"Mahabharat" (1988) TV series 1988-1990

User Rating:

9.0/10   

Directors:

B.R. Chopra
Ravi Chopra

Writers:

Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza (writer)
Vedavyas (story)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

The epic story of the family feud between the noble Pandava princes and their scheming cousins, the Kaurava kings.

Plot Keywords:

Family Feud | Soap | Soap Opera Like | Dice | Kingdom

Cast

Harish Bhimani	...	Samai (Time)
Mukesh Khanna	...	Bheeshma
Nitish Bharadwaj	...	Krishna
Puneet Issar	...	Duryodhana (as Puneet Essar)
Girja Shankar	...	Dhritrashtra (as Girija Shanker)
Praveen Kumar	...	(Bheem) (1988)
Gufi Paintal	...	Shakuni
Roopali Ganguly	...	Draupadi (as Roopa Ganguly)
Nazneen	...	Kunti
Arjun	...	Arjun (1988-1990)
Raj Babbar	...	Bharat
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arun Bakshi
Gajendra Chouhan	...	Yudhishtira
Pankaj Dheer	...	Karna
Renuka Israni	...	Gandhari (1988-1990)
Kiran Juneja	...	Ganga
Krish Mallik	...	Young Bhishma (1988)
Paintal	...	Draupad (Draupadi's brother)
Vishnu Sharma	...	Vasudev (1988-1989)
Dara Singh	...	Hanuman

Also Known As:

"Mahabharata" (India: Hindi title) (alternative transliteration)

Runtime:

India:45 min (94 episodes)

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Company:

B.R. Films

Trivia:

It was shown in the UK by the BBC, where it achieved audience figures of 5 million, unheard of for a subtitled series being aired in the afternoon.

Quotes:

Karna: Do you know that I have two sweethearts?
Duryodhana: Really? Who are they? If necessary, I will kidnap them to get them for you!
Karna: They are not girls, my friend - besides, I can only get one of them and not the other!
Duryodhana: What do you mean?
Karna: It is simple - one is the death of Arjuna, the other is my own death.

Full justice to the epic...

The T.V. Series Mahabharat produced by B.R.Chopra is the most popular t.v. series even showcased on Indian idiot boxes. The extent of influence the series commanded on Indian population can be gaged from the fact that during the time of its broadcast streets would get empty, and it would be impossible to find a single living soul at the busiest of the town centers. People who were fortunate to own a television would play hosts to all the less fortunate neighboring families. Even passers by would get a place in ones living room.

The series though technically lousy, and made with cheapest special effects, ended up doing enough justice to the sentiments with which Ved Vyasa compiled the greatest of the epics. Its 93 episodes take you through every possible sentiment, every possible emotion, every possible relation that a human mind can fathom. People not familiar with Hinduism might find this series a perfect introduction to Hindu way of thinking, and its deep rooted beliefs and the social structure of the Hindu society.

Series does full justice to the complicated intertwined stories and their sub plots. The story of Mahabharat is narrated by Time ("Samay") which was kind of nice concept and helped in rushing through the less important details. Baring a few, most actors did full justice to the characters they were portraying. The portion of "Bhagwat Geeta" (the divine song) was also performed with great gusto and in its true spirit.

If you want to feel the true essence of Mahabharat, then this is certainly the right thing for you. However the technical aspects might disappoint you. Highly recommended to everybody.