Mahabharat will be a triumph
“Mahabharat will prove to be a triumph for STAR,” says Ashutosh Gowariker
One of Bollywood’s most established and renowned filmmaker - Ashutosh Gowarikar has recently joined the fan club of STAR PLUS’ Mahabharat. Ashutosh who is known for his hit films like Lagaan and Jodha Akbar has been enthusