Shri Krishna (1993 TV series)

Premise

The series covers Krishna's birth, childhood antics, his role in Mathura, the Bhagavad Gita teachings, and his part in the Kurukshetra War. It begins with Ramanand Sagar discussing the Kali Yuga period and King Parikshit's encounter with Kali. The narrative then follows Krishna's life, including his relationship with Radha, Balrama's marriage to Revati, the Syamantaka incident, marriages to Satyabhama, Jambavati, and Rukmini, the Lakshagriha incident, the meeting with Sudama, Pradyumna's story, Draupadi's disrobing, the Mahabharata war, and Banasura's ego-breaking.

Production

Shri Krishna was a television series produced by Ramanand Sagar, Subhash Sagar, and Prem Sagar under the Sagar Enterprises banner, with direction from Ramanand Sagar, Anand Sagar, and Moti Sagar. Filming occurred in Gujarat at Umbergaon and Vadodara, where large sets were constructed, and later at Vrindavan studio, Umargaon studio, and Sagar Film City. The Mahabharata war scenes involved multiple cameras and creative input from the Sagar family. Govind Khatri was first cast as Dushasan but ultimately played Karna.

Swapnil Joshi portrayed the young Krishna, while Sarvadaman D. Banerjee played the adult version; both gained significant fame. Banerjee later left acting to teach meditation in Rishikesh and supports the NGO Pankh, which provides free education and livelihood training. The salary per episode started at ₹3500 and increased by ₹1000 monthly. The series set a record for Doordarshan by generating over Rs. 70 Crore in advertisement revenue, the highest for a single serial, and achieved the top TRP on the metro channel, earning Rs. 14.31 Crores in its first year.