Mahabharat (1988 TV series)
1988 TV series by B. R. Chopra based on Mahabharata
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Mahabharat is an Indian Hindi-language epic television series based on the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. The original airing consisted of a total of 94 episodes[2] and were broadcast from 2 October 1988 to 24 June 1990 on Doordarshan.[3][4][5] It was produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his son, Ravi Chopra.[6] The music was composed by Raj Kamal. The script was written by Pandit Narendra Sharma, based on the epic composed by Maharishi Veda Vyasa. The dialogues were penned by Rahi Masoom Raza. Costumes for the series were provided by Maganlal Dresswala.[7] The serial claims to have used the Critical Edition of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute as its basic source with Vishnu Sitaram Sukthankar and Shripad Krishna Belwalkar as its primary editor.
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Rahi Masoom Raza
| Mahabharat | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | Epic |
| Created by | B. R. Chopra |
| Based on | Mahabharata by Veda Vyasa |
| Written by | Pandit Narendra Sharma Rahi Masoom Raza |
| Screenplay by | Rahi Masoom Raza |
| Directed by | B. R. Chopra Ravi Chopra |
| Creative director | Yashwant Mahilwar |
| Starring | See below |
| Narrated by | Harish Bhimani |
| Composer | Raj Kamal |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 94 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | D.H. Vengurlekar |
| Producer | B. R. Chopra |
| Cinematography | Dharam Chopra |
| Editors | Shailendra Doke Birpal Singh |
| Running time | 40-45 minutes |
| Production company | B.R. Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | DD National |
| Release | 2 October 1988 – 24 June 1990[1] |
| Related | |
| Mahabharat Katha | |
Each episode is 40–46 minutes long and begins with a title song that consisted of lyrical content and two verses from the Bhagavad Gita.[8] The title song was sung and the verses rendered by singer Mahendra Kapoor. The title song is followed by a narration by Indian voice-artist Harish Bhimani as a personification of Time, detailing the current circumstances and highlighting the spiritual significance of the content of the episodes.[9]
Mahabharat Katha, another part of the serial was aired on 1997 which covers all the untold stories about Karna's marriage with Padmavati, Arjuna's marriage with Chitrāngadā and Ulupi, and stories about Ghatotkacha, Barbarika, Vrishaketu, Babruvahana, conspiracies of Viprachitti, Ashwamedha Yajna, Dushala's story and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, which are not covered in the original series.[citation needed]
Premise
The series covers the story of epic Mahabharata with Krishna, Pandavas, Kauravas being the main focus of the epic.
The show begins with Emperor Bharata giving more importance to 'Capacity' than to 'Birth'. It shows the birth of Bhishma and his oath, birth of Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidura and birth of Pandavas and Kauravas. The story then focuses on the childhood of Lord Krishna.
Elsewhere, Dronacharya teaches Pandavas and Kauravas warfare, and after completion asks them to defeat his enemy king Drupada as payment for services or Guru Dakshina. Pandavas do so and give half of Drupad's kingdom(Panchala) to Drona. Dhritarashtra makes Yudhishthira (the eldest son of Pandu) the crown prince of Hastinapur. Shakuni (the maternal uncle of the Kauravas) and Duryodhana the eldest of the Kauravas hatch a plan to burn Pandavas and Kunti alive, but they survive and go into hiding, letting the rumour spread that they died in the fire. Duryodhana is made crown prince of Hastinapur.
Meanwhile in Panchal, king Drupad performs a yajna from the sacred fire of which, his children Dhrishtadyumna and Draupadi are born. Arjuna the best fighter among the Pandavas wins the hand of Draupadi in her swayamvara. Later, Yudhishthira is made the king of Indraprastha and Pandavas conduct Rajsuya Yagna where Draupadi insults Duryodhana. Later Duryodhana has his revenge by first defeating Yudhisthira in a rigged game of dice, in which Yudhisthira stakes his kingdom, his brothers and Draupadi and loses all, Duryodhana tries to disrobe Draupadi in front of the whole court, but she is saved by lord Krishna, then the Pandavas along with Draupadi are sent to an exile of 12 years and 1 year of living in anonymity. After the period of exile is over Duryodhana argues that the Pandavas violated the condition of anonymity in their last year of exile, therefore they must spend another 12 years in exile followed by another year of exile in anonymity. This conflict begins to sow the seed for the Mahabharata War.
Arjuna and Subhadra's son Abhimanyu marries Uttara. Krishna tries to make peace between both parties. Indra in the disguise of a Brahmin took Karna's armor and earrings. Kunti's sorrow on the corpse of Karna reveals Karna's true identity of being the eldest Pandava.
Before Mahabharata War, Shri Krishna enlightens Arjuna about the "Bhagavad Gita" and shows his Virata Swaroopa to Arjuna. The latter shows the deaths of Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Abhimanyu, Shalya, Shakuni, Jayadrata, Ghatotkacha, 100 Kauravas, 5 sons of Draupadi and many other warriors in the war leading to the victory of Pandavas over Kauravas. Only 5 Pandavas, Satyaki, Yuyutsu, Krishna, Ashwatthama, Kritavarma and Kripacharya survive. Gandhari holds Krishna responsible for her sons' death and curses that his family will also get destroyed. The show ends with Yudhishthir's Rajyabhishek and Bhishma's death.
Cast
Main
- Nitish Bharadwaj as Krishna, eighth avatar of Vishnu, Devaki-Vasudev's eighth son, foster son of Nand and Yashoda, Balrama and Subhadra's brother, Pandavas' cousin.
- Kewal Shah as adolescent Krishna
- Pankaj Dheer as Karna, son of Kunti and Surya Dev, Adhiratha-Radha's foster son, King of Anga, Pandavas' Eldest Brother.
- Harendra Paintal as young Karna
- Mukesh Khanna as Bhishma, Shantanu-Ganga's eighth son, eighth Vasu, Satyavati's step-son, elder half-brother of Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, paternal uncle of Dhritrashtra, Pandu, and Vidur, paternal granduncle of the Kauravas and the Pandavas
- Krish Malik as adolescent Bhishma
- Gajendra Chauhan as Yudhishthira, first Pandava, son of Kunti and Yama, second eldest son of Kuru Clan, King of Indraprastha and later Hastinapura, husband of Draupadi, father of Prativindhya, Kauravas' Elder Cousin
- Sonu as young Yudhishthira
- Praveen Kumar as Bhima, second Pandava, son of Kunti and Vayu, Yuvraj (crown prince) of Indraprastha and later Hastinapura, husband of Draupadi and Hidimbi, father of Ghatotkacha, Sutasoma, Duryodhana's Younger Cousin
- Mallik as young Bhima
-
Firoz Khan as Arjuna, third Pandava, son of Kunti and Indra, husband of Draupadi, Ulupi, Chitrāngadā and Subhadra, brother-in-law of Balaram and Krishna, father of Abhimanyu, Babruvahana, Iravan and Shrutakarma, Duryodhan's Younger cousin
- Ankur Javeri as young Arjuna
- Roopa Ganguly as Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, also called Panchali and Yagyaseni, younger daughter of Drupada, Princess of Panchala, sister of Dhrishtadhyumna and Shikhandi, mother of Upapandavas
- Puneet Issar as Duryodhana, eldest son of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra, elder brother of 99 Kauravas, husband of Bhanumati, Yudhishthira's younger cousin, Elder Cousin of other 4 Pandavas, Lakshmanaa's Father, Crown prince of Hastinapura, Karna's best friend
- Amit Shukla as young Duryodhana
- Sameer Chitre as Nakula, fourth Pandava, son of Madri and Ashwini Kumara, husband of Draupadi, father of Shatanika
- Sanjeev Chitre as Sahadeva, fifth Pandav, son of Madri and Ashwini Kumara, husband of Draupadi and father of Shrutasena
- Vinod Kapoor as Dushasana, second son of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra, Duryodhan's younger brother
- Kaushal Shah as young Dushasana
- Gufi Paintal as Shakuni, Gandhari's brother, later King of Gandhara, maternal uncle of Duryodhana and his 99 brothers
- Girija Shankar as Dhritrashtra, Vichitravirya's son from Ambika (eldest), later king of Hastinapura, father of Kauravas
- Renuka Israni as Gandhari, wife of Dhritrashtra, Queen of Hastinapura, mother of Kauravas, princess of Gandhara, sister of Shakuni
- Nazneen as Kunti, Pandu's first wife, mother of Karna, Yudhisthira, Bhim and Arjuna, daughter of Shurasena, Vasudeva's sister, Yadava princess, foster daughter of Kunti-Bhoja
- Virendra Razdan as Vidura, the prime minister of Hastinapur, son of Ambika's head maid Parishrami, fathered by Vyasa, half-brother to the kings Dhritarashtra and Pandu of Hastinapura, uncle of Pandavas and Kauravas
- Surendra Pal as Drona, Kauravas and Pandavas' guru, Ashwatthama's father
- Dharmesh Tiwari as Kripa, family teacher, brother of Kripi, Ashwatthama's maternal uncle
- Pradeep Rawat as Ashwatthama, son of Dronacharya
- Ayush Shah as young Ashwatthama
Recurring
- Harish Bhimani as Time (Samaya), Narrator
- Sagar Salunke as Balarama, Krishna's elder brother
- Chetan Hansraj as adolescent Balarama
- Aloka Mukherjee as Subhadra, Arjuna's fourth wife, Abhimanyu's mother, Vasudev's and Rohini's daughter, Krishna-Balaram's younger sister, Yadava princess
- Raj Babbar as Bharata, paternal ancestor of the Kauravas and Pandavas, son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala
- Rishabh Shukla as Shantanu, descendant of King Bharata, husband of Ganga and Satyavati, father of Bhishma, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, paternal grandfather of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, paternal great-grandfather of the Kauravas and the Pandavas
- Kiran Juneja as Ganga, Shantanu's first wife, Bhishma's mother, the holy river of Hindus
- Debashree Roy as Satyavati, King Shantanu's second wife; Vyasa, Chitrangada, and Vichitravirya's mother, Bhishma's step-mother, paternal grandmother of Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and Vidur, paternal great-grandmother of the Kauravas and the Pandavas
- Rajesh Vivek as Vyasa, son of Parashara and Satyavati, father of Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, partial incarnation of Vishnu, author of Mahabharata
- Sudesh Berry as Vichitravirya, Shantanu-Satyavati's second son after Chitrangada, Bhisma's step brother, husband of Ambika and Ambalika, father of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, paternal grandfather of the Kauravas and the Pandavas
- Jahnavi as Amba (Shikhandini), the first princess of Kashi, Shikhandi (reincarnated by Yaksha)
- Meena Chakrabarty as Ambika, second princess of Kashi, Vichitravirya's first queen, mother of Dhritarashtra, paternal grandmother of the Kauravas
- Menaka Babbar as Ambalika, third princess of Kashi, Vichitravirya's second queen, mother of Pandu, paternal grandmother of the Pandavas
- Paintal as Sudama / Shikhandi
- Tarakesh Chauhan as Pandu, Vichitravirya's son from Ambalika (the youngest wife), King of Hastinapur, husband of Kunti and Madri, father of Pandavas
- Roma Manek as Madri, Pandu's second wife, Madra princess, mother of Nakula and Sahadeva
- Asha Singh as Kripi, sister of Kripacharya, wife of Dronacharya and mother of Ashwathama
- Kamlesh Maan as Devi Sulabha, Vidura's wife
- Lalit Mohan Tiwari as Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra's advisor and also his charioteer
- Kapil Kumar as Shalya, Madri's elder brother, King of Madra
- Shahla Khan as Hidimbi, Hidimb's sister, Bheem's wife, Kunti's daughter-in-law and Ghatotkacha's mother
- Razak Khan as Ghatotkacha, son of Bhima and Hidimbi
- Mayur Verma (Master Mayur) as Abhimanyu, son of Arjun and Subhadra, husband of Uttara, father of Parikshit
- Varsha Usgaonkar as Uttara, Abhimanyu's wife, Matsya princess, mother of Parikshit
- Dinesh Anand as Vikarna, son of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra, Duyodhan's younger brother
- Paramjeet Chima as Dashraj, Satyavati's father
- Om Katare as Adhiratha, charioteer, Karna's foster father
- Saroj Sharma as Radha, Adhiratha's wife, Karna's foster mother
- Ramlal Gupta as Ugrasena, King of Mathura, Surasena, father of Kansa and Devaki
- Goga Kapoor as Kansa, son of Ugrasena, elder brother of Devaki, maternal uncle of Krishna and Balarama
- Vishnu Sharma as Vasudev, son of Shurasena, brother of Kunti, prince of Vrishni tribe, father of Balarama, Krishna, and Subhadra, maternal uncle of the Pandavas
- Kshama Raj as Rohini, Vasudeva's elder wife, mother of Balarama
- Sheela Sharma as Devaki, Vasudeva's younger wife, younger sister of Kansa, daughter of Ugrasena, mother of Krishna and Subhadra
- Rasik Dave as Nanda, chief of Gokul, foster father of Krishna
- Manju Vyas as Yashoda, Nand's wife, foster mother of Krishna
- Channa Ruparel as Rukmini, Krishna's chief wife
- Parijat as Maharani Radha, Krishna's consort
- Sumeet Raghavan as adolescent Sudama
- Ajay Sinha as Akroor, Chief of the Vrishni
- Bashir Khan as Satyaki
- Ashok Banthia as Kritavarma
- Pradeep Sharma as Panchalaraj Drupada, Draupadi's father, King of Panchala and Rishi Durvasa
- Arun Bakshi as Dhrishtadyumna, Draupadi's elder brother, Prince of Panchala
- Kanwarjit Paintal as Shikhandi, Drupad's elder son and also as adult Sudama
- Ashok Sharma as Virata, King of Matsya
- Chandni Sharma as Sudeshna, Queen of Matsya
- Sameer Rajda as Uttar, crown prince of Matsya
- Sharat Saxena as Kichaka, Army General of Matsya
- Deep Dhillon as Jayadratha, Dushala's husband, Kauravas' brother-in-law, King of Sindhu
- Vikrant Mathur as Subala, Shakuni's and Gandhari's father, King of Gandhara
- Shavinder Mahal as Parashurama and Shiva
- Satish Kaul as Indra
- Gopi Krishna as Chitrasena
- Rakesh Bidua as Kashya, King of Kashi
- Rana Jung Bahadur as Jarasandha, King of Magadha, father-in-law of Kamsa
- Karunakar Pathak as Shishupala, King of Chedi, a maternal cousin of Krishna and Balarama
- Pawan Shukla as Shalva Kumar, Prince of Salwa, Princess Amba's lover
- Prem Sagar as Kanva
- Pankaj Berry as Kindama, a sage who cursed Pandu
- Mini Singh as Kindama's wife
- Mulraj Rajda as King Shantanu's Royal Guru and Gandharva Mukhiya
Episodic appearance
- Ashalata Wabgaonkar as Shakuntala, Bharata's mother, King Dushyanta's wife
- Vikas Prasad as Ekalavya
- Randhir Singh as Hidimb and Putana
- Sabrina as Putana (cameo)
- Dara Singh as Hanuman (cameo)
- Raj Kishore as Rajpurohit of Panchal Kingdom (cameo)
- Dinesh Kaushik as Rukmi
- Bashir Khan (not the one who played Satyaki) as Parashar, father of Vyasa, Commander of Hastinapura
- Vinod Raut as Purochana, architect of Laksagriha in Varnavata
Episodes
| Episode No. | Summary | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the Kuru Kingdom and its capital, Hastinapur. The story of Emperor Bharata and his descendant Shantanu's marriage with the river goddess Ganga. | 2 October 1988 |
| 2 | Ganga kills her seven cursed sons but Shantanu stops her from killing the eighth, Bhishma. Bhishma is then taken away and educated under various sages before returning as a learned and skilled warrior. | 9 October 1988 |
| 3 | Bhishma is proclaimed crown prince of the Kuru Kingdom. However, he gives up his throne and swears an oath of celibacy to facilitate a marriage between Shantanu and a fisherwoman he fell in love with. He also vows to always protect the throne of Hastinapur. | 16 October 1988 |
| 4 | Amazed at his incredible vow, Shantanu grants his son the boon that he will be able to choose the time and place of his death. Meanwhile, he and the fisherwoman, Satyavati, get married and give birth to two sons. | 23 October 1988 |
| 5 | The younger son, Vichitravirya, ascends the throne. Bhishma abducts three princesses of a neighboring kingdom from their swayamvara for Vichitravirya. One of the princesses, Amba, is let go as her heart was promised to another. However she is rejected by her former lover and as a result vows revenge on Bhishma. | 30 October 1988 |
| 6 | Vichitravirya dies leaving no heir. Satyavati decides to have her pre-marital son, Vyasa, sire heirs for the kingdom by union with Vichitravirya's two queens, which is allowed as per the practice of niyoga. This results in the birth of Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and Vidura. Pandu is proclaimed king on account of Dhritarashtra's blindness and Vidura assumes the role of Prime Minister. | 6 November 1988 |
| 7 | Dhritarashtra marries Gandhari who blindfolds herself out of devotion to her blind husband. Her brother Shakuni considers this an insult and swears revenge. Pandu marries Kunti of the Yaduvamsha. Unbeknownst to anyone she had sired a child with the sun god Surya in her youth by using a mantra. In fear of societal backlash, she placed him on a basket and floated him down a river. | 13 November 1988 |
| 8 | Pandu marries a second wife, Madri. He decides to go on a forest retreat, with his wives, for some time. He leaves Dhritarashtra in charge as steward. | 20 November 1988 |
