Mahabharat (2013 TV series)

Premise

The 2013 television series Mahabharat, based on the ancient Sanskrit epic, aired on Star Plus from September 2013 to August 2014 and is available on Disney+ Hotstar. Produced by Swastik Productions, it featured Saurabh Raj Jain, Pooja Sharma, Shaheer Sheikh, Arpit Ranka, and Aham Sharma. The narrative opens with Bhishma, son of King Shantanu and Ganga, as the heir to Hastinapura. When Shantanu desires to marry the fisherwoman Satyavati, she agrees only if her children will inherit the throne.

To honour his father, Bhishma vows lifelong celibacy and gives up his claim. Touched, Shantanu grants him the boon of Ichchha Mrityu, or death at will. Shantanu and Satyavati have two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. After Chitrangada dies, Vichitravirya becomes the sole heir.

At Satyavati’s behest, Bhishma kidnaps the three princesses of Kashi—Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika—for Vichitravirya. Amba, already in love, refuses the marriage. When her lover spurns her, she seeks revenge against Bhishma. She appeals to his guru Parashurama, but their fight is stopped by Shiva.

Vowing to cause Bhishma’s ruin, Amba burns herself alive, promising to be reborn for vengeance. Vichitravirya dies childless. To preserve the lineage, Satyavati summons her firstborn, Veda Vyasa, to impregnate the widowed queens through niyoga. Ambika bears blind Dhritarashtra, Ambalika bears pale Pandu, and a maid, Parishrami, bears Vidura.

Years later, Amba is reborn as Shikhandini, Drupada’s daughter, fated to kill Bhishma. Bhishma arranges Dhritarashtra’s marriage to Gandhari, who blinds herself to match her husband’s blindness. Her brother Shakuni, furious, swears revenge on Bhishma and wounds his own leg. Though eldest, Dhritarashtra is passed over for the throne due to his blindness, and Pandu becomes king.

Pandu marries Kunti and Madri, but after accidentally killing a sage, he is cursed to die if he is intimate with his wives. He abdicates and retreats to the forest, leaving Dhritarashtra to rule.

Cast

Sourabh Raaj Jain portrays Krishna, a leader of the Yadava clan and an incarnation of Vishnu, who serves as mentor and philosopher, shaping the war and its events. In concluding segments of each episode, Krishna appears in divine form to interpret events and impart moral teachings. Jain stated that playing Krishna was not a challenge, as he remained focused and welcomed comparisons with past portrayals, adding that he saw himself as a medium for the audience. Kunwar Vikram Soni portrays adolescent Krishna.

Shaheer Sheikh plays Arjuna, the third Pandava brother, a master archer and warrior. Sheikh underwent significant physical and mental preparation, describing the role as emotionally draining and the pressure initially overwhelming. He said the experience was about embodying the essence of a hero representing strength, honor, and devotion. Soumya Singh portrays young Arjuna.

Production

In November 2005, Variety reported Bobby Bedi's plan to produce three feature films and 100 hours of television on the Mahabharata under Kaleidoscope Entertainment, with the television version planned for delivery by end of 2007. In 2006, it was revealed the series would air on Star Plus, directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, as part of Bedi's 360-degree approach encompassing TV, film, gaming, and theme parks. Planned for 100 episodes with new actors, it was set to premiere in March 2008 but was postponed to August 2008 and then January 2009.

Meanwhile, Ekta Kapoor was producing a rival Mahabharata series, Kahaani Hamaarey Mahaabhaarat Ki, for a competing channel. This pressured the production to rush its premiere before Kapoor's, leading Dwivedi to quit after two years; three directors then worked on it. Fifty episodes were shot at sets in Morna between Noida and Delhi for a year after paying ₹6 Crores. The channel was unsatisfied and asked for a rework, pushing the premiere to 2009.

Bedi reportedly began selling DVDs, causing problems with the channel, and production stalled. In December 2008, Star took Bedi to Bombay High Court, alleging the production house took ₹6 Crore in advance but produced no episodes. A senior executive stated the legal notice was Star's way of pulling out. Shooting was expected to restart in February 2009, but by mid-2009 the project was cancelled and given to Siddharth Kumar Tewary's Swastik Productions to start fresh.

Over 400 people were involved in production, with 200 working on graphics. Devdutt Pattanaik was chief consultant, and Salim Khan, music directors Ajay-Atul and Ismail Darbar, and action director Ram Shetty were also involved.

Reception

Critics had mixed reactions to the 2013 television adaptation of the Mahabharat. Nishi Tiwari of Rediff suggested the series could succeed if it maintained strong writing and capable actors. DNA India commended the costumes, scenery, Krishna’s flute theme composed by Raj Mohan Sinha, and most of the CGI effects, but noted the pacing felt rushed. Hindustan Times found the drama overly exaggerated, arguing that even minor moments were treated with such intensity that key scenes like Bheeshma’s vow lost their impact, and criticized the background music for being persistently loud.

The premiere drew about 8.4 million impressions (8.445 TVTs) and a 4.09 TVR, averaging 6.356 TVTs in its debut week. It became the highest-rated weekday epic series on Indian television in three years. By the week of 1 December 2013, viewership reached 9.801 TVTs. The episode featuring the dice game and Draupadi’s disrobing achieved peak viewership of 10 TVMs, helping Star Plus record one of its highest GTVMs.

Overall, the show ranked as the tenth most-watched Hindi GEC in 2013, with an average of 5.6 million viewers and a peak of 7.2 million. In week 29 of 2014, it placed fifth with 7.1 TVTs, then jumped to second the following week with 9.2 TVTs. In 2016, it was listed among the top 20 TV series of all time. During India’s COVID-19 lockdown, it re-aired on Star Plus from 30 March to 25 July 2020, becoming one of the most-watched Hindi GEC series and consistently ranking in the top five programs even as a rerun.

Did You Know?

• In 2014, the cast was invited to a fan meeting tour in Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia, performing in the Mahabharat Show: Fan Meeting Tour.
• In June 2020, Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa, after watching the Kannada dubbed version, stated that the character Krishna played by Saurabh Raj Jain impressed him.