II**PORUS Review Thread**II

Sony Entertainment Television's new historical show Porus premiered last night, and it didn't disappoint. The pilot was almost an hour long, but it managed to keep the storyline at its pacy best. The show opened with Jhelum river's voiceover, narrating the history of India, and more importantly, the beginning of the great war (Battle of Hydaspes)fought between King Porus of the Pauravas and Macedonia's King Alexander.

Great visual effects

It has been reported that the Siddharth Kumar Tewary's period drama is one of the most expensive shows to be produced in the history of Indian television, made on a budget of Rs 500 crore. And it looks like the money has been well-spent on visual effects. The computer generated images are captivating and creates the perfect illusion, transporting the viewers to another world.

Storyline

As mentioned earlier, the pilot makes for an interesting watch as it doesn't slacken, in terms of the narrative. In a nearly 60-minute-episode, we get to see the brilliant colours, the fantastical images, the beginnings of a war. Never a dull moment.

Capable actors

The main cast is convincing in their roles, Rati Pandey's portrayal of Queen Anusuya and Aditya Redji's King Bamani draw you in to the big, and unbelievable world of wars and kingdoms. However, there is one actor who stands out; Praneet Bhat is captivating as Darius, the Persian king. Praneet was earlier seen in Star Plus' mythological show Mahabharat, wherein he essayed the character of the scheming Shakuni mama.

Of course, the show takes creative liberty with history, but that is a given, since the primary objective is to entertain the audience. As of now, nothing seems ridiculously unbelievable, and that is exactly how we like our shows.

Link: https://www.indiatoday.in/television/what-s-hot/story/porus-review-laksh-lalwani-thoroughly-entertaining-if-you-love-your-history-with-masala-lifetv-1095812-2017-11-28

Porus Review: The show shines on the technical aspects and deserves a watch for the efforts of the team

Sony Entertainment Television's much hyped and anticipated historical show, Porus', hit the small screen last night (November 27, 2017) at 8.30 pm. As promised in the promos and several interviews, Porus' is a grand visual spectacle.

Right from the opening sequence, where Persian trader Darius (a superb Praneet Bhat) is seen on his ship on the river Jhelum, the serial captures the audience's attention. It was a bit unsettling seeing Thailand's well-known seascape being passed off as Jhelum. The very same coastline has been seen in numerous Bollywood films and song sequences.

A fan of Vikings' would recognise the close resemblance of the opening credit scene of Porus' to that of the hit global series, where bodies, weapons and boats are seen sinking in the water. But that's where the resemblance ends.

The hour-long first episode introduces the viewers to the kingdom of Paurava, which is ruled by Bamani. There are many images to establish the Bharat of that age as Sone ki chidiya' with riches like gold, precious stones, exotic spices, the finest mulmul' cloth and more. But I wonder, did every person in Paurava have to be clothed in Indigo hues. There was an overwhelming use of the colour blue.

The viewer is introduced to the world of Paurava through Darius' eyes, who finds a ventriloquist as his guide through the kingdom! There is an elaborate dance sequence involving a few hundred dancers at least. The well-choreographed scene is a visual delight, but I wonder, were there really Kathkali dancers in Paurava kingdom that time? And I felt the Baahubali'-hangover was very strong here.

The character dynamics and politics of that era are soon established when Ambiraj, king of Taxila arrives for some kind of a bout with Bamani, King of the Paurav kingdom, for control of the trade along Jhelum's coast. Ambiraj's sister, princess Anusuya, is introduced in a great scene where the feisty lady is astride a horse and rescues a child who is about to be trampled under the hooves.

After some well-shot underwater fight sequence, Bamami emerges victorious. In a trade meet following the bout, Anusuya is also introduced as an astute observer, clever negotiator and unafraid to speak her mind. She defeats Darius' move to capture the trade through a show of wealth. "Jo ek ka daam paanch se chukaye, woh ya toh moorkh hai ya dhoorth, says the princess, exposing Darius' ulterior motive. This earns her Bamani's appreciation and respect. However, Bamani's older brother Shivdutt is unhappy about the way things are working out. It will be interesting to see what devious schemes he comes up with or how he is manipulated into committing treachery in the coming episodes.

Those apprehensive about Porus' being just another boring history lesson need not fear. It might not be an authentic representation of the life and times of that age, but then not much is known about King Porus and his times. But the ride is a grand one, and we are hopeful of a visual treat and interesting storytelling as the series unfolds. The life and times of Alexander is well-documented. I can't wait to see how the makers of the show present Macedonia.