| 9 | Pandu kills a sage and his consort, who were in the act of lovemaking, by accident. The sage curses him to die in the same way. To do penance, Pandu gives up the throne and retreats to the forest with his wives indefinitely, making Dhritarashtra the new king. Kunti uses her mantra to sire three children for Pandu - Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna. Madri does the same and sires Nakula and Sahadeva. These children are dubbed the Pandavas. Meanwhile, Gandhari gives birth to a 100 sons, the Kauravas, the eldest of whom is Duryodhana. | 27 November 1988 |
| 10 | Elsewhere, in Mathura, Kamsa usurps his father's throne. For this occasion, he marries his cousin Devaki with his good friend Vasudeva. However, a sage warns him that Devaki's eighth son will be his doom. | 4 December 1988 |
| 11 | Kamsa imprisons the couple and kills their first six sons. The seventh son's embryo is transferred to one of Vasudeva's other wives by miraculous means. With the help of the gods, Vasudeva takes the eighth child and hands him over to his friend, Nanda. | 11 December 1988 |
| 12 | Nanda and Yashoda adopt and raise the eighth child, whom they name Krishna. They also adopt the seventh child, Balarama. Kamsa sends the rakshasi Putana to kill the infant Krishna but she is vanquished by him. | 18 December 1988 |
| 13 | An adolescent Krishna makes a name for himself in his village as a mischievous and playful butter thief and flute player. In one instance, Yashoda witnesses the Earth spinning inside Krishna's mouth. | 25 December 1988 |
| 14 | Krishna subdues Kaliya, a mythical serpentine creature known as a naga, who was poisoning the local Yamuna river. | 1 January 1989 |
| 15 | Introduction to Radha, a romantic interest of Krishna. Krishna persuades the villagers to not give Kamsa his tax. As a retort, Kamsa sends the demons Dhenuka and Pralamba to lay waste to the village. However they are vanquished by Krishna and Balarama. | 8 January 1989 |
| 16 | Krishna persuades the villagers to redirect their worship from the god Indra to the world that sustains them. Out of anger, Indra sends a great storm to the village but Krishna shields everyone by raising a hill above everyone's heads with his finger. | 15 January 1989 |
| 17 | Krishna and Balarama are invited to Mathura by Kamsa. There, many attempts are made on their lives but the brothers overcome all obstacles and vanquish Kamsa once and for all. | 22 January 1989 |
| 18 | Pandu dies to his curse due to not being able to resist Madri. Out of shame and guilt, Madri burns herself with Pandu on his funeral pyre. Kunti and her sons return to Hastinapur. | 29 January 1989 |
| 19 | Satyavati, Ambika and Ambalika (mothers of Dhritarashtra and Pandu) retreat to the forest with Vyasa. An enmity brews between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. | 5 February 1989 |
| 20 | Duryodhana poisons Bhima and throws him into the Ganges. Bhima sinks down into the land of the nagas and their venom neutralizes the poison in his blood. The king of the nagas, Vasuki, offers him a drink that gains him the strength of 1000 elephants. Meanwhile, the royal charioteer retires from his position to focus on his adopted son, Karna, who happens to be Kunti's first child. | 12 February 1989 |
| 21 | Bhishma hires the famed arms teacher, Drona, to train the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Arjuna gains his favor due to his skill in archery. Elsewhere, Krishna studies under the sage Sandipani along with Balarama, and his friend Sudama. | 19 February 1989 |
| 22 | Karna aspires to be the greatest archer and requests to study under Drona. However, he is rejected due to his low status. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Drona is haunted by something from his past and his coming to Hastinapur might have ulterior motives. | 26 February 1989 |
| 23 | Drona catches a tribal boy, Ekalavya, spying on his lessons. As a reprimand and gurudakshina he demands Ekalavya's thumb, ensuring he will never excel as an archer. Meanwhile, sage Parashurama takes Karna under his wing and trains him. Elsewhere, Krishna finishes his studies and as gurudakshina brings back Sandipani's son from the land of the dead. | 5 March 1989 |
| 24 | A great arena is erected so the grown up Pandavas and Kauravas can show off the skills they have learned from Drona. As Arjuna demonstrates his mastery over the bow and is announced the greatest archer on Earth, Karna enters the stage and challenges him to a duel. His low status does not allow him this right but Duryodhana proclaims him the king of the Anga Kingdom. However, before anything can progress, the sun sets. | 12 March 1989 |
| 25 | It is revealed that the King of Panchala, Drupada, had once insulted Drona, from which he still seethes in anger. For his gurudakshina, Drona asks his students to conquer Panchala and bring Drupada to Drona as a captive. | 19 March 1989 |
| 26 | Kamsa's father-in-law, Jarasandha, persistently attacks Mathura. Krishna decides it best to abandon Mathura and relocate to a new city, Dwaraka, which he builds using the help of the divine architect, Vishvakarma. Meanwhile, Hastinapur is split on whom to announce as their crown prince. While Duryodhana is the eldest son of the current king, Dhritarashtra, Pandu's eldest son Yudhishthira enjoys the support of the people. | 26 March 1989 |
| 27 | Yudhishthira and Duryodhana are tested on their ethics, which the former passes, leading to him being proclaimed the crown prince. Elsewhere, Jarasandha, in a bid to strengthen his political influence, proposes to the King of Vidarbha to have her daughter Rukmini be married to Jarasandha's friend, Shishupala of Chedi. | 2 April 1989 |
