphony of Love

A week was enough for the master to be pleased enough with the new student to tell the Sultan that she was ready for her first performance. The Sultan was extremely pleased and rewarded him with a gold chain. As the master bowed to leave, the guards announced the arrival of the chief queen. Sultan Baz Bahadur sat upright. She was his first bride, a childhood alliance his father had forced upon him when he did not even know what marriages implied. Now he only saw her face when she had complaints about the inner palace and its inhabitants. Honestly, he expected her there since Roopmati arrived. His queen did not like changes especially if those changes were threatening to her position. The Chief Queen arrived with her maids, dismissed them at the threshold and came up to her husband to bow and greet him. “What brings you here?” Baz Bahadur asked, with a lingering smile on his lips. The queen could hear the hint of taunt in his voice. She forced a smile. Her marriage to this reckles...

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