''Mahabharat'' is an Indian Hindi-language epic television series based on the ancient

Sanskrit epic Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called ''Kavya'' (or ''Kāvya''; Sanskrit: काव्य, IAST: ''kāvyá''). The ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata'', which were originally composed in ...

of the same title. The original airing consisted of a total of 94 episodes and were broadcast from 2 October 1988 to 24 June 1990 on

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest b ...

. It was produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his son, Ravi Chopra. The music was composed by

Raj Kamal Raj Kamal (15 January 1928 – 1 September 2005) was a well-known Indian composer. He composed classics such as the unforgettable '' Chashm-e-Buddoor'', ''kahan se aaye badra'', ''kaali ghodi dwaar khadi'', '' Sawan Ko Aane Do'', ''Chand J ...

. The script was written by

Pandit Narendra Sharma Pandit Narendra Sharma (28 February 1913 – 12 February 1989) was an Indian writer, poet and lyricist in Hindi language. He also wrote some songs for Indian Hindi cinema, like the title song for '' Satyam Shivam Sundaram'' (1979), for which h ...

and the Hindi/Urdu poet Rahi Masoom Raza, based on the epic by

Vyasa Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...

. Costumes for the series were provided by

Maganlal Dresswala Maganlal Dresswala or Maganlal Dresswala & Co. is a noted costumer and costume designer for Bollywood productions. Established in 1926 as a small shop in Kalbadevi, Mumbai, it is most known for its period costumes, in '' Ram Rajya'' (1943) ''Mug ...

. The serial claims to have used the Critical Edition of

Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) is located in Pune, Maharashtra, India. It was founded on 6 July 1917 and named after Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar (1837–1925), long regarded as the founder of Indology (Orientalism) in Ind ...

as its basic source with Vishnu Sitaram Sukthankar and Shripad Krishna Belwalkar as its primary editor. Each episode is 40–46 minutes long and begins with a title song that consisted of lyrical content and two verses from the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' ( ...

. The title song was sung and the verses rendered by singer

Mahendra Kapoor Mahendra Kapoor (9 January 1934 – 27 September 2008) was an Indian playback singer. In a long career spanning decades, his repertoire included popular songs such as ''Chalo ekbaar phir se Ajnabi ban jayen hum dono'' ( Gumrah) and ''Neele Gag ...

. The title song is followed by a narration by Indian voice-artist

Harish Bhimani Harish Bhimani (born 15 February) is a voiceover artiste and anchor.He is the voice of '' Samay'', the narrator of the TV series '' Mahabharat'' Personal life Harish was born in Mumbai. His brother Kishore Bhimani was a famous sports journal ...

as a personification of Time, detailing the current circumstances and highlighting the spiritual significance of the content of the episodes ''

Mahabharat Katha ''Mahabharat Katha'' is an Indian television series aired on DD National. This is a sequel which contains portions and stories left out of Mahabharat. It was produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his son Ravi Chopra. Plot This series covers e ...

'', another part of the serial was aired on 1997 which covers all the untold stories about Karna's marriage with Padmavati, Arjuna's marriage with

Chitrāngadā Chitrāngadā ( sa, चित्रांगदा, ''Citrāṅgadā''), in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata'', was the warrior princess of Manipur and the only heir of king Chitravahana. She had a son named Babhruvahana with Arjuna. The story of ...

and Ulupi, and stories about

Ghatotkacha Ghatotkacha ( sa, घटोत्कच, , literally: "Bald Pot") is a prominent character in the story of ''Mahabharata''. His name comes from the fact that his head was hairless (''utkacha'') and shaped like a ghatam, or a pot. Ghatotkacha ...

, Barbarika, Vrishaketu,

Babruvahana In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Babruvahana ( sa, बब्रुवाहन) is the son of Arjuna, a Pandava prince, and Chitrangada, the princess of Manalura. Babruvahana was adopted as the heir of Manalura by his maternal grandfathe ...

, conspiracies of Viprachitti, Ashwamedha Yajna, Dushala's story and aftermath of the

Kurukshetra War The Kurukshetra War ( sa, कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध ), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the ''Mahabharata ( sa, महाभारत )''. The conflict arose from a dynastic succession struggle be ...

, which are not covered in the original series.

Premise

The series covers the incidents of epic

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

revolving around

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

, Kauravas among other characters. The show begins with Emperor Bharata giving more importance to 'Capacity' than to 'Birth'. He shows the birth of

Bhishma Bhishma ( Sanskrit: भीष्‍म, , ), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, played an integral role in Mahabharata. He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces during the Kurukshetra War mentioned in the Hindu epi ...

and his oath, birth of Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidur and birth of Pandavas and Kauravas. The story then focuses on the childhood of Lord Krishna. Elsewhere,

Dronacharya Droṇa ( sa, द्रोण, Droṇa), also referred to as Dronacharya ( sa, द्रोणाचार्य, Droṇācārya), is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he serves as the royal preceptor of the Kaura ...

teaches Pandavas and Kauravas and asks to defeat Drupad as ''Guru Dakshina''. Pandavas do so and give half of his kingdom to Drona. For revenge, Drupada obtains Dhrishtadyumna and

Draupadi Draupadi ( sa, द्रौपदी, draupadī, Daughter of Drupada), also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yagyaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata,'' and the common consort of the five Pandava brothe ...

. Dhritarashtra makes Yudhishthir the crown prince of Hastinapur. Shakuni (the maternal uncle of the Kauravas) and Duryodhan hatch a plan to burn Pandavas and Kunti alive, but they survive and go into incognito. Duryodhan is made crown prince of Hastinapur. Arjuna wins Draupadi in her swayamvara but later shows her marriage with all five Pandavas. Later,

Yudhishthir ''Yudhishthira'' (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his first w ...

is made the king of Indraprastha and Pandavas conduct ''Rajsuya Yagna'' where Draupadi insults

Duryodhana Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Bei ...

. Latter shows Duryodhana's revenge by trying to disrobe her and sending Pandavas along with Draupadi for an exile of 12 years and 1 year of anonymity. Duryodhana argues that the Pandavas violated the condition of anonymity in their last year of exile, therefore they must spend another 12 years in exile followed by another year of exile in anonymity. This conflict begins to sows the seed for the Mahabharata War. Arjun and Subhadra's son Abhimanyu marries Uttara. Krishna tries to make peace between both parties.

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

in the disguise of a Brahmin took Karna's armor and earrings. Kunti's sorrow on the corpse of Karna reveals Karna's true identity of being the eldest Pandava. Before Mahabharata War, Shri Krishna enlightens Arjuna about the "

" and showed his ''Virata Swaroopa'' to Arjuna. The latter shows the deaths of Bheeshma, Drona, Karna, Abhimanyu, Shalya, Shakuni, Jayadrata, Ghatotkacha, 100 Kauravas, 5 sons of Draupadi and many other warriors in the war leading to the victory of Pandavas over Kauravas. Gandhari holds Krishna responsible for her son's death and curses that his family will also get destroyed. The show ends with Yudhishthir's ''Rajyabhishek'' and Bhishma's death.

Cast

Main

* Nitish Bharadwaj as

, eighth avatar of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

, Devaki-Vasudev's eighth son, foster son of Nand and Yashoda, Balaram and Subhadra's brother, Pandavas' cousin, Radha's consort, husband of Rukmini, Satyabhama and other 6 rani,

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...

in the song sabso Uchi prem sagaai ** Kewal Shah as adolescent

Mukesh Khanna Mukesh Khanna (born 23 June 1958) is an Indian actor, talk show host and producer who works in Hindi language films and television shows. He is best known for his portrayal of Shaktimaan, the superhero character in '' Shaktimaan'' (1997–2005) ...

, Shantanu-Ganga's eighth son, eighth Vasu,

Satyavati Satyavati ( sa, सत्यवती, ; also spelled Satyawati) was the queen of the Kuru. She is the wife of king Shantanu of Hastinapura, and the great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes (The principal characters of the Hin ...

's step-son, elder half-brother of Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, paternal uncle of

Dhritrashtra Dhritarashtra ( sa, धृतराष्ट्र, ISO-15919: Dhr̥tarāṣṭra) was a Kuru king, and the father of the Kauravas in the Hindu epic '' Mahabharata''. He was the King of the Kuru Kingdom, with its capital at Hastinapura. He ...

Pandu In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Pandu ( sa, पाण्डु, Pāṇḍu, pale) was a king of the Kuru Kingdom. He was the foster-father of the five Pandava brothers, who were the boons bestowed upon his wife Kunti by a number of deitie ...

, and

Vidur Vidura (Sanskrit: विदुर, lit. ''skilled'', ''intelligent'' or ''wise''), also known as Kshatri, plays a key role in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is described as the prime minister of the Kuru kingdom and is the paternal uncle o ...

, paternal grand-uncle of the Kauravas and the

** Krish Malik as adolescent

Gajendra Chauhan Gajendra Singh Chauhan known professionally as Gajendra Chauhan, is a former television actor known for his work on Indian television, especially his portrayal of Yudhishthira in the historical television series ''Mahabharat'' (1988–90). He h ...

, first Pandava, son of Kunti and Yama, eldest son of Kuru Clan, King of Indraprastha and later

Hastinapura Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain text ...

, husband of Draupadi, father of Prativindhya, Kaurava's Elder Cousin ** Sonu as young

* Praveen Kumar as

Bhim BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) is an Indian mobile payment app developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Launched on 30 December 2016, it is intended to facilitate e-pa ...

, second Pandava, son of Kunti and Vayu,

Yuvraaj ''Yuvvraaj'' () is a 2008 Indian drama film directed and produced by Subhash Ghai. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Zayed Khan, Katrina Kaif and Boman Irani. ''Yuvvraaj'' is a musical story of a fragmented family of three brothers who t ...

(crown prince) of Indraprastha, husband of Draupadi and Hidimba, father of

Sutasoma ''Kakawin Sutasoma'' is an Old Javanese poem in poetic meters ('' kakawin'' or '' kavya''). It is the source of the motto of Indonesia, '' Bhinneka Tunggal Ika'', which is usually translated as ''Unity in Diversity'', although literally it m ...

, Duryodhan's Younger Cousin ** Mallik as young

* Arjun aka Firoz Khan as

Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...

, third Pandava, son of Kunti and Indra, husband of

, Uloopi, Chitrangada and

Subhadra Subhadra ( sa, सुभद्रा, Subhadrā) is a Hindu goddess mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures like the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana''. She is described as the favourite child of Vasudeva and the younger sister of d ...

, brother-in-law of Balaram and

, father of

Abhimanyu Abhimanyu is a legendary warrior from the ancient Hindu history ''Mahabharata''. He was born to the third Pandava prince Arjuna and the Yadu princess Subhadra, who was Krishna's younger sister. The ''Sambhava Parva'' of the Adi Parva states ...

, Iravan and Shrutakarma , Duryodhan's Younger cousin ** Ankur Javeri as young

Roopa Ganguly Roopa Ganguly is an Indian actress, playback singer and politician. She is best known for her portrayal of Draupadi in B R Chopra's hit television series '' Mahabharat''. Often promoted as the Tollywood's answer to Bollywood's Shabana Azmi, s ...

, wife of Pandavas, also called as Panchali and Yagyaseni, younger daughter of

Drupad Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music, Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampraday and also related to the South Indi ...

