Mahabharat
2013
Original language: Hindi
- drama
- family
The story
Mahabharat is a 2013 drama TV series on Star Plus based on Indian legendary epic of the same name. It has been produced by Swastik Pictures and features actors such as Saurabh Raj Jain as Lord Krishna, Shaheer Sheikh as Arjuna, Pooja Sharma as Draupadi, Aham Sharma as Karna and Arav Chowdhary as Bhishma Pitamah. The producers had creative associations with writer Salim Khan, author Devdutt Pattanaik, designer Bhanu Athaiya, music directors Ajay-Atul and Ismail Darbar, action director Ram Shetty and set designer Omang Kumar. The casting of the show is done by Sahil Ansari, Mahesh Chandra Bhatt, Arun Mitra. It started broadcasting on 16 September 2013.
What it’s like
Lavish studio sets in saturated gold, crimson and deep blue, with palaces lit by warm lamplight and sun-bleached skies over open battlefields, give the series the feel of an illuminated manuscript brought to life. Costumes are ornate and heavily detailed, and the camera favours frontal, symmetrical framings and slow push-ins on faces during confrontations. The score swells with orchestral strings, drums and sitar-inflected motifs, and dialogue is delivered in big, emotive declarations. The vibe is operatic and devotional, earnest and sweeping, with the rhythm of a long-running daily serial: scenes unfold at a stately pace, arguments stretch on, and emotional beats are repeated and underlined. Its people's arcs trace pride, loyalty, grief and duty across generations of a royal family, often through exile, rivalry and a slow build toward war. Violence is frequent, with archery duels, swordplay and battle sequences featuring stylised but visible deaths, along with scenes of cruelty and public humiliation within the court. It is not gory, but it is not gentle. Best for viewers who want comfort in familiar epic myth, enjoy melodrama and long-form storytelling, and can watch while doing something else.
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