Posted:
Celebrating 25 years of B.R Chopra's MAHABHARAT
[02/10/88 - 02/10/13]
25 YEARS OF EPIC GLORY
Introduction by Lola610
Layout & Banners by Bhavaani
A number of elements came together to make the show special for viewers of all age groups, even those like myself who initially watched the show as young children. The dialogues, first and foremost, were crisp and thought-provoking. They were often purposely written in a way that could foster multiple interpretations and encourage healthy intellectual discussions and debates. The music was another favorite feature of mine; it was rich with diversity in its offerings, from classical dance numbers to romantic poetry to energetic battle anthems to melancholic melodies to devotional hymns.
[02/10/88 - 02/10/13]
25 YEARS OF EPIC GLORY
Introduction by Lola610
Layout & Banners by Bhavaani
It was exactly 25 years ago that B. R. Chopra's Mahabharat
began airing on Doordarshan, and soon after captivated audiences across both in
India and
worldwide. The streets were emptied, the gaps between generations bridged by
this magnificent epic brought to life on the small screen. It's difficult for
me to believe that we're celebrating the quarter century anniversary of a piece
of art which, in spite of focusing on a subject several millennia old, feels
fresh and relevant even today. There is a boldness about it, a sense of
practicality and modernity, and just the right amount of humor amidst its deep
philosophical and political messages to ensure that even when I rewatch an
episode for the thousandth time, and that too right after a contemporary series,
it never feels outdated but remains evergreen.
A number of elements came together to make the show special for viewers of all age groups, even those like myself who initially watched the show as young children. The dialogues, first and foremost, were crisp and thought-provoking. They were often purposely written in a way that could foster multiple interpretations and encourage healthy intellectual discussions and debates. The music was another favorite feature of mine; it was rich with diversity in its offerings, from classical dance numbers to romantic poetry to energetic battle anthems to melancholic melodies to devotional hymns.
The sheer size of the cast was noteworthy as well, with over
150 names on the roster, but even more remarkable was the equitable
distribution of screentime and importance among so many lead and supporting
characters. And what to say of each one's talent! Nitish Bharadwaj as Lord
Krishna, effervescent with wit and wisdom, so perfectly struck a balance
between human and divine that many of us envision our Krishna
to be a practical, fun-loving, and approachable friend and philosopher in much
the same way. Roopa Ganguly's passionate portrayal of Draupadi exudes strength
and confidence, inspiring us to speak our minds and raise our voices against
injustice no matter what the circumstances may be. Feroz Khan's devout and
obedient Arjun reminds us of how a devotee should aspire to behave. Pankaj
Dheer's emotionally charged Karna fills us with empathy and warns us that even
the noblest among us can cheat ourselves out of a happy ending if we fall into
bad company. Mukesh Khanna's lion-like Bhishma, a picture of stateliness and
dignity, gives us countless lessons in what does and does not constitute duty. Similarly
just about every member of the cast, no matter how small or large their role
was, infused their character with a dominant trait/persona that may or may not
have made them likeable, but most certainly made them memorable.
All in all, the show was a conglomeration of sincere efforts
from the creator, the cast, the and the crew. Their sincerity and dedication are
evident in the tears we saw them shed in the "Making of" videos that the
producers have released, and moreover, the quality of the series itself. It is
truly an effort worth celebrating, and we welcome one and all to join us reminiscing
about when and how this adaptation of the Mahabharat touched our lives.
***
Ravi Chopra's interview with The Sunday Tribune (2002) ~ "NO other country in the world has a value system so deeply and permanently entrenched in its mythology as India has.
The way the Ramayana and the Mahabharata developed their many-stranded narratives, created their strong and well-drawn characters and gave a sense of permanence to the values each character stood for is a unique miracle in the history of human civilisation. Nowhere else, in no other body of literature, do values play such a pivotal role as they do in the Ramayana or the Mahabharata. You have here, in these epics, heroes who give their word and lose everything while keeping it, in fulfilling a given promise.
You have valour, family unity, respect and honour for elders, romance, elegance, art " indeed every facet of life has an exquisite expression in these epics. Most important to every generation of Indians is the value systems reflected by the relationships of the various characters.
The Mahabharata is a portrayal of a society where the values collapsed and created the most violent confrontation between the forces of good and evil.
