\|/ :: Devon Ke Dev Mahadev- Article Archive :: \|/ - Page 37

In Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, Vrinda and Jalandhar perform rituals to please Lord Vishnu as last recourse to protect Jalandhar. But soon, she realizes that the person sitting beside her at the altar is not Jalandhar. Vrinda is startled, when she learns that Lord Vishnu has disguised himself as Jalandhar. She curses Lord Vishnu for his act and decides to take 'jal samadhi'. Jalandhar is shattered after he come to know about Vrindha's "Jal-Samadhi" .Shukracharya apologizes to Mahadev for guiding Jalandhar, but Mahadev puts his guilt to rest. With Mahadev's consent, Kartikey faces Jalandhar in the battlefield, the next day.Kartikey finds a way to overpower Jalanadhar by attacking on his wounds before they could heal. When Jalandhar is about to demolish Kartikey, Nandi comes to his rescue.Jalandhar asks Nandi to fight against him, but Nandi is not ready for it. Ganesh ensues his fight with Jalandar, but is overpowered after a long struggle compelling Mahadev to come to the rescue.Jalandhar decides to avenge Vrinda's death. When he attacks Mahadev in the battlefield, Mahadev takes the 'panchanan' form and kills Jalandhar.

NOTE: MahaEpisode Of Mahadev On 2nd June 2013 At 8:00 PM.

http://tellynewsindia.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/mahadev-to-come-to-rescue-ganesh-to-take-panchanan-form-to-kill-jalandhar-in-devon-ke-dev-mahadev/

The six-pack god

The protagonist of the popular television serial, Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev, reveals the secret behind his six-pack abs and his choice of career.

His popularity has reached stratospheric heights soon after his serial, Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev, hit the airwaves.

Model-turned-actor Mohit Raina , who plays Lord Shiva in the TRP-busting serial, still finds it difficult to digest the fact that he has a huge female female following who swoon over his chiselled body.

Dealing with another section of his fans proves equally difficult; they see the Lord in him and fall at his feet for his blessings!

But Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev is not Raina's first brush with television. He has played lead characters in two other serials -- Chehra and Ganga Ki Dheej.

Neither, however, can compare to the massive popularity of his latest outing.

Raina tells Rajul Hegde just how he handles his fans' affection, his fame and how he achieved his superb physique:

When did you realise you wanted to become an actor?

As a kid, I was always fascinated with the glamour industry. I wanted fame, name, money and whatever else it had to offer.

I come from a small town, Jammu, so I wasn't sure whether I would make it. At 21, when I realised I could, I set out to make my dreams come true.

What was your parents' reaction to your career choice?

When I told them I intended to travel to Mumbai and become an actor, everyone from the family thought I had gone mad.

The next day, I saw all my relatives' vehicles parked outside my house. I thought there was some family function that I had forgotten about.

But everyone was there to discuss how a family member had gone 'mad' (smiles). That was really funny!

They thought I was a studious kid and wanted me to become a chartered accountant. But I booked my tickets, informed them and landed in the city of dreams.

When was the first time you faced a camera? What did you learn from your first shooting experience?

After (winning) Grasim Mr India, I faced the camera for the first time for the show Chehra. It was difficult but, over time, I grew as an actor.

Initially, you would not know how to balance or deal with the character but, slowly, you grow with the character and the story.

'Fitness was not even a priority for me'

What is it like being an actor and seeing yourself play those roles, especially Lord Shiva?

It's the most difficult phase of my life because, when you play a god, you have to respect people's belief and emotions; people look up to you.

It has been very challenging as well, but I have been successful to a certain extent (smiles).

The character is popular right now and everything connected with the character is working.

There were times when people would use rudraksh beads to express their devotion. Today, when tattoos are so popular, people get Lord Shiva tattoos done. I guess it's the character that is on everyone's mind right now.

What preparation/changes did you have to make in your lifestyle to play Lord Shiva?

When I met the makers of the show, I knew they were going to do something extraordinary, huge and magnificent.

For me, personally, it's an opportunity of a lifetime!