A word about the special effects, so far it has not disappointed, and the hard work by the 2,000-plus team behind the making of the series is for all to see. It has been made with a global audience in mind and the reported budget of Rs 500 crore is money well spent. Fingers crossed that the action-packed show doesn't slip up in the coming episodes.

Link-https://www.adgully.com/review-porus-is-a-visual-treat-and-praneet-bhat-is-deliciously-wicked-75144.html

Sony's much awaited show Porus premiered on 27th November 2017. The show revolves around the life journey of King Porus and the Battle of Hydaspes, fought between King Porus and Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great. Laksh Lalwani, Rati Pandey, Rohit Purohit, Aditya Redij and Praneet Bhat play the lead roles. King Bamni rules over the kingdom of Paurava. King Ambiraj of Takshashila is at loggerheads with King Bamni. They have a constant war since all the passing years. Bamni ultimately defeats Ambiraj. Ambiraj's sister Anusuya doesn't want any more clashes. She gets married to Bamni, hoping for a peaceful nation.

Main Characters:

Porus:
Porus is a great warrior. He has immense intelligence, bravery and leadership skills. He was King Bamni and Queen Anusuya's son. He gets hit by Shivdutt's conspiracy. He grows up in far away lands in between the pirates. He later rules over and protects the Pauravas clan. He is named Purushottam by his mother. He is destined to rule over people's hearts and conquer the world. Porus wants to fulfill Anusuya's dream of a united country. His greatest battle happens with Alexander.

Sikandar/Alexander:
Alexander is born to Queen Olympia of Macedonia. He was a blessing of Lord Zeus for her. The people worship him as Zeus' child. He is raised by Olympia and Philip. Alexander became the King of Macedonia. He is determined to conquer the world and keep it at Olympia's feet. Alexander has the best of warrior skills. He is a great ruler and fighter. Alexander is called a conqueror of fate. He loses to Porus in the epic battle of Hydaspes.

King Bamni and Queen Anusuya:
King Bamni ruled over Paurava kingdom, which was a part of Jhelum. He had strong enmity with Anusuya's brother Ambiraj, who ruled over neighboring province Takshashila. Bamni married Anusuya only to deceive her. He wins her trust by supporting her dream of United India. Post marriage, Bamni takes revenge from Anusuya for his brother Shivdutt's insult by abandoning her. Anusuya reconciles with Bamni. She gets driven for revenge by Ambiraj, who gets provoked by Darius. However, Anusuya sticks to her ideals of seeing one peaceful country, protected by the evil invaders.

King Philip and Queen Olympia:
Philip and Olympia have a marital discord. She expresses her hatred to him every moment. Phulip wanted to have a heir. She doesn't wish to bear his child. Olympia hates him from all her heart. Olympia worships Lord Zeus. She seeks a child from him in a miraculous way. Olympia names her child Alexander. She holds Philips responsible for ruining her dignity. She is confident that her son will bring her lost pride back. Olympia conspires to rule over the world.

Darius:

He is a Persian trader. He is a shrewd, wicked, manipulative and selfish person. He is much greedy. He can't stand any contender. Darius employs the divide and rule policy. He eyes the Jhelum stretch, the land known for his gold heritage. Darius tries to strengthen his roots. He enters Jhelum as a trader, but has a motive to conquer the land. Darius becomes the reason for prolonged enmity between Paurava and Takshashila Rajyas. Darius breaks Anusuya's United India dreams.

Cast:

Laksh Lalwani as Purushottam/Puru/Porus, King of Pauravas
Rohit Purohit as Alexander the Great
Suhani Dhanki as Queen of Pauravas
Rati Pandey as Queen Anusuya, Porus' Mother
Aditya Redij as King Bamni, Porus' Father
Sameksha as Queen Olympias, Alexander The Great's Mother
Sunny Ghansani as King Philip II, Alexander The Great's Father
Raviz Thakur as Seleucus I Nicator
Praneet Bhat as Darius III
Gurpreet Singh King Ambiraj, King of Taxila
Hrishikesh Pandey as Senapati Ripudaman Singh, commander of Paurav Army
Mohit Abrol as Prince Hasti
Chirag Jani as Dasyu King
Aman Dhaliwal as Amatya Shivdutt
Vishal Patni as Farus

Story So Far:

The story begins in the land of Jhelum, which holds the marks of the big battle of Hydaspes. Sikandar's dream to conquer India breaks down. Sikandar was stopped by Purushottam, who was the shield of India. Purushottam was tagged Porus by the defeated king Sikandar/Alexander. An evil minded trader from Persia, Darius targets Jhelum. Darius aims to rob the golden land. Darius seeks help from a man and then gets him off his way. Darius is seen as pitiless and clever man. Darius gets driven to the Jhelum market. He gets interested seeing the raw diamonds and gold. Shivdutt announces the fight with Takshashila province.

