Mahabharat
1988
Original language: Hindi
- drama
The story
A dynastic struggle occurs for the throne of Hastinapur, the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan, between the Kauravas and Pandavas, collateral branches of the clan, which causes the Kurukshetra War.
What it’s like
Stagey, saturated, and unhurried, with the bright, painted-looking sets and heavy jewelled costumes of late-1980s Doordarshan television. Palaces glow in warm lamplight, courtyards are dusted with ochre, and forest and battlefield scenes sit under flat, even daylight, so the frame reads more like a illuminated manuscript than a naturalistic drama. Long takes hold on actors delivering formal, declamatory dialogue, and the camera moves little, letting gesture and costume carry the weight. The score swells with orchestral strings and devotional-style motifs at every turn of fate. The vibe is stately, reverent, and weighty, an epic to settle into over many evenings rather than a binge. Pacing is episodic and deliberate, circling councils, rivalries, and exiles before erupting into set-piece battles staged with stylised mock-swordplay, some bloodless, some with fallen warriors and grief-stricken aftermaths. Violence is recurrent but not graphic, with mild gore and a few disturbing humiliations handled with restraint. For people who want myth, moral dilemma, and a slow, ceremonial kind of comfort viewing.
More TV shows like Mahabharat
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved Mahabharatand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