I had to put on little weight to look like Mahadev. I had to work on my body because the viewers always see my bare torso.

I am a foodie so I had to control myself a bit... that's it. The look really worked for the show.

I feel playing this role has brought in me immense patience.

Have you always been fitness conscious?

After I came to Mumbai; I realised how much competition there was around me.

To be very honest, fitness was not even a priority for me; going for a morning walk was my definition of fitness.

It was only during Grasim Mr India that I learnt about flat abs, strong biceps, etc.

Eat right, work out right and sleep right'

What is the secret behind your six-pack abs?

There is no secret. My fitness mantra would be. 'Eat right, work out right and sleep right.' I hardly eat sweets and I've cut down on carbs.

Please share your diet and workout schedule.

I am a morning person and prefer exercising at dawn. I gym six days a week. That involves weight training for four days and cardio for two days.

I make it a point to meditate for 10 minutes before I start work (shooting).

At times when, I am not able to exercise due to my schedule, I compensate by working out on the sets.

I am extremely particular about my diet. Long hours and crazy schedules mean that I have to be extra careful about what I eat.

I rarely have control over my time. There are times when I can't exercise; I don't get the time to sleep and my body does not get enough rest.

But my diet is the one thing that I can control, so I make sure I eat healthy, home-cooked nutritious food.

Please share exercise tips for abs like yours -- dos and don'ts.

First you need to understand your body weight. I tend to put on weight very easily so I have to restrict my diet.

I need a minimum six hours of sleep.

That is what works for me.

I feel sleep plays an important role in your fitness. If possible, one should also take a power nap of 20-25 minutes during the day, which is equally important to stay fit mentally and physically.

You need to know your body better; your eating habits have to be according to your body weight.

Consult a dietician and see what works in your favour.

You are the best person to know your body. With time, you will be able to figure out how your body adapts and what your weakness and strengths are.

You should definitely be involved in some kind of physical activity.

'Indians are very emotional and religious'

How would you describe yourself? What's the one thing you remember most about being a kid?

I let people describe me.

I am a simple person.

As a kid, I loved playing cricket with my brother. Somehow, he would never get out and I would keep bowling (smiles).

Which of your personality traits do you consider an asset?

My connection with people and my belief in humanity!

How do you handle the fame?

(Smiles) I think with time you learn to handle it.

You have become very popular after playing the character of Lord Shiva. Would you like to share some interesting anecdotes with your fans?

The audiences have connected me with Lord Shiva; they say whenever they close their eyes to pray, they see me. That is a wonderful compliment.

Indians are very emotional and religious, they need a face to connect with I guess.

There's no particular age group of fans seeking to meet me; everyone loves Lord Shiva. Whenever they meet me, they seem to think they have met a god. They sometimes just look at me or hold my hand or fall at my feet.

Earlier, I used to stop them from doing it but with time I have realised why should I? Why shouldn't I give them that moment they have come for? They feel that they have touched Lord Shiva. So I let them do it.

What's your favourite Shiva story?

When I was young, my father would tell me that putting bel patta and milk on the Shivling brings him closer to us.

Have you read Amish Tripathi's Shiva trilogy? What did you think about it?

Yes. It's an interesting trilogy, that's why it's so popular!

We mostly focus on what is there in the Puranas. Amish's novels are in a different genre where we follow the personal life of Shiva, his connection with his devotees, with his wife, children and his responsibilities as the head of a family.

'Shah Rukh Khan is the Badshah of Bollywood'

More

What was your first salary?

My first salary was around Rs 4,000, when I was working for Hyundai Motors in 2004.

If you could take up a 'normal' job, what would you it be?

I have never thought about it. Since I am a foodie, I might have opened a restaurant.

Who is your greatest inspiration?

Denzel Washington and Shah Rukh Khan

Which Bollywood actresses you admire the most?

Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Madhuri Dixit and Anushka Sharma are very talented.

And who is your favourite actor?

Shah Rukh Khan for what he is. He is the Badshah of Bollywood.

When are you planning to get married? Are you dating someone?