, Princess of Panchala, sister of Dhrishtadhyumna and Shikhandi, mother of Upapandavas *

Puneet Issar Puneet Issar (born 6 November 1959) is an Indian actor, writer, director, producer and dialect coach best known for his works in Hindi films and television shows. Issar started his acting career as a villain in the Manmohan Desai's 1983 film ' ...

as Duryodhan, eldest son of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra, elder brother of 99 Kauravas, husband of Bhanumati, Yudhishthir's younger cousin, Elder Cousin of other 4 Pandavas, Lakshmanaa's Father, Crown prince of Hastinapur, Karna's best friend **Amit Shukla as young Duryodhan * Pankaj Dheer as

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...

, son of Kunti and Surya, Adhiratha-Radha's foster son, King of

Anga Anga (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas. Counted among the "sixteen great nations" in Buddhist texts ...

, Pandava's Eldest Brother, Padmaavati's Husband, Duryodhan's best friend ** Harendra Paintal as young

* Sameer Chitre as Nakul, fourth Pandava, son of Madri and Ashwini Kumara, husband of Draupadi, father of Shatanika * Sanjeev Chitre as

Sahadeva Sahadeva ( Sanskrit: सहदेव) was the youngest of the Pandava brothers, the five principal protagonists of the epic '' Mahabharata''. He and his twin brother, Nakula, were blessed to King Pandu and Queen Madri by invoking the twin god ...

, fifth Pandav, son of Madri and Ashwini Kumara, husband of Draupadi and father of Shrutasena * Vinod Kapoor as Dushasan, second son of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra, Duryodhan's younger brother ** Kaushal Shah as young Dushasan * Gufi Paintal as

Shakuni Shakuni ( sa, शकुनि, , ) plays a key role in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is one of the main antagonists of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He was the prince of the kingdom of Gandhara when introduced, later becoming its king a ...

, Gandhari's brother, later King of

Gandhara Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Val ...

, maternal uncle of Duryodhan and his 99 brothers * Girija Shankar as

, Vichitravirya's son from Ambika (eldest), later king of

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts. ...

, father of Kauravas *

Renuka Israni Renuka, also known as Yellamma, is a Hindu goddess worshipped predominantly in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and western state of Maharashtra. She is also known as the mother of Parashurama ...

as Gandhari, wife of Dhritrashtra, Queen of

, mother of Kauravas, princess of

, sister of Shakuni *

Nazneen Nazneen is an Indian Bollywood actress who was active in the 1970s and 1980s. She was born on (23 February 1958) in Kolkata and studied in Lucknow before moving to Mumbai with her parents. She was cast in '' Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-Pa'' (1972) after meeti ...

Kunti Kunti ( sa, कुन्ती, ), named at birth as Pritha ( sa, पृथा, ), is one of the prominent characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is best known as the mother of the Pandavas and Karna, the main protagonists of the epi ...

, Pandu's first wife, mother of Karna, Yudhisthira, Bhim and Arjuna, daughter of Shoorsen, Vasudev's sister, Yadava princess, foster daughter of Kuntibhoj *

Virendra Razdan Virendra Razdan (1951 – 13 June 2003) was an Indian actor. Early Life Virendra Razdan was born on 6 March 1951 to a middle class Brahmin family at Srinagar, Kashmir. His father Govind Razdan was a Sufi Musician. He aspired to become an actor ...

, the Mahaa Mantri of Hastinapur, son of Ambika's head maid Parishrami, fathered by

, half-brother to the kings Dhritarashtra and

, uncle of

and Kauravas *

Surendra Pal Surendrapal Singh (born 25 September 1953) is an Indian film and television character actor who works in Hindi films and TV series. He is best known for his roles of Dronacharya in '' Mahabharat'', Amatya Rakshas in ''Chanakya'', Tamraj Kilvi ...

, Kauravas and

' guru, Ashwatthama's father *

Dharmesh Tiwari Dharmesh Tiwari (27 April 1951 – 6 August 2014) was an Indian actor and film director. He is memorable for portraying Kripacharya in the TV series '' Mahabharat'' and Malayraj in ''Chanakya''. He essayed the role of a judge on the Hindi TV s ...

Kripacharya Kripa ( sa, कृप, Kṛpa, pity), also known as Kripacharya ( sa, कृपाचार्य, Kṛpācārya, Kripa the master), is a figure in Hindu mythology. According to the epic ''Mahabharata'', he was a council member of Kuru Kingdo ...

, family teacher, brother of

Kripi The ''Mahabharata'' is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India; it was composed by the sage Vyasa. The most important characters of ''Mahabharata'' can be said to include: Krishna; the Pandavas Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakul ...

Ashwatthama In the Hindu epic the ''Mahabharata'', Ashwatthama ( sa, अश्वत्थामा, Aśvatthāmā) or Drauni was the son of guru Drona and Kripi (sister of Kripacharya). He was the grandson of the sage Bharadwaja. Ashwatthama ruled th ...

's maternal uncle * Pradeep Rawat as

, son of

**Ayush Shah as young

Recurring

as Samay / narrator * Sagar Salunke as

Balarama Balarama ( Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Bala ...

, Krishna's elder half brother * Aloka Mukherjee as

, Arjuna's fourth wife, Abhimanyu's mother, Vasudev's and Rohini's daughter, Krishna-Balaram's younger sister, Yadava princess * Raj Babbar as Bharata, paternal ancestor of the Kauravas and

, son of King Dushyanta and

Shakuntala Shakuntala (Sanskrit: ''Śakuntalā'') is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata. Her story is told in the ''Adi Parva'' of the ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata'' and dramatized by many writers, the most famous adaption bei ...