| 28 | Rukmini, who does not agree with the marriage, appeals to her true love, Krishna, for help. While Balarama engages the Vidarbha military and Shishupala, Krishna whisks Rukmini away on his chariot. Her brother, Rukmi, attempts to stop them but is defeated. Meanwhile, Shakuni and Duryodhana devise a plan to build a resort for the Pandavas and burn it down with them in it. | 9 April 1989 |
| 29 | Duryodhana appeals to Dhritarashtra to send the Pandavas away on a vacation to the village of Varnavat, where a festival is taking place. The King is unaware of the plan to build the resort and deliberates with Vidura and Bhishma on whether to go ahead with the plan. Meanwhile, Karna is opposed to the scheme as he deems it cowardly and prefers facing the Pandavas in open battle. | 16 April 1989 |
| 30 | The decision is made that all the Pandavas and Kunti will go to Varnavat. Purochana, royal architect and confidant of Shakuni, builds a resort for them out of flammable materials, a lakshagriha. Before the brothers depart, Vidura cryptically warns them of the scheme. Once they arrive, they realize the nature of the house and Purochana's deception. Later, Vidura sends them a tunnel digger to create an escape route. | 23 April 1989 |
| 31 | Purochana and his helpers celebrate in the lakshagriha before the execution of the plan. However, at that moment, the Pandavas and Kunti start the fire themselves and escape through the completed tunnel. Purochana and his helpers perish in the flames and their corpses are mistaken to be that of the Pandavas and Kunti. | 30 April 1989 |
| 32 | Bhishma goes into a deep depression and retreats into his room for a long time while the Pandavas enter a life of exile. In the deep forest, the rakshasa Hidimb orders his sister, Hidimbi, to go capture the Pandavas as food. But once she reaches them she is smitten by Bhima and takes the form of a beautiful woman to seduce him. Hidimb had followed her and tries to kill them all but Bhima, with help from Hidimbi, vanquishes him. Afterward, Bhima agrees to marry Hidimbi until they have a child. | 7 May 1989 |
| 33 | The Pandavas and Kunti settle down with a Brahmin family in the village of Ekachakra. Bhima kills a rakshasa named Bakasura, who was tormenting the village. However, fearing their identities may be revealed, the group leaves the village. | 14 May 1989 |
| 34 | Drupada obtains a son and daughter through a fire ritual in a bid to enact revenge against Drona. The daughter, Draupadi's, swayamvara is announced and both the Kauravas and the Pandavas (disguised as Brahmins) make their way there. At the ceremony an archery challenge is revealed, and whoever passes it is to become Draupadi's husband. Duryodhana, Jarasandha, Shishupala, and all other warriors present, fail. And then the disguised Arjuna steps up to the plate. | 21 May 1989 |
| 35 | Arjuna wins the challenge. The brothers bring home Draupadi but jokingly say, as they enter their hut, that they have bought alms. Hearing this, Kunti unknowingly tells them to split it evenly among themselves. Yudhishthira argues that a mother's words are always to be obeyed and there must be a reason for this incident. At that moment, Krishna arrives, and reveals that Draupadi, in her past life, asked for a husband with five incredible qualities which is impossible for a single man to possess. In the end, Draupadi agrees to marry all five brothers. Her brother, Dhrishtadyumna, was spying on the whole ordeal and lets his father know, who is angered greatly. Meanwhile, Hastinapur is informed that the Pandavas are still alive. | 28 May 1989 |
| 36 | The Pandavas and King Drupada make up. Dhritarashtra, realizing that the Pandavas have now found powerful allies in Panchala and Dwaraka, sends Vidura to invite them home. | 4 June 1989 |
| 37 | The Pandavas return to Hastinapur and the conflict of who will be the crown prince resurfaces. Bhishma suggests the Kingdom be partitioned in two and the halves be given to Duryodhana and Yudhishthira each as a compromise. | 11 June 1989 |
| 38 | Duryodhana receives the main urban center of Hastinapur while Yudhishthira is given the barren land of the Khandava Forest. Although the brothers are reluctant to accept, Krishna tells them that this land gives them a clean slate to show off their prowess at state building. Later, Bhishma tells Arjuna that if the two halves of the Kuru Kingdom go to war, Bhishma will be tied to the throne of Hastinapur due to his oath. Meanwhile, Duryodhana attempts to befriend Balarama to gain influence within Dwaraka. | 18 June 1989 |
| 39 | Vyasa himself officiates the coronation of Yudhishthira. With help from Krishna, Balarama, and the storm god Indra, the Pandavas transform the Khandava into a fertile landscape with a beautiful palace. The area is renamed as Indraprastha. | 25 June 1989 |
| 40 | Arjuna goes into exile due to breaking a rule agreed upon by all five brothers. Duryodhana uses his newfound friendship with Balarama to ask for his sister, Subhadra's, hand in marriage. However, Subhadhra is smitten by the exiled Arjuna. Krishna suggests that they elope. After they do, Balarama is greatly angered and gathers all the Yadus to attack Arjuna. But Krishna diffuses the situation by reminding them that Subhadhra herself chose her husband and wouldn't have agreed to marry Duryodhana anyway. | 2 July 1989 |
