Epic saga returns

One of India’s biggest epics, ‘Mahabharat’, is back on television in a new avatar and with a fresh set of actors, promising a memorable experience, writes Srabanti Chakrabarti .

In Indian television, mythology is a formula that rarely fails. Be it the several remakes of Ramayana or the relatively new Devon Ka Dev Mahadev, the audience keeps boosting TRPs of these shows week after week. So, what can stop successful producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary from bringing his version of Mahabharat to the small screen?

Great expectations

The producer, after all, has a list of successful shows in his bag — Agle Janam Mujhe Betiya Hi Ki Jo, Navya, Phulwa and Amita Ka Amit — and can afford to dream big.

“Every story has a different shade. The beauty of storytelling is in justifying a character and its action without portraying him in black or white, or a situation as right or wrong. This is applicable to Mahabharat as well. Every aspect of the epic is relevant in today’s times. It is an attempt to show the human side of every single character in the series, and re-interpret the old text without tampering with the sensibilities of the story,” he explains.

Is it because of the success of mythological serials in the recent past? Tewary denies vehemently, “It took us four years of research and brainstorming sessions to conceive and execute the show. But, even today I feel we needed a bit more time.” While on the topic, he goes on to explain his thoughts on the success ratio of mythological shows, “When we create a fiction soap opera, we work hard to make audiences relate to the characters. The show works only when the audience connects with the story and the characters. In the case of mythological or historical shows, the characters are already ingrained in our minds.

All of us have either read or heard about them. Hence, the audience connects with them faster. For example, I don’t need to explain to the viewers who Krishna is. They want to see how we depict Krishna. One needs to cater to public perceptions and exceed expectations.”

And, that is where the risk element involved in a show like Mahabharat also comes in. “Mahabharat is a magnum opus. It has everything that one could wish to create. We need to recreate a world that existed centuries ago. How did the world look, what they wore, how they spoke, how they lived and so on. Every aspect of this is extremely challenging. We have gone all out and given it our best shot.”

Tewary has planned a fresh and new look of Mahabharat with what he feels is an optimal mix of old and new actors. Few actors like Rohit Bharadwaj and Shaheer Sheikh are from his earlier show Navya, while most others are new. Incidentally, Shaheer and Rohit played on-screen brothers in Navya, and in Mahabharat they are again playing brothers — Arjun and Yudhisthir.

Talking about his character, Shaheer says, “I am practically living with Arjun for the last one year. There have been times when I woke up in the middle of the night and tried to analyse Arjun. For me, knowing Arjun fully was my first homework and then came the physical aspect of gaining weight and training in sword fights.”

In character

On the other hand, for actor Saurabh Raaj Jain, who is playing the most lovable god of Indian mythology, Lord Krishna, it is somewhat an extension of his last role. He is playing the character of Vishnu in the show Mahadev. He says, “In 2010, I was signed up for Krishna in Mahabharat and after that I was offered the role of Vishnu in Devon Ka Dev Mahadev. My body language and smile play a big role in my portrayal. I am trying my best to keep Krishna as ‘godly natural’.” Saurabh is also a big fan of Nitish Bharadwaj who played Krishna in B R Chopra’s Mahabharat.

Another character that was immensely popular in the earlier Mahabharat was Shakuni, played by Gufi Paintal. In the new Mahabharat, the role is being essayed by a young actor, Praneet Bhatt. He has earlier done shows like Kittu Sab Janti Hai, Arselan and Geet. “I’m really fortunate to play Shakuni. He is one character other than Krishna and Bhishma who fought for others’ cause. He is a true hero who had an unconditional love for his sister (Gandhari), which led to the story of Mahabharat. In my view, you cannot judge him as a negative or positive character,” he adds. Praneet has been preparing for his role for the last one year and participated in a proper workshop with actor Rajat Kapoor.

It is believed that the show has a budget of 100 crore and is being backed by eminent personalities like talented actor and theatre director Rajat Kapoor, famous story and screenplay writer Salim Khan, and eminent writer Devdutt Patnaik. The costumes and looks have been designed by veteran stylist Bhanu Athaiya. The show has been shot in places like Jaipur and Kashmir and has made a permanent set in Umargaon, Gujrat. Veteran actor Puneet Issar, Sudesh Berry and Ratan Rajput are also playing pivotal roles in the epic. Catch this epic drama on weekdays at 8.30 pm, on Star Plus.