* Ashalata Wabgaonkar as

, Bharata's mother, King Dushyanta's wife *

Rishabh Shukla Rishabh Shukla (''R̥ṣabha Śuklā'') is an Indian film and television actor and a voice-dubbing artist, who speaks Hindi as his mother tongue language. On television he is most known for his role of King Shantanu in ''Mahabharat'' (TV serie ...

as Shantanu, descendant of King Bharata, husband of

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

and

, father of

, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, paternal grandfather of Dhritarashtra and

, paternal great-grandfather of the Kauravas and the

* Kiran Juneja as

, Shantanu's first wife,

's mother, the

holy river Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cler ...

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

* Debashree Roy as

, King Shantanu's second wife;

, Chitrangada, and Vichitravirya's mother,

's step-mother, paternal grandmother of Dhritarashtra,

, and

, paternal great-grandmother of the Kauravas and the

Rajesh Vivek Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay (31 January 1949 – 14 January 2016) was an Indian actor. He is best known to Hindi film audiences for his role as the astrologer Guran in '' Lagaan'' (2001) and as the postmaster Nivaran in '' Swades'' (2004). He had ...

Maharishi Maharishi is a Sanskrit word, written as "महर्षि" in Devanagari (formed from the prefix mahā- meaning "great" and r̥ṣi - sage, poet or a singer of sacred hymns), indicating members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, ...

Ved Vyas, son of sage Parashara and

, father of Dhritarashtra,

and Vidura, partial incarnation of

, author of

Sudesh Berry Sudesh Berry is an Indian actor and personality known for his works in Hindi cinema and Indian television. Films * '' Rajnandini'' (2021) *''Sardar Saab'' (2017) (Punjabi) * '' Sanam Teri Kasam'' (2016) - Inder's father * ''Ainthu Ainthu A ...

as Vichitravirya, Shantanu-Satyavati's second son after Chitrangada, Bhisma's step brother, husband of

Ambika Ambika may refer to: Mythology * Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti * Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess * Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, th ...

and

Ambalika Ambalika () is a princess featured in the Mahabharata. The youngest daughter of Kashya, the King of Kashi, and Kausalya, she is abducted by Bhishma during her svayamvara ceremony, and becomes the wife of Vichitravirya, the King of Hastinap ...

, father of Dhritarashtra and

, paternal grandfather of the Kauravas and the

* Jahnavi as

Amba Amba or AMBA may refer to: Title * Amba Hor, alternative name for Abhor and Mehraela, Christian martyrs * Amba Sada, also known as Psote, Christian bishop and martyr in Upper Egypt Given name * Amba, the traditional first name given to the fir ...

, the first princess of

Kashi Kashi or Kaashi may refer to: Places * Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India ** Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas ** Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi * Kashgar, a c ...

, Shikhandi in the next life * Meena Chakrabarty as

, second princess of

, Vichitravirya's first queen, mother of Dhritarashtra, paternal grandmother of the Kauravas * Menaka Babbar as

, third princess of

, Vichitravirya's second queen, mother of

, paternal grandmother of the

* Tarakesh Chauhan as

, Vichitravirya's son from Ambalika (the youngest wife), King of

, husband of

and Madri, father of

* Roma Manek as Madri, Pandu's second wife, Madra princess, mother of Nakul and Sahadev * Asha Singh as

, sister of Kripacharya, wife of Dronacharya and mother of Ashwathama * Kamlesh Maan as Devi Sulabha,

's wife * Lalit Mohan Tiwari as

Sanjaya Sanjaya or Sanjay (Sanskrit: सञ्जय, meaning "victory") or Sanjaya Gavalgana is an advisor from the ancient Indian Hindu war epic ''Mahābhārata''. In ''Mahabharata''—An ancient story of a war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas ...

, Dhritarashtra's advisor and also his

chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&n ...

eer * Kapil Kumar as Shalya, Madri's elder brother, King of Madra * Shahla Khan as Hidimbā, Hidimb's sister, Bheem's wife, Kunti's daughter-in-law and Ghatotkacha's mother * Razak Khan as

, son of

Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...

and Hidimbi * Mayur Verma (Master Mayur) as

, son of Arjun and

, husband of Uttara, father of Parikshit * Varsha Usgaonkar as Uttara, Abhimanyu's wife,

Matsya Matsya ( sa, मत्स्य, lit. ''fish'') is the fish avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. Often described as the first of Vishnu's ten primary avatars, Matsya is described to have rescued the first man, Manu, from a great deluge. Matsya ...

princess, mother of Parikshit * Dinesh Anand as Vikarna, son of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra, Duyodhan's younger brother * Paramjeet Chima as Dashraj,

's father *

Om Katare Om Katare, (born Datia, Madhya Pradesh, India) is an Indian actor in the Bollywood and theater industries. He is also a director and playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Midd ...

as Adhiratha, charioteer,

's foster father * Saroj Sharma as

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also d ...

, Adhiratha's wife,

's foster mother * Ramlal Gupta as

Ugrasena Ugrasena ( sa, उग्रसेन) is a character mentioned in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. He is the King of Mathura, a kingdom that was established by the powerful fearless Abhira tribes from the Yaduvamsha clan. His son was Kamsa, and K ...

, King of

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...