Takshashila's king Ambiraj and his soldiers create a havoc. Ambiraj's sister Anusuya saves a child and shows much humanity. She believes a child is the key to unlock a good future. Ambiraj and Shivdutt get into a heated argument. Ambiraj gets insulting Shivdutt. Shivdutt asks Bamni to take revenge from Ambiraj and settle scores by their competition. Anusuya feels Ambiraj did wrong to initiate a fight. Anusuya apologizes to Shivdutt on Ambiraj's behalf. The competition gets ahead. Ambiraj and Bamni have a fight. Bamni overpowers Ambiraj. He angrily tries to harm Ambiraj, but Anusuya raises a voice and stops Bamni.

Bamni spares Ambiraj's life. He hoists the flag and makes Pauravas win. Anusuya thanks Bamni for playing a competition fairly and not making it a battlefield. He tells her that he has spared Ambiraj as he liked her voice raised to save her brother. Bamni addresses the Raj Sabha and tells everyone about their victory this year. He hopes Jhelum's market trade gets prosperous. Darius takes part in the trade. After the trade gets done, Darius interrupts and offers five times more price. Darius tries to get the deal by showing huge profits.

Anusuya feels Darius is having a hidden agenda. She gives her opinion against doing trade with Darius. Bamni takes her advice and refuses to Darius. He asks Darius to win their trust first. Bamni tells him that his trade motive is to build trust and good relations, than greed and profits. Bamni takes the decision to maintain the peace in Jhelum. Darius gets fuming over Bamni's decision. He hatches a plan. Bamni gifts honey to his enemy Ambiraj. He wants to big farewell in a sweet manner. Anusuya wants the enmity between Jhelum and Takshashila to end. She fears their fight is inviting troubles from outsiders, who aim to invade their country.

Ambiraj sees Anusuya and Bamni bonding. He advises Anusuya not to befriend Bamni. Ambiraj sees a bomb, which explodes in a blink. Many of his soldiers die in the blast. Shivdutt was provoked by Darius to take revenge from Ambiraj. Shivdutt reaches there and attacks Ambiraj's soldiers. Ambiraj and Shivdutt have a fight. Anusuya supports her brother in the battle. She wanted the enmity to end some how. Bamni arrives there to stop Shivdutt. He fails to stop Shivdutt. Anusuya requests him to stop the fight. Bamni proposes her for marriage to fulfill her dream of one India.

Anusuya accepts his proposal, which infuriates Shivdutt and Ambiraj. Ambiraj disowns Anusuya and leaves for Takshashila. Bamni and Anusuya get married and consummate their relation. Anusuya doesn't find Bamni around in the morning. Shivdutt and the soldiers attack her. Anusuya manages to save her life. She finds Bamni at the river side. She runs to him to seek help. Bamni protects her from Shivdutt. He reveals his plan of cheating her. Bamni wanted to take revenge from Ambiraj for Shivdutt's revenge. Bamni abandons Anusuya. He also breaks her dreams of united India.

Anusuya gets shattered by Bamni's cheat. Darius thinks of using Anusuya's emotional state. He offers her help to call his army and defeat Pauravas. Anusuya agrees to Darius, in order to take revenge from Bamni. Anusuya meets Bamni. She alerts him about Darius' evil intentions of attacking Pauravas. Bamni and Shivdutt don't believe her. She tells them that she is still dreaming for united India. Bamni orders the soldiers to confine her. Anusuya gets insulted, but succeeds to fail Darius' plans. In Macedonia, King Philip is seen. Queen Olympia is married to King Philip. She refuses to make any relation with him. She is ready to do anything for her self respect. He feels she has insulted him by turning him down. He wants her to bear his child.

Olympia revolts against him. She makes a prayer to Lord Zeus that she needs a son from him, who will be like a storm conquering the world. She wishes her son brings back her lost pride. She gets surrounded by Zeus' snakes. Anusuya gets a bad dream when she sees herself in danger. Bamni turns surprising. He apologizes to her and decides to make a new start to have united India. Anusuya forgives him and reconciles. Darius tries to brainwash Shivdutt into attacking Takshashila. Bamni and Anusuya unite. They teach a lesson to Darius on knowing his bad intentions. Bamni bids him a farewell. Darius feels humiliated again.

