||Mahabharat - Article Archive|| DT's Nt pg 65 - Page 33

TV actors and their habitual offences'

MEET THE PANDAVAS

Expect some intense bromance and unexpected laugh riots on the sets of Mahabharat. Meeting the Pandavas was a revelation. The chemistry among five brothers on screen is a result of their real life bonding on the sets. The cast lives on the set, and many of the actors haven't seen the normal world' for over two months.

"We are dedicated and committed. I understand it's no joke to play iconic character of Arjun," says Shaheer Sheikh, who walks like a suave man with long locks but wears a simple persona. The region has low connectivity and therefore, they have to go out to use cell phones. "But I love it. No traffic, no hassles, only fresh air. Sometimes, we all sleep out in open. I love the clear sky, which is a rarity in Mumbai. I will never forget these timeless memories," adds Sheikh, who worked over a year on his body to fit the bill. "I am 90 kgs now. I trained for seven months and now feel quite comfortable with all the weapons. On the first day of shooting, I couldn't even pick up the longbows. But the director motivated and helped me realise the strength of Arjun," he said.

Body building, endurance and strength are the core parts of their daily routine. "We gym together...even protein bhi ek sath he lete hain," says Lavanya Bhardwaj, who plays Sahdev. Nakul, played by Vin Rana, is a self-proclaimed selfie. "I like clicking my own pictures. Aate jaate, main khud ko he dekhta rehta hun," says Rana, who is scared of horse riding. As they chat about horses, they burst into laughing, holding each other bones. "He (Rana) has horse phobia because he falls down each time he gets on it," says Bhardwaj. Saurabh Singh Gujjar, who plays Bheem is a hulk. The six-feet something is a five time boxing champion, and is still trying to cope with camera and limelight. "I come from Chambal. I am not used to all this. Sometimes, I feel giving up and go back to my village. I am not used to lifestyle which is controlled by others," he says, also revealing his disagreements with producers over diet. He needs over four litres of milk, 14 chapatis, and 35 eggs on a daily basis. "Due to location and tight schedule, the channel fails to provide me proper diet, which is also affecting my wrestling prospects," says Gujjar, who hopes to participate in America's WWE. Rohit Bhardwaj, who plays Yudhishthira, is as gentle as his character. He is well-read and opinionated and tops the wisdom chart among the Pandavas.

Set in gold

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Star Plus' Mahabharat, which is touted as the most expensive affair on TV so far, boasts hi-tech sets, impressive creative units and flawless coordination among hundreds of artists. Karan Bhardwaj walked through the Umbergaon Studio in Gujarat

As we drive down the countryside of Umbergaon in Valsad, Gujarat, it is hard to anticipate the life and like of kings, queens and warriors that's brooding in the secluded land. Huge iron gates of Umbergaon Studios are thrown open, and like a time machine's act, we are transported to an unseen territory, aptly called Hastinapur. Men dressed in warriors' outfit gaze upon us as they hurriedly rush to the director's call. "Move quickly, 40 of janta is required. Go to the main durbar," instructs an assistant director, smiling at us. A few metres ahead, the shoot is in full swing. Yudhishthira, the eldest son of Kunti, was being felicitated as the king of Indraprastha. The main durbar exemplifies the grand scale of this epic show. The imaginations run at full throttle and the mythological saga, which is known to be larger than life, appears to be a fact of history. Top lights, hidden lights, lights on sides, all make the set glow like a golden paradise. Made up of POP, fibre and cement majorly, the 10 thrones rest on each side of the king's seat. The main throne is bigger than the king himself. Even the pillars are well lit, using hidden and invisible wires. The balconies are women area from where the ladies of the kingdom witness the rituals. "There are over 400 people working daily. It took us one and a half year to erect this set. The entire set up is high on VFX and chrome," says Amol Surve, creative director of Mahabharat.

Spread over 10 acres of land in Umbergaon, the location is divided into seven main sets which are utilised for variety of shots. There is main baithak, faade, Vrindavan (where Krishna appeared), den, multi-utility room, bedroom and chroma floor. The sets are bathed with new technology with chroma covering.

"It helps enormously. For instance, at the market area, we have built eight to 10 mini shops. In the end, there is a green cover, which makes it a long market on TV. The den, where 100 sons of Dhritarashtra were shown being born and hung in nets were actually shot with seven nets. The rest were created later during post-production," says Surve.

The land of Umberaon has a historic relevance. Interestingly, the same studio was used to produce Ramanand Sagar's Ramanyan and BR Chopra's Mahabharat.

"But ours is the grandest among all. During our meetings with the channel and the producers, we were told to make something which should last for another two decades, like the previous epics did," says the creative director.

There are speculative reports of investment over Rs 100 crore. But the makers refuse to divulge monetary details.

The makers also recycle the products. Since the cost of artefacts is very high, recycling is inevitable. "We plan to produce the end product which can easily be morphed with least modifications," said Surve.

What fascinates the imagination of directors? How do they recreate the era which is open to creativity?

"We refer mostly to Raja Ravi Varma's paintings. Rest, we try to hype the scale. We have a team of researchers and creative unit. Like for Indraspratha, which is said to be land of maya and magic, we have given it a celestial feel. The blue colour is used dominantly. The colour combinations are decided keeping in mind the hues and sizes of costumes, props, weapons and set up. We also draw inspiration from real sites, like the main temple of Hastinapur is a recreation of a famous Cambodian temple," says Amit Singh, set designer.

The lady luck

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