, Surasena, father of Kansa and Devaki * Goga Kapoor as Kansa, son of Ugrasena, elder brother of Devaki, maternal uncle of

and

Vishnu Sharma Sharma ( Sanskrit: विष्णुशर्मन् / विष्णुशर्मा) was an Indian scholar and author who wrote the '' Panchatantra'', a collection of fables. Works Panchatantra is one of the most widely translated non- ...

as Vasudev, son of Shurasena, brother of

, prince of

Vrishni The Vrishnis (Brahmi: ''vri-shņi'') were an ancient Vedic Indian clan who were believed to be the descendants of Vrishni. It is believed that Vrishni was the son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari a ...

tribe, father of Balarama, Krishna, and Subhadra, maternal uncle of the

* Kshama Raj as Rohini, Vasudeva's elder wife, mother of Balarama *

Sheela Sharma Sheela Sharma ( Sheela David) is an Indian film and television actress in Hindi and Gujarati cinema, best known for the films '' Nadiya Ke Paar'' (1982), '' Hum Saath Saath Hain'' and ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai''. Born in Valsad district, Gujar ...

Devaki Devaki ( Sanskrit: देवकी, IAST: ''Devakī'') is a character in Hindu literature, most noted for being the mother of the god Krishna. She is one of the seven daughters of Devapa or Devaka, a king of the Yadu dynasty, and has four b ...

, Vasudev's younger wife, younger sister of Kansa, daughter of Ugrasena, mother of Krishna and Subhadra *

Rasik Dave Rasik Dave (19 June 1957 – 29 July 2022) was an Indian actor working predominantly in Hindi television industry. He is best known for his role of Nanda baba, father of Krishna in B. R. Chopra's television show ''Mahabharat'' (1988). Dave was B ...

Nanda Nanda may refer to: Indian history and religion * Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE ** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire ** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...

, chief of Gokul, foster father of Krishna * Manju Vyas as

Yashoda Yashoda ( sa, यशोदा, translit=Yaśodā) is the foster-mother of Krishna and the wife of Nanda. She is described in the Puranic texts of Hinduism as the wife of Nanda, the chieftain of Gokulam, and the sister of Rohini. According to the ...

, Nand's wife, foster mother of Krishna * Channa Ruparel as Maharani Rukmini,

's chief wife * Parijat as Devi

's consort * Sumeet Raghavan as adolescent Sudama * Ajay Sinha as Akroor,

chief * Bashir Khan as

Satyaki Yuyudhana ( sa, युयुधान, '), better known as Satyaki ( sa, सात्यकि, ), was a powerful Yadava chieftain of Narayani Sena, belonging to the Vrishni clan to which Krishna also belonged. According to the Puranas, he was ...

, General *

Ashok Banthia Ashok Banthia, sometimes referred as Ashok Bathia or Ashok Bhatia, is an Indian actor and director associated with Hindi film, television and theatre actor. He is a NSD (National School of Drama) alumnus known for his roles in Australian TV ...

as Senapati

Kritavarma Kritavarma ( sa, कृतवर्मा, translit=Kṛtavarmā) is a Yadava warrior in Hinduism. He appears as a minor character in the Mahabharata, fighting in the Kurukshetra war for the Kauravas. According to F.E. Pargiter, he was the son ...

* Pradeep Sharma as Panchalaraj Drupada, Draupadi's father, King of Panchala *

Arun Bakshi Arun Bakshi is an Indian film and television actor and also a singer. He has acted as a character actor in over 100 Hindi films, and as a playback singer has also sung 298 songs. He has also worked in Punjabi and Bhojpuri cinema. He also played ...

as Yuvraaj Dhrishtadyumna, Draupadi's elder brother, Prince of Panchala * Paintal as Shikhandi, Drupad's elder son, adult Sudama * Ashok Sharma as Virata, King of

* Chandni Sharma as

Sudeshna In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Sudeshna was the wife of King Virata, at whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. She was the mother of Uttar, Uttara, Shveta, and Shankha. Sudeshna, had 106 Younger Brothers. ...

, Queen of

* Sameer Rajda as Uttar, crown prince of

Sharat Saxena Sharat Saxena (born 17 August 1950) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films along with Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films. He has acted in more than 250 Bollywood films. Saxena started his career in the early 1970s and has mainly played su ...

as Kichaka, Army General of

* Deep Dhillon as

Jayadratha Jayadratha () is the king of the Sindhu kingdom featured in the Mahabharata. He was married to Dushala, the only sister of the hundred Kaurava brothers. The son of the king Vriddhakshatra, he is killed by Arjuna. He has a son named Suratha. ...

, Duhsala's husband, Kauravas' brother-in-law, King of Sindhu * Vikrant Mathur as Subala,

's and Gandhari's father, King of

Shivendra Mahal Shivendra Mahal (born in 1957 in Ropar) is an Indian actor, anchor and movie director. He began his career with serials like his dual role portrayal of Parshurama and Shiva in the mega-epic ''Mahabharata'' (1988). He has done many serials in ...

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will app ...

and

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

* Satish Kaul as Devraj

* Gopi Krishna as

Chitrasena Deshamanya Chitrasena (born Amaratunga Arachige Maurice Dias) (26 January 1921 – 18 July 2005) was a dancer from Sri Lanka, internationally known for his work in establishing a modern Sri Lankan tradition of dance and popularising traditiona ...

* Rakesh Bidua as Kashya, King of

* Rana Jung Bahadur as Jarasandha, King of

Magadha Magadha was a region and one of the sixteen sa, script=Latn, Mahajanapadas, label=none, lit=Great Kingdoms of the Second Urbanization (600–200 BCE) in what is now south Bihar (before expansion) at the eastern Ganges Plain. Magadha was rul ...

, father-in-law of

Kamsa Kamsa ( sa, कंस, Kaṃsa, translit-std=IAST) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, whi ...

* Karunakar Pathak as Shishupala, King of Chedi, a maternal cousin of

and

* Pawan Shukla as Shalva Kumar, Prince of

Salwa Salwa, an Arabic name meaning "solace", may refer to: People *Princess Salwa Aga Khan (born 1988), American model, wife of Prince Rahim Aga Khan * Sally ("Salwa") Shatila Kader, Lebanese-American peace activist *Salwa Abdullah (born 1953), Syrian ...