| 41 | Arjuna and Subhadra get married. A sage suggests that Yudhishthira complete his rajasuya ceremony. However, Krishna says that in order to so, he must defeat the tyrant king Jarasandha, who plans to sacrifice a 100 kings in order to gain a powerful boon from the god Shiva. Krishna, Arjuna, and Bhima smuggle themselves into Jarsandha's court using Brahmin disguises. They then challenge him to a brawl and ask him to pick one of them as an opponent. Bhima is chosen. | 9 July 1989 |
| 42 | Bhima kills Jarasandha, and the kings in his captivity are freed. The preparations for the rajasuya ceremony begin. Kings from all over India are invited and among them is Shishupala of Chedi. It is revealed that he was born with a third eye. His mother, wondering if this is a test, asked God how he will die. God reveals that on whose lap the child's third eye will disappear is the one who will kill him. This turns out to be Krishna, his maternal cousin. Shishupala's mother begs Krishna to forgive a 100 offenses of her child before killing him and Krishna agrees. | 16 July 1989 |
| 43 | Yudhishthira's rajasuya is held. During the ceremony, Yudhishthira deems that Krishna should receive respects before anyone else. Shishupala protests and starts obscenely insulting everyone present. Krishna counts down his transgressions until it passes 100 after which he uses the sudarshana chakra to kill him. The rajasuya is finished and Vyasa himself comes and offers his blessings. | 23 July 1989 |
| 44 | As the ceremony comes to an end, all the guests slowly start to take their leave. Duryodhana inspects the great hall built by the danava, Maya, at Indraprastha. He is tricked by its illusions and mistakenly falls into a pool of water. Draupadi witnesses this and insults him. Duryodhana swears revenge and, along with Shakuni, conspires to invite them to a game of dice and cheat them out of their possessions. | 30 July 1989 |
| 45 | Dhritarashtra, compelled by Duryodhana, sends Vidura to invite the Pandavas to a game of dice. The brothers arrive and preparations begin. | 6 August 1989 |
| 46 | The game begins. Duryodhana insists that Shakuni play on his behalf. One after another, Yudhishthira, bets his possessions and Shakuni, with loaded die, wins them all, including his brothers, kingdom and wife. Vidura is the only one to stand up and demand the king to stop the entire arrangement but Dhritarashtra reminds him that no one compelled Yudhishthira to make the bets. | 13 August 1989 |
| 47 | Duryodhana orders his younger brother Dushasana to drag Draupadi out of her quarters, given that she belongs to him now. Draupadi demands an answer for this insult from the elders at the court but none of them are able to go against the king's orders. The King himself has his hands tied by the love for his son. Duryodhana then orders Dushasana to disrobe Draupadi. But an ethereal Krishna appears and makes it so she never runs out of fabric. Dushasana pulls and pulls until finally giving up, saving Draupadi her shame. Bhima vows to kill Duryodhana and Dushasana, while Arjuna vows to kill Karna. As Draupadi prepares to curse all of the Kauravas, Gandhari appears. | 20 August 1989 |
| 48 | Gandhari condemns everyone present, but begs Draupadi to not inflict a curse. Dhritarashtra returns the losses incurred by the Pandavas. | 27 August 1989 |
| 49 | Re-match between Pandavas and Shakuni | 3 September 1989 |
| 50 | 12 years of exile begins | 10 September 1989 |
| 51 | Chitrasena and the Gandharvas imprison Duryodhana | 17 September 1989 |
| 52 | Arjuna gets the Pashupatastra from Shiva, Karna conquers the world | 24 September 1989 |
| 53 | Krishna saves Draupadi and Pandavas from Durvasa's curse using the Akshaya-patra, Bheema meets his son Ghatotkacha and brother Hanuman, Arjuna visits his celestial father Indra and learns dance and music from Chitrasena | 1 October 1989 |
| 54 | Urvashi curses Arjuna, Abhimanyu's birth, Jayadratha's defeat | 8 October 1989 |
| 55 | Story of the poisoned lake and the Yaksha's Questions to Yudhishthira, Abhimanyu is Grown-up | 15 October 1989 |
| 56 | The Pandavas' begin their year of ajnatavasa in the Matsya Kingdom. Yudhishthira takes up a spot in the King, Virata's, court under the alias Kanka. Bhima becomes a cook, Ballava. Arjuna becomes a dance teacher for the Princess Uttara, Brihannada. Nakula becomes a horse tender and Sahadeva a cowherd. Draupadi becomes a maid for the Queen Sudeshna, Sairandhri. Meanwhile, Dhritarashtra is haunted by the ghosts of his ancestors. | 22 October 1989 |
| 57 | It is revealed that Parashurama agreed to train Karna because Karna was pretending to be a Brahmin. Upon learning the truth, Parashurama curses Karna to lose all his learned skills the moment when he is at the greatest need of them. Meanwhile, King Virata's brother-in-law, Kichaka, is smitten by Draupadi's beauty. | 29 October 1989 |
| 58 | Keechaka harasses Draupadi and is killed by Bheema | 5 November 1989 |
| 59 | Kauravas Attack Matsya kingdom to expose the Pandavas | 12 November 1989 |
| 60 | Uttar and Arjuna fight in the war and clothes for Uttaraa's dolls | 19 November 1989 |
| 61 | Abhimanyu and Uttaraa's marriage and Pandavas decide to send a messenger to Hastinapur to prevent war | 26 November 1989 |
| 62 | Dhritarashtra does not agree and sends Sanjaya | 3 December 1989 |
| 63 | Duryodhana and Arjuna meet Krishna at Dwaraka, Duryodhana gets the Narayani Army from Krishna, and Krishna agrees to become charioteer of Arjuna | 10 December 1989 |
| 64 | Krishna Goes to Hastinapur as a messenger of peace | 17 December 1989 |
| 65 | Duryodhana tries to capture Krishna but Krishna shows his Virata form, Karna gives away his holy armour and earrings to Indra | 24 December 1989 |