I don't have time for add that. Right now, I am dating this (pointing at the poster of the show).

How does one convert a casual TV viewer like me into a die-hard Mohit Raina and DKDM fan? Make everything superlative!!! Just when DKDM was degenerating into another mythological soap opera – the Jalandhar track was aired.

This is where full credit must go to the team of Mahadev and Mohit Raina for their superlative narration and portrayal of a fairly small chapter in the massive Shiva Puran. They've managed to create and weave a fantastic tale of love, deceit, power struggle of a character who can be construed as one of the complex and contradicting characters in a Mythology.

Jalandhar- who's born out of Mahadev's anger; who's an Asur; But also a great administrator and King to his subjects. It's fantastic to see how the team converted this chapter to such a well woven story line.

To say the least, my interest and fascination and love towards the series was renewed 100 fold. And to top it off the role of Jalandhar was enacted by none other than Mohit Raina himself!

The decision to cast Mohit Raina as Jalandhar was a fantastic move by the creative team. To most Mohit Raina fans this was such a treat! Talk about a kid in a candy store! He was and is such a versatile and incredibly talented actor! Acting is about insight into a character and I think this is what sets Mohit apart from his peers. He's been able to take a character and analyze it and portray it with such perfect conviction that for a moment one forgets that it's the same actor playing a dual role!

This is such a difficult task considering that the series has been going on for well over a year and is into almost 400+ episodes. I want to commend and applaud Mohit for his 100% involvement into a character and series and giving the same kind of consistent performance day in day out for well over 400+ episodes! His fans get the best of this deal as they get to enjoy his portrayal of two characters that are a complete 180 degrees apart. Its remarkable to see him swagger onto the battlefield with a smirk and sneer on his face as Jalandhar faces the Devtas and in the same scene he switches effortlessly into the character of Mahadev coming out of His Samadhi and just oozes such peace and unquantifiable love towards the whole universe that one feels as if it's the "Real Mahadev" on screen and not "Reel Mahadev" and all this mind you Wordlessly! To say that this was and is a "Dharmsankat" on who to support is an understatement. One minute the viewer is "Team Jalandhar" and the other "Team Mahadev". I've found myself swaying back and forth between the two. Arguing and defending Jalandhar's actions one minute and the next minute going back to my "Araadhya Mahadev". It has been a rollercoaster of emotions with this track and it's all thanks to the dual role that Mohit Raina plays. Would the story line garner so much popularity and attention if someone else played the part of Jalandhar? Probably not—but I'm biased towards Mohit! J

One also must and should recognize the character of Vrinda played by Neha Marda. Here I want to particularly thank writer Utkarsh Naithani for writing Vrinda and depicting her as a strong, independent, learned woman who has a career as a "Vaidya (doctor)" in a Myth series where a woman is shown to be submissive and subservient and her role particularly and specifically defined to rearing children and household chores. I'm thankful to him for beating back this stereotyping of women. It was much needed!

Coming back to Vrinda- played by Neha Marda. One must applaud her for seamlessly integrating herself into DKDM. It felt as if she was part of DKDM from almost day1. Such is the chemistry between the two actors cast as Jalandhar and Vrinda. Neha effortlessly plays the role of Vrinda so differently that her acting skills and her craft need to be praised. In her recent and final scenes as Vrinda where she confronts Narayan at his betrayal Neha does such an outstanding job. Such a scene in my experience of TV viewing has always been acted with lot of histrionics, but she delivers her grief in silence and with dignity. And manages to get even the most jaded and unemotional TV viewer to shed tears on Vrinda's behalf.

As the track draws to its conclusion I'm filled with heartbreak at Jalandhar's upcoming eventual end. Jalandhar- a character not completely white or black.. He had shades of grey pretty much like most of us do. LifeOk's DKDM continues to build around parables with the Jalandhar track focusing on how arrogance becomes the downfall of even the mightiest warrior to be ever born. And I'm hoping that the next parable Mahadev gives us will be as interesting and captivating as the Jalandhar storyline.

~Sirisha

http://everythingmohitraina.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/dkdm-scales-new-heights-again/