The values which epic characters project affect Indians irrespective of their caste, creed or religion. They are not Hindu values per se. They are the result of a unique civilisation, which reflects the ongoing search for an elegant, enlightened way of life, which leads to perfection. Which is why Christians, Muslims and other religious groups in India are different from their brothers anywhere else. They are also bound by the values, which are enshrined in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
When television came, mythologicals were again preferred themes because one doesn't have to innovate stories or characters when one takes a narrative from the epics. Further, TV gave an opportunity to lay before the viewers each memorable characters from the epics in detail. When we made Mahabharata, we divided the narrative into more than 90 episodes of an hour each. There was ample time to elaborately spell out the values of the narrative, to establish the strengths and weaknesses of each character and to find reasons and justifications for each of their actions and decisions. Interpretation is the essence of the presentation of an epic on television. We do not have to introduce the characters. We have to experience them. Mahabharata became a classic and was shown all over the world because of the dialogues, the perfect casting and the perfect coordination and interpretation of every scene.
Our Mahabharata followed Ramayana and touched an all time high of popularity. It literally stopped all traffic in India on Sunday mornings and made families gather around the TV set with clockwork regularity for two years from 1988 to 1990. I was able to make a relatively less known character like Bhishma into a memorable Pitamaha whose words were epitomes of wisdom. He was as important to the story as was the Mahanayak Krishna. As is known, Mukesh Khanna and Nitish Bharadwaj were cast perfectly in these roles and are identified with the characters even ten years after Mahabharata was telecast."
Yet the average Indian's thirst for mythology has not quenched yet. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata remain ever fresh and ever interesting for him.In mythologicals, casting and dialogues have to be perfect. The success of our Mahabharata was mainly due to excellence in these two areas. Rahi Masoom Raza wrote brilliant dialogues which linked eternal values from the epic to modern living and the result was almost electric."
***
Ravi Chopra's interview with The Sunday Tribune (2002) ~ "NO other country in the world has a value system so deeply and permanently entrenched in its mythology as India has.
The way the Ramayana and the Mahabharata developed their many-stranded narratives, created their strong and well-drawn characters and gave a sense of permanence to the values each character stood for is a unique miracle in the history of human civilisation. Nowhere else, in no other body of literature, do values play such a pivotal role as they do in the Ramayana or the Mahabharata. You have here, in these epics, heroes who give their word and lose everything while keeping it, in fulfilling a given promise.
You have valour, family unity, respect and honour for elders, romance, elegance, art " indeed every facet of life has an exquisite expression in these epics. Most important to every generation of Indians is the value systems reflected by the relationships of the various characters.
The Mahabharata is a portrayal of a society where the values collapsed and created the most violent confrontation between the forces of good and evil.
The values which epic characters project affect Indians irrespective of their caste, creed or religion. They are not Hindu values per se. They are the result of a unique civilisation, which reflects the ongoing search for an elegant, enlightened way of life, which leads to perfection. Which is why Christians, Muslims and other religious groups in India are different from their brothers anywhere else. They are also bound by the values, which are enshrined in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
When television came, mythologicals were again preferred themes because one doesn't have to innovate stories or characters when one takes a narrative from the epics. Further, TV gave an opportunity to lay before the viewers each memorable characters from the epics in detail. When we made Mahabharata, we divided the narrative into more than 90 episodes of an hour each. There was ample time to elaborately spell out the values of the narrative, to establish the strengths and weaknesses of each character and to find reasons and justifications for each of their actions and decisions. Interpretation is the essence of the presentation of an epic on television. We do not have to introduce the characters. We have to experience them. Mahabharata became a classic and was shown all over the world because of the dialogues, the perfect casting and the perfect coordination and interpretation of every scene.
Our Mahabharata followed Ramayana and touched an all time high of popularity. It literally stopped all traffic in India on Sunday mornings and made families gather around the TV set with clockwork regularity for two years from 1988 to 1990. I was able to make a relatively less known character like Bhishma into a memorable Pitamaha whose words were epitomes of wisdom. He was as important to the story as was the Mahanayak Krishna. As is known, Mukesh Khanna and Nitish Bharadwaj were cast perfectly in these roles and are identified with the characters even ten years after Mahabharata was telecast."
Yet the average Indian's thirst for mythology has not quenched yet. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata remain ever fresh and ever interesting for him.In mythologicals, casting and dialogues have to be perfect. The success of our Mahabharata was mainly due to excellence in these two areas. Rahi Masoom Raza wrote brilliant dialogues which linked eternal values from the epic to modern living and the result was almost electric."
comment:
p_commentcount