Mahakumbh- Ek Rahasya Ek Kahani - Brilliant and Up to the Mark!

Mahakumbh- Ek Rahasya Ek Kahani

Monday-Friday at 8pm on Life OK

Cast: Gautam Rode, Manish Wadhwa, Payal Rajput, Robin Das, Ketki Dave and child actor Siddharth Nigam, Seema Biswas.

Director: Arvind Babbal

Producer: Arvind Babbal Productions

Story so far: Mahakumbh is about a father and a son who unfortunately get separated from each other during Mahakumbh at Allhahabad. Shivanand (Manish Wadhwa) and his young son Rudra visit Mahakumbh where the former gets kidnapped by unknown persons which leaves little Rudra to die. Udiya Baba (Robin Das) saves Rudra and brings him to Maii- Muii (Seema Biswas) at Benaras. Maii-Muii raises young Rudra (Siddharth Nigam) as her own son and both of them form a strong attachment with each other. Meanwhile Shivanand has been taken to Poland and kept under captive to find out about 'Amrut' a known source of 'Immortality' which is related to 'Mahakumbh'. The secret lies in the mark on Rudra's back of which no one but only Shivanand is aware of. As the years pass by, Rudra turns into a handsome but somewhat reclusive man (Gautam Rode) and he meets Maya (Payal Rajput). Though Maya is attracted towards Rudra, his ruggedness becomes an obstacle in these two coming together. How the love blossom between Rudra and Maya and how they will discover the secret of Mahakumbh and Rudra's involvement in it will be fun to watch in this mytho thriller.

What's hot: It's for the first time on television, that 'Mytho Thriller' genre has been showcased. The importance of Rudra's mark, Shivanand's perseverance to safe guard the secret, Rudra's hidden powers, and his bond with Maii-Muii has been established beautifully in the earlier episodes. Child actor Siddharth Nigam has a done a commendable job in emphasizing on various factors of Rudra's personalities at young age. It's a delight to watch award winning actress Seema Biswas on small screen. Manish Wadhwa who made a mark on small screen as Chankaya is once again portraying a solid role of Shivanand and blends effortlessly with it. The surprise package is undoubtedly Gautam Rode and Payal Rajput. Till now we have seen Gautam in a romantic role. This will be the first time, the actor has tried something different and that too of such a powerful person. He has taken lot of effort to portray Rudra which is evident from his physique, the way he delivers his dialogues; Gautam has done an awesome job. Petite Payal Rajput compliments Gautam's Rudra with her portrayal of demure at the same time strong Maya. What adds to her overall personality is her somewhat husky yet sensuous voice. She fits the bill perfectly. Also shooting at the actual locales, from Poland to the Ghats of Varanasi, packed with real life stunts makes the serial more appealing.

What's not: The flashback scenes in between, make the script time consuming and repetitive, instead of taking it ahead. Also, Shivanand's track which happens in Poland looks bit neglected.

Our take: Perfect casting, advanced technology and intriguing storyline, Mahakumbh will be a visual treat for the audiences. The genre itself is rare on small screen and the way it is showcase, the TRPs are soon to be rocketed off the roof. Mahakumbh has all the ingredients of a thrilling pot-boiler.