, Princess

's lover *

Prem Sagar Lallu Lal (1763–1835) was an academic, author and translator from British India. He was an instructor in the Hindustani language at Fort William College in Hastings, Calcutta. He is notable for ''Prem Sagar'', the first work in modern litera ...

as Rishi

Kanva Kanva (Sanskrit: कण्व '), also called Karnesh, was an ancient Hindu rishi of the ''Treta Yuga'', to whom some of the hymns of the ''Rig Veda'' are ascribed. He was one of the Angirasas. He has been called a son of Ghora, but this lineag ...

* Pankaj Berry as Rishi

Kindama Kindama ( sa, किन्दम) is a rishi featured in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. Legend Once, the sage and his wife were mating in the form of a deer and a doe. King Pandu of Hastinapura Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut distric ...

, a sage who cursed

* Mini Singh as Rishi

's wife

Episodic appearance

* Vikas Prasad as

Ekalavya Ekalavya (Sanskrit: एकलव्य, ''ékalavya'') is a character from the Indian epic Mahābhārata. He was a young prince of the Nishadas, a confederation of forest and hill tribes in ancient India. Ekalavya is called as one of the fore ...

* Randhir Singh as Hidimb and Putana * Sabrina as Putana (cameo) *

Dara Singh Dara Singh Randhawa (born Deedar Singh Randhawa; 19 November 1928 – 12 July 2012) was an Indian professional wrestler, actor, director and politician. He started acting in 1952 and was the first sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya S ...

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

(cameo) *

Raj Kishore Raj Kishore (1933 - 7 April 2018) was an Indian actor who played roles in the Indian films such as '' Sholay'' (1975), '' Padosan'' (1968), '' Deewaar'' (1975), '' Ram Aur Shyam'' (1967), '' Hare Rama Hare Krishna'' (1971), ''Karishma Kudrat Ka ...

as Rajpurohit of Panchal Kingdom (cameo) * Dinesh Kaushik as

Rukmi Rukmi ( sa, रुक्मी) is the ruler of Vidarbha according to the epic Mahabharata. He was the son of King Bhishmaka and the elder brother of Rukmini. The Harivamsa mentions that Rukmi was trained in the arts of warfare by the Kimpurush ...

* Bashir Khan as Rishi Parashar, father of Vyasa, Senapati of Hastinapura

Episodes

Episode 1 – Introduction of Kuru Family, Raja Bharat and Raja Shantanu Episode 2 – Ganga Kills Her Sons Episode 3 – Bhishma is Grown-up Episode 4 – Bhishma Pratigya & Iccha Mrityu Vardaan Episode 5 – Amba, Ambika and Ambalika's Introduction Episode 6 – Birth of Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidur Episode 7 – Karna's Birth-story Episode 8 – Story of Adhiratha and Radha, Pandu is cursed Episode 9 – Dhritarashtra is king, Pandu's sanyas and Pandavas are born. Episode 10 – Kansa is king at Mathura and Akashwani about Krishna Episode 11 – Birth of Balarama and Krishna Episode 12 – Krishna Janma (birth of Krishna) celebrations and Pootna's Death Episode 13 – Krishna Brahmand Darshan and Krishna gets caught while stealing Makhan Episode 14 – Maiya Mori Mai nahi makhan khayo and Kaliya Nag Tandav Episode 15 – Radha and Gopikas, protest against Mathura, Devakasur and Trulambasur Vadh Episode 16 – Kansa invites Krishna to Mathura Episode 17 – Kansa Vadh; Krishna meets his parents and grandfather Episode 18 – Karna’s adoption, Pandu and Madri's Death Episode 19 – Satyavati, Ambika and Ambalika take sanyas with Rishi Vyas Episode 20 – Karna grows up; Duryodhan Poisons Bhim and Bhim gets strength of 1000 Elephants Episode 21 – Sudama's chivda story and Drona arrives at Hastinapur Episode 22 – Shastra Pooja, Drona rejects Karna Episode 23 – Karna's education under Parshurama Episode 24 – Karna enters the Rangbhoomi Episode 25 – Karna is crowned as king of Anga, Drona's guru Dakshina to capture Dhrupad Episode 26 – Krishna gets Sudarshana chakra from Parshuram, defeats Jarasandh and orders building Dwaraka Episode 27 – Yudhishthira is crowned as Prince. Rukmini of Vidarbha is Being Forced to Marry Shishupal Episode 28 – Krishna Rescues Rukmini and marry her Episode 29 – Lakshagraha is built-in Varnavata by Purochan Episode 30 – Tunneling in Varnavat Begins Episode 31 – Escape from Lakshagraha Episode 32 – Hidimb Vadh and Bhima's marriage with demoness Hidimba Episode 33 – Bheema kills Bakasura Episode 34 – Drishtadhyumna & Draupadi Birth and Draupadi Swayamvar Episode 35 – Arjuna wins Draupadi and later she became the wife of the 5 Pandavas Episode 36 – Pandavas Leave from ''Panchal Kingdom'' to Hastinapur Episode 37 – Karna meets the Pandavas. Episode 38 – Pandav Get Khandavprastha Episode 39 – Coronation of Yudhirsthir, Khandavprastha Becomes Indraprastha Episode 40 – Balraam talks about Subhadra’s marriage Episode 41 – Arjuna weds Subhadra. Arjun gets Devdatta Conch and Gandiva and Bhima gets his Gada Episode 42 – Jarasandha Vadh, Rajsuya Yagnya begins, Shishupala's story Episode 43 – Rajsuya Yagya, Shishupala Vadh Episode 44 – Vyas predicts war Episode 45 – Pandavas go to Hastinapur to gamble Episode 46 – Yudhishthir loses Everything in the gamble Episode 47 – Vastraharan of Draupadi Episode 48 – Pandavas bet back everything Episode 49 – Re-match of Dyut Episode 50 – Vanvas Begins Episode 51 – Gandharvas catch Duryodhan Episode 52 – Karna conquers the world Episode 53 – Krishna's story of one grain of rice, Bheema meets Ghatotkacha and Hanuman, Arjun learns dance from Chitrasena Episode 54 – Arjuna gets curse of impotency from Urvashi, Abhimanyu as a kid, Jayadrath's head is shaved Episode 55 – Story of Poisoned Water and Yaksha's Questions to Yudhishthira, Abhimanyu is Grown-up Episode 56 – Exile in Matsya Desh Episode 57 – Karna's curse Episode 58 – Keechaka Vadh by Bheema Episode 59 – Kaurav Attack Matsya Desh Episode 60 – Viraat war and clothes for Uttaraa's dolls Episode 61 – Abhimanyu and Uttaraa's marriage and Pandavs decide to send a Doot to Hastinapur Episode 62 – Dhritarashtra does not agree and sends Sanjay Episode 63 – Duryodhana gets Narayani Sena from Krishna, Krishna agrees to become charioteer of Arjuna Episode 64 – Krishna Goes to Hastinapur as Shanti Doot Episode 65 – Karna gives away his kawacha and kundala to Indra Episode 66 – Karna's identity is disclosed Episode 67 – Kunti meets Karna Episode 68 – Karna refuses to fight Episode 69 – Shalya becomes Karna’s charioteer Episode 70 – Shikhandi's Story of rebirth Episode 71 – Krishna meets Karna; rules of war are laid Episode 72 – Kurukshetra War begins and Arjun Drops His weapons, Geeta Saar begins Episode 73 – Geeta Saar continues Episode 74 – Geeta Saar continues and Krishna shows his Maha-avtaar Episode 75 – Yudhishthira gets blessings, Yuyutsu changes side and war begins, Abhimanyu faces Bhishma Episode 76 – Uttar dies, Arjuna faces Bhishma and day 2 begins Episode 77 – 3rd day is over, 4th day begins, Bhima is surrounded, 10 Kauravas are killed, Krishna takes out his Sudarshan Episode 78 – 9th Day is over and 16 Kauravs are dead, Bhishma tells how to take him out of the war Episode 79 – Karna meets Bhishma Episode 80 – Karna enters the field, Drona tries to capture Yudhishthir but is unsuccessful, Shantanu comes to Bhishma Episode 81 – Chakra Vyuh Planned, Duryodhan Promises Susharma Episode 82 – Abhimanyu Vadh; Uttaraa is pregnant Episode 83 – Arjuna Vows to Kill Jayadrath and Story About Jayadratha's Curse Episode 84 – Arjuna Breaks Kamal Vyuh to Get to Jayadratha Episode 85 – Shri Krishna covers the Sun with his ''