Anusuya meets Rajguru and tries to get an interpretation of her strange dream. Rajguru tells her that its a positive dream which signs she will be giving birth to a great warrior. Anusuya decides to name him Purushottam. Anusuya and Bamni get concerned about the evil outsiders trying to invade Jhelum. Olympia tells Philip that Zeus and her son will conquer the world world, he will be called Alexander. Philips feels furious on hearing her. Bamni and Ambiraj get united for Anusuya's sake. Bamni wants to fulfill Anusuya's one nation dream. Ambiraj welcomes them with a big heart. They travel to Takshashila. Anusuya gets happy seeing the enmity ending. Anusuya worries on seeing Darius in her province.

Our Take:

First thing to mention about the show is it's sheer grandeur and stunning visuals. Every scene is shot with a perfect perception. Its too hard to find any major flaws in the story line or concept execution. Few glitches about much fictional fantasy added to the great history can be overlooked. Fictional touch makes the drama more interesting. But, it should remain reasonable as the story progresses. Second remarkable thing are the performances. Praneet Bhatt as Darius is brilliant as the clever and opportunistic trader. Aditya Redij, Sameksha and Rati Pandey too anchor their natural performances.

The portrayals are made more earthy, convincing and intense, which makes the show stand out. Viewers get believing the scenes of the wars and kingdoms enmities depicted. The story moves at a right pace, making it more intriguing. Lots of detailing is done, which gets well observed. Be it costumes, accessories, locations or character sketching, everything is done by finesse. The show puts more efforts by the best cinematography and special effects. Dialogues are well written and thoughtful. There is high curiosity to know more about the unexplored history of King Porus and Alexander the Great. The entries of actor Laksh Lalwani and Rohit Purohit playing the substantive roles would take the show higher in all aspects.

Overall:

The historic tale is given a good touch by amazing narrative and colourful visuals. Everything about the show can be termed surprising'. It truly deserves to be a must-watch show. Captivating visuals can never make the audience lose interest.

Our Rating:

5 out of 5

This historical series was in the planning stage with Swastik Productions for a long time. A brainchild of Siddharth Kumar Tewary, this magnum opus on the life and times of the Paurava dynasty emperor Puru aka Porus is a follow up to his ongoing Mahakaali Anth Hi Aarambh Hai. In this historical narrative, the man evocatively interweaves the richness of the period of history with the stance of good judgement which is surely the need of the hour.

A fiercely intimate epic about the clash between Pauravas and the Macedonians and an Akhand Bharat, Porus scorchingly reflects the bygone era without being a part of it. The Sony TV series reps a new career high for director Siddharth Tewary whose Mahabharat set new trends in Mythology and has created its own cult following across the world.

Set in the times of Bharat Khanda (a term used in the Hindu texts, including the Vedas and the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Purans to describe the geographic region that encompassed the modern countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmarthat is, South Asia at the term's furthest extent) Porus focuses on two regions divided by the river Jhelum or as the ancient Greeks called it Hydapses! On one side of the river was India and on the other was Macedonia!

Now, what is noteworthy is Porus is made for the television and a TV series of this sort hasn't ever been seen in our country. That itself is no mean feat! Indeed, the first episode was in many ways admirable and interesting. I am not sure how well it hits the general viewer target. Let me first summarise the episode and then the two perspectives from which I can see it, before setting out as what I see as good and what I think is less good. (There is nothing I think to be bad.) There is a prologue on the motives behind. The episode begins with the river Jhelum talking to the audience about the savage battle that was fought between Porus and Alexander on its banks.

The introduction seems pretty semblative to that of Bahubali: The Conclusion, especially with the animated battle being fought as the credits roll and then almost immediately the same VFX laden establishment shot of the Paurava Kingdom that almost flashed the opening scene of the fictitious Mahishmati Kingdom in the above mentioned film in front of my eyes.

The ulterior motive of the Persians setting their eyes on the wealth of the nation is something we have heard about in many folklores and the Sone Ki Chidiya that India used to be. The long colourful robes under layers of artful, award calibre make up, costumes and jewellery courtesy Ketki Dalal add a certain amount of believability to the work. But then something magical happens, like it does when the gods of cinema align Those flashing eyes, brimming with venom of a persian trader, looks through an antediluvian magnifying glass only to see a beautiful all blue vision that is held to be Bharat.'