| 66 | Krishna reveals Karna his true identity | 31 December 1989 |
| 67 | Kunti reunites with Karna | 7 January 1990 |
| 68 | Sanjaya gets divine eyesight from Vyasa to witness the war | 14 January 1990 |
| 69 | Duryodhan Tricks Shalya to join the Kaurava army | 21 January 1990 |
| 70 | Shikhandi's Story of Rebirth | 28 January 1990 |
| 71 | Rules of the war are laid out, The battle will take place in Kurukshetra | 4 February 1990 |
| 72 | War begins and Arjuna Drops His weapons out of grief, Krishna teaches him the Bhagavad Gita | 11 February 1990 |
| 73 | Bhagavad Gita teaching continues | 18 February 1990 |
| 74 | Bhagavad Gita teaching continues and Krishna shows his Vishvarupa form, Arjuna is ready to fight again | 25 February 1990 |
| 75 | Yudhishthira gets his blessings from his elders, Yuyutsu changes sides and war begins, Abhimanyu faces Bhishma | 4 March 1990 |
| 76 | Uttar dies, Arjuna faces Bhishma and Day 2 begins | 11 March 1990 |
| 77 | 3rd day is over, 4th day begins, Bhima is surrounded, 10 Kaurava brothers are killed, Krishna takes out his Sudarshan Chakra to kill Bhishma, but Arjuna stops him | 18 March 1990 |
| 78 | 9th Day is over and 16 Kaurava brothers are dead, Bhishma tells Pandavas how to take him out of the war | 25 March 1990 |
| 79 | Arjuna shoots arrows at Bhishma, Bhishma's bed of arrows is created, Bhishma still survives | 1 April 1990 |
| 80 | Karna enters the battlefield, Drona tries to capture Yudhishthira but is unsuccessful, Shantanu appears in Bhishma's dream | 8 April 1990 |
| 81 | Chakravyuha formation Planned, Duryodhana Promises Susharma | 15 April 1990 |
| 82 | Abhimanyu's murder; Uttaraa becomes pregnant | 22 April 1990 |
| 83 | Arjuna Vows to Kill Jayadratha and the Story About Jayadratha's Curse | 29 April 1990 |
| 84 | Arjuna Breaks the Kamalavyuha formation to attack Jayadratha | 6 May 1990 |
| 85 | Krishna covers the Sun with his Sudarshana Chakra, Arjuna kills Jayadratha | 13 May 1990 |
| 86 | Ghatotkacha enters battle; Karna kills Ghatotkacha by using his Shakti Astra | 20 May 1990 |
| 87 | Virata and Drupada are killed by Drona, and Drona is killed by Dhrishtadyuma | 27 May 1990 |
| 88 | Bheema kills Dushasana, Draupadi washes her hair with Dushasana's blood, Karna and Arjuna battle | 3 June 1990 |
| 89 | Karna killed by Arjuna | 10 June 1990 |
| 90 | Shakuni and Shalya die, Duryodhana and the Pandavas learn about Karna's truth, Yudhishthira's curse on all womankind, Gandhari curses Krishna and his Yadava dynasty, Duryodhana's body gets protection shield by Gandhari's magic | 17 June 1990 |
| 91 | Balarama arrives, Bhima and Duryodhana's duel, Duryodhana is fatally wounded, Balarama scolds Bhima but Krishna calms him down | 24 June 1990 |
| 92 | Duryodhana Dies, War ends, Ashwatthama, Kripa and Kritavarma attack Pandava camp and Ashwathama kill the sons of the Draupadi (Upapandavas) and Drishtadyumna, Ashwatthama tries to kill Uttaraa's unborn son, Krishna curses Ashwatthama, Parikshit's birth | 1 July 1990 |
| 93 | Dhritarashtra and Vidura's discussion about Dharma, Pandavas return to Hastinapur, Dhritarashtra Tries to kill Bhima | 8 July 1990 |
| 94 | Dhritarashtra, Kunti and Gandhari quit the kingdom. Yudhisthira becomes King of Hastinapur, and Bhishma dies | 15 July 1990 |
Production
Development
According to production team member Kishore Malhotra, the total cost of producing the series was ₹9 crore (equivalent to ₹103 crore or US$11 million in 2023).[10] According to Director Ravichopra each episode was made up of ₹6.5 lakh to ₹7 lakh. Casting for the series began in 1986 and shooting started off in mid-1988.[11] Show was shot mostly at Mumbai's Film City, and the grand battle of Kurukshetra was shot in Rajasthan, with thousands of extras to fill the screen.[6]
The series was initially submitted to the channel for 104 episodes which was later shortened to 94 episodes.[9]
Casting
15,000 people applied to play different roles in the Mahabharat TV series. The casting team led by Gufi Paintal shortlisted them and called around 1,500 for video screen tests[3] Almost all actors in the series were newcomers, barring Raj Babbar who played King Bharat, Debashree Roy who played Satyavati.[12] Nitish Bharadwaj was chosen by B.R. Chopra, Ravi Chopra, Pandit Narendra Sharma and Rahi Masoom Raza, to play the central role of Krishna, at the age of 23.[13][14] Initially, he was chosen for playing Vidura. But Virendra Razdan was cast for it as B.R.Chopra considered Bharadwaj young to play the role.[15] Then Bharadwaj was offered to play Nakul and Sahadev, but he rejected and wanted to play Abhimanyu. Days later, he was called and finalized to play Krishna.[15] Firoz Khan was chosen to portray the character of Arjuna (which he later adopted as his screen name, to not become confused with a more popular actor of the same name) despite being rejected in auditions.[16] Asian games gold medalist Praveen Kumar was selected to portray Bhima after Chopra was looking for someone "who could look the robust historical character".[17] Around six actresses were shortlisted for the role of Draupadi, including Juhi Chawla, who opted out of the show as she had bagged a film. Ramya Krishnan and Roopa Ganguly were the final names, and at last Roopa Ganguly was chosen, as her Hindi was good.[18] Govinda and Chunky Pandey were signed for the role of Abhimanyu, but they opted out when they bagged films. Later, Master Mayur played the role.[19] Mukesh Khanna who wished to play role of Arjun was initially offered the role of Duryodhan. But later he was signed for Dhronacharya.[20] When Vijayendra Ghadge dropped his role of Bhisma, Khanna got the role of Bhishma.[21] Puneet Issar was offered to play the role of Bheem but was cast as Duryodhan on his wish.[11] The casting director of the show, Gufi Paintal was offered role of Shakuni by the makers of Mahabharat.[22]