Sudarshana Chakra Sudarshana Chakra (Sanskrit: सुदर्शन चक्र, lit. "disc of auspicious vision", IAST: Sudarśana Chakra) is a spinning, celestial discus with 108 serrated edges, attributed to Vishnu and Krishna in the Hindu scriptures. The Su ...

'', Jayadratha Vadh Episode 86 – Karna kills Ghatotkacha by ''

Shakti Astra In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and rep ...

'' Episode 87 – Karna defeats Bahlika army; Virat and Drupad are killed, Drona Dies Episode 88 – Karna spares Arjun’s life again Episode 89 – Karna's curse, Karna dies . Episode 90 – Shakuni Dies, Shalya dies, Duryodhan learns about Karna's truth, Yudhishthir curses All womankind, Gandhari curses Krishna & Yaduvansh, Duryodhan becomes iron bodied Episode 91 – Balaram arrives, Bhim-Duryodhan Gada Yudh, Duryodhan fatally wounded, Balaram decides to kill Bhim Episode 92 – Duryodhan Dies, Ashwatthama, Kripa and Kritvarma remain, Ashwathamas kill the sons of Pandavas (Uppandavas) and Drishtadyumna, Ashwathama tries to kill Uttaraa's unborn son, Krishna curses Ashwatthama, Parikshit is Born Episode 93 – Dhritarashtra-Vidur discussion about ''dharma'', Pandavas arrive at Hastinapur, Dhritarashtra Tries to kill Bhim Episode 94 – Dhritarashtra and Gandhari ready for Vanaprasthan. Yudhisthir Becomes King of Hastinapur, Bhishma leaves his body.

Production

Development

According to production team member Kishore Malhotra, the total cost of producing the series was . According to Director Ravichopra each episode was made up of ₹6.5 lakh to ₹7 lakh. Casting for the series began in 1986 and shooting started off in mid-1988. Show was shot mostly at Mumbai's Film City, and the grand battle of ''Kurukshetra'' was shot in Rajasthan, with thousands of extras to fill the screen. The series was initially submitted to the channel for 104 episodes which was later shortened to 94 episodes.

Casting

15,000 people applied to play different roles in the Mahabharat TV series. The casting team led by Gufi Paintal shortlisted them and called around 1,500 for video screen tests Almost all actors in the series were newcomers, barring Raj Babbar who played King Bharat, Debashree Roy who played Satyavati. Nitish Bharadwaj was chosen by B.R. Chopra, Ravi Chopra, Pandit Narendra Sharma and Rahi Masoom Raza, to play the central role of

, at the age of 23. Initially, he was chosen for playing

. But

was cast for it as B.R.Chopra considered Bharadwaj young to play the role. Then Bharadwaj was offered to play Nakul and Sahadev, but he rejected and wanted to play

. Days later, he was called and finalized to play Krishna. Firoz Khan was chosen to portray the character of

(which he later adopted as his screen name, to not become confused with a more popular actor of the same name) despite being rejected in auditions. Asian games gold medalist Praveen Kumar was selected to portray

after Chopra was looking for someone "who could look the robust historical character". Around six actresses were shortlisted for the role of

, including

Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...