The play of words in the dialogues by Vinod Sharma are terrific and when listened to carefully, one realises the immense usage of alliterations and metaphors to convey the message in a very artistic and yet effective manner.

For instance, when the Persian trader played by Praneet Bhatt enters the Paurav Kingdom on his ship, eyebrows are raised and suspicions are rife about his motive. His wry smile, that evil look in his eyes and the sinister line that he mouths, "Pathar choone se kismat nahi badalti, karobaar se badalti hai , karobaar karna hai mujhe, (One can't change destiny by touching a stone, destiny changes if one trades and I have come here to trade.) Says it all about his lofty ambition and his intentions are pretty clear to the viewing public. Very cleverly, he tries to lure Raja Bamni (played by Aditya Redij) who is the ruler of the Paurava Kingdom by offering a lot more money than anyone else! When his offer hits temptations in the right point, Anusuya (played by Rati Pandey) the princess of Takshashila and the sister of Takshashila Naresh Ambhiraj (played by Gurpreet Singh) thwarts it stating, "Jo ek Ka daam paanch se chukaaye, woh to yaa Moorkh hai yaa Dhoorth (One who agrees to pay more for something that costs less, is either a fool or is sly.)

That's when Raja Bamni accepts Anusuya's advice and chides the persian trader, much to the chagrin of his own brother and says, "Aaj agar aapke prastaav ko sweekar na kiya jaay to haani hogi, lekin agar sweekar kiya jaay to kal glaani hogi! (If we don't accept your proposal today, it will be our loss but if we accept it, we will have to repent in the future!) Or when Raja Bamni tries to come to a reconciliation with Ambhiraj and the latter with a snide remark tries to shut him off, Bamni says, "Soch (pauses) ... Soch samajh ke rakhni chahiye Ambhiraj, kyuki Soch ko sach banne mein samay nahi lagta. (Thoughts ... The thoughts we harbour makes us what we are, Ambhiraj. It doesn't take much time for the thoughts to turn into reality.)

There are many such instances strewn throughout, when the writing takes the centre stage, for instance, when Anusuya tries to reprimand his elder brother Ambiraj for being rude to Raja Bamni, he retaliates saying, "Jinke vishwaas mein hi vish ka vaas ho, unke sameep nahi rehte Anusuya. (Anusuya, you should never be close to someone who harbours mistrust.)

Aditya Redij's Raja Bamni is big, forbearing and a leader in the truest sense of the word. His tall frame, big eyes and his baritone voice makes his present felt in almost every frame he is seen. Rati Pandey's entry is endearing Amidst the clamouring crowd, the warrior princess storms in on a horse back with her hair fluttering in slow-mo; when she spots a little kid in the middle of the road; she adeptly picks him up to save him from any injury. Gurpreet's Ambhiraj looks stern and adamant just as his character demands!

The creative team of the series has surely put in a lot of work to make it the visual treat it has turned out to be. The attribution of a specific colour to different kingdoms, for instance the all blue tint given to the Pauravas and a combination of beige and brown is given to the Takshashila inhabitants looks intriguing and quite belonging to a particular place and this harmony is broken by the multi-coloured robe laden Persians who try to intrude and make their presence felt amidst it all.

Those fearing that Porus is nothing but a dull tableau of historical events; be relieved to know that they are in for a lively, provocative historical drama that runs on its own non-stop creative fire. Tewary introduces us to this colossal azure kingdom but from then on, the characters are on their feet and demanding attention. The competition sequence that has been shot on the Khao Sok lake between Raja Bamni and Ambhiraj looked straight out from the movie screens. The action sequences choreographed by Pradit Seelium and Tinu Verma are working wonders for the drama!

The photography looks stunning and grand, especially when the camera glides smoothly over the beautiful Thailand seascape that is being passed off as Jhelum (which is a tad bit unsettling to the mind though) courtesy Kabir Lal. A splendid usage of montage and ariel shots during the humongous dance sequence filmed in a bid to introduce the majestic Paurav Rashtra are quite unbecoming of the television sphere but they have been incorporated and splendidly so! Add to that a team of 200 dedicated VFX designers and the result is more than just impressive.

There are many stereotypes that have been broken in the very first hour long episode of the epic drama and I hope, this continues to happen which will help the television audience to consume something entire new from what they habitually do!

All I can say is, storm is raging inside these characters, waiting to rivet our attention and make Porus a drama series that grabs you and won't let go!

Link- https://teleshowupdates.com/en/porus-review-drama-never-seen-television.html