Music
Mahabharat's music was composed by Raj Kamal and lyrics were penned by Pandit Narendra Sharma and Bhring Tupkari. Some songs were taken from works of devotional writers like Surdas, Raskhan etc. Apart from main songs there are also several short couplets, which covered the summary of each episode. All of these verses were sung by Mahendra Kapoor.[23][24]
All music is composed by Raj Kamal.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ath Shree Mahabharat Katha (Opening Theme)" | Mahendra Kapoor | 04:12 |
| 2. | "Bharat Ki Yeh Kahaani (Ending Theme)" | Mahendra Kapoor | 05:21 |
| 3. | "Beet Gaye Din Par Din Beet Gaye" | Raj Kamal | 05:23 |
| 4. | "Govind Gokul Aayo" | Raj Kamal | 04:49 |
| 5. | "Jagiye Brijraj Kunwar" | Kavita Krishnamurthy | 04:10 |
| 6. | "Main Naahin Maakhan Khaayo" | Nitin Mukesh | 05:20 |
| 7. | "Maiya Mohi Dau Bahut Khijayo" | Nitin Mukesh | 04:00 |
| 8. | "Shyam ne Murli Madhur" | Suresh Wadkar | 05:42 |
| 9. | "Mor Pakha Seer Upar Rakhiyo" | Kavita Krishnamurthy | 04:16 |
| 10. | "Mohan Ke Mukh Par Bansari" | Raj Kamal and Kavita Krishnamurthy | 07:01 |
| 11. | "Binati Suniye Nath Hamari" | Sadhana Sargam | 04:51 |
| 12. | "Beti Chali Paraye Desh" | Raj Kamal | 07:05 |
| 13. | "Kripa Krishna Ki" | Raj Kamal | 07:01 |
| 14. | "Main Boondan Bheeji Saari" | Sadhana Sargam | 04:30 |
| 15. | "Pranay Ke Pratham Prahar Ki Baat" | Anuradha Paudwal | 05:20 |
| 16. | "Samay Bada Balwaan" | Raj Kamal | 05:17 |
| 17. | "Jhanak Jhanak Baaje Payaliya" | Sadhana Sargam | 04:51 |
| 18. | "Manwa Madhur Madhur Kachu Bol" | Sadhana Sargam | 04:04 |
| 19. | "Naino Ke Darpan mein" | Roopa Ganguly | 03:27 |
| 20. | "Sabso Onchi Prem Sagai" | Raj Kamal | 05:44 |
| 21. | "Yeh Dharma Yudh Hain" | Raj Kamal | 10:30 |
| 22. | "Hey Priyatame" | Raj Kamal | 06:16 |
Broadcast
In India the series was originally broadcast on DD National. It was shown in the United Kingdom by the BBC,[25] where it achieved audience figures of 5 million.[26][27] The series ran on BBC Two on a Saturday afternoon and repeated on BBC One late Sunday nights which both were at the time a slot for Asian viewers. Episodes were shown between 14 April 1990 and 25 April 1992 with a short break in September 1990. It was also the first programme broadcast on BBC Two after its 1991 revamp.[citation needed]
The show was again telecast on DD Bharati from 28 March 2020, on DD Retro from 13 April 2020, on Colors TV from 4 May 2020 as well as Star Bharat during the lockdown due to coronavirus.[28][5][29]
Reception
Ganguly was applauded for her performance in the Vastraharan sequence in which Draupadi is disrobed.[30] Ravi Chopra later disclosed that she was originally weeping while enacting in the Vastraharan sequence and the crew members had to console her later to make her stop.[30][31] The sequence is often claimed to be the most climactic one of the series.[32] For the sequence Chopra recreated the visual effect of the Vastraharan sequence of Babubhai Mistry's Mahabharat (1965) starring Padmini as Draupadi.[33] His visual effects won more favour than that of the 1965 film and has still been considered by a part of critics to be the most brilliant in line.[34][35] of the most successful television series in Indian television history.[36] In common with the "Ramayana" serial, the broadcasting of a Mahabharat episode was associated with the simultaneous emptying of streets in the cities and people leaving work early to watch it.[37] Along with general audience many big names from Hindi film industry like Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Hema Malini and Dharmendra also praised the show.[38]
During its rerun in COVID-19 lockdown in India, it became the second most watched Indian TV show after Ramayan (1987).[39] In week 13, it garnered 145.8 million impressions with both morning and evening slots combined on DD Bharati.[40] After Ramayan ended, Mahabharat became the most watched TV show until its end.[41] The series ended with 22.9 million viewership.[41]
Home media
The series was uploaded onto the website "Rajshri.com" along with its dubbed Tamil version.[42] Home video of the Bengali-dubbed version of this series has been released by Heart Video.[43] In 2019, Pen India Ltd bought the rights of the show and uploaded all the episodes on its devotional YouTube channel Pen Bhakti including its spin-off series Mahabharat Katha.[44][45]
Legacy
Mahabharat along with Ramayan (1987), became one of the most successful television series based on an epic in Indian television history.
Many actors became popular through their appearances in this series.
- Nitish Bharadwaj became famous as Lord Krishna and later he also played lead role in Chopra's another mythological show Vishnu Puran as well as Chopra's RAMAYAN.[46]
- Roopa Ganguly, who played Draupadi, went on to become a successful actress in Bengali cinema.[47][48]
- Pankaj Dheer received immense popularity after playing Karna. His pictures are used in textbooks as reference to Karna and the actor also revealed that his statues are worshipped in temples in Karnal and Bastar.[49]
- Firoz Khan changed his name to "Arjun" professionally after finding success with the role of Arjun.[50]
- Mukesh Khanna shot to fame as Bhishma and named his production company after his character.[51]