, who opted out of the show as she had bagged a film.

Ramya Krishnan Ramya Krishnan (born 15 September 1970), also credited as Ramya Krishna (in the Telugu and Kannada film industries) is an Indian actress. She has appeared in over 260 films in five languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. Ram ...

and

were the final names, and at last

was chosen, as her Hindi was good. Govinda and Chunky Pandey were signed for the role of

, but they opted out when they bagged films. Later, Master Mayur played the role.

who wished to play role of Arjun was initially offered the role of Duryodhan. But later he was signed for Dhronacharya. When Vijayendra Ghadge dropped his role of Bhisma, Khanna got the role of

was offered to play the role of Bheem but was cast as Duryodhan on his wish. The casting director of the show, GufiPaintal had offered role of Shakuni by the maker's of Mahabharat.

Music

Mahabharat's music was composed by

and lyrics were penned by

. Some songs were taken from works of devotional writers like Surdas,

Raskhan Syed Ibrahim Khan (1548-1628) was an Indian Sufism, Sufi Muslim poet who became a devotee of the Hindu deity Krishna. He was either born in Pihani (Hardoi) or Amroha, in modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India. His original name was Saiyad Ibrahim and R ...

etc. Apart from main songs there are also several short verses decoding summary of each episode. All those verse were sung by

Broadcast

In India the series was originally broadcast on

DD National DD National (formerly DD1) is a state-owned public entertainment television channel in India. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster, and the oldest and most widely available terrestrial television chann ...

. It was shown in the United Kingdom by the BBC, where it achieved audience figures of 5 million. It was also the first programme broadcast on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

after its 1991 revamp, but it had also been shown late at night on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

the previous year. The show was again telecast on

DD Bharati DD Bharati is a state owned TV channel telecasting from Doordarshan Kendra, Delhi. It telecasts various cultural programmes and is dedicated to show India's vast culture and traditions. History DD-Bharati Channel was launched on 26 January 2002 ...

from 28 March 2020, on DD Retro from 13 April 2020, on

Colors TV Colors TV is an Indian general entertainment broadcast network owned by Viacom18. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedies, youth-oriented reality shows, shows on crime and television films. History It was launched on ...

from 4 May 2020 as well as

Star Bharat Star Bharat is an Indian Hindi language General Entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. It telecasts dramas, crime and comedy shows. The channel wa ...

during the lockdown due to coronavirus.

Reception

Ganguly was applauded for her performance in the sequence. Ravi Chopra later disclosed that she was originally weeping while enacting in the Vastraharan sequence and the crew members had to console her later to make her stop., The sequence is often claimed to be the most climactic one of the series. For the sequence Chopra recreated the visual effect of the Vastraharan sequence of Babubhai Mistry's '' Mahabharat'' (1965) starring Padmini as

. His visual effects won more favour than that of the 1965 film and has still been considered by a part of critics to be the most brilliant in line. of the most successful television series in Indian television history. In common with the "

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

" serial, the broadcasting of a Mahabharat episode was associated with the simultaneous emptying of streets in the cities and people leaving work early to watch it. Along with general audience many big names from Hindi film industry like

Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna () (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. He is called as the "First Superstar of Hindi cinema", he consecutively starred in a record ...

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

Jeetendra Ravi Kapoor ( ; born 7 April 1942), known mononymously by his screen name Jeetendra, is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He also serves as the chairman of the Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures. Early l ...

Hema Malini Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successfu ...

and

Dharmendra Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first " He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has worked in over 30 ...

also praised the show. During its rerun in

COVID-19 lockdown in India On the evening of 24 March 2020, the Government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21days, limiting movement of the entire 1.38billion (138 crore) population of India as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic in India. It ...

, it became the second most watched Indian TV show after ''Ramayan'' (1987). In week 13, it garnered 145.8 million impressions with both morning and evening slots combined on

. After ''Ramayan'' ended, ''Mahabharat'' became the most watched TV show until its end. The series ended with 22.9 million viewership.

Home media

The series was uploaded onto the website "Rajshri.com" along with its dubbed Tamil version. Home video of the Bengali-dubbed version of this series has been released by Heart Video. In 2019, Pen India Ltd bought the rights of the show and uploaded all the episodes on its devotional YouTube channel ''Pen Bhakti'' including its spin-off series ''

''.

Legacy

''Mahabharat'' along with ''

Ramayan The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

'' (1987), became one of the most successful television series based on an epic in Indian television history. It was massively entered into the GuinnessWorldrecord of record of maximum viewership in television with 97% viewership Many actors became popular through their appearances in this series. * Nitish Bharadwaj became famous as Lord Krishna and later he also played lead role in Chopra's another mythological show Vishnu Puran. *

, who played

, went on to become a successful actress in Bengali cinema. * Pankaj Dheer received immense popularity after playing

. His pictures are used in textbooks as reference to Karna and the actor also revealed that his statues are worshipped in temples in Karnal and Bastar. * Firoz Khan changed his name to "Arjun" professionally after finding success with the role of Arjun. *

, who was a not so famous actor until then, shot to fame as

and named his production company after his character.

References

External links

* {{Works based on the Mahabharata , state=collapsed Television series based on Mahabharata DD National original programming 1988 Indian television series debuts 1990 Indian television series endings 1980s Indian television series Television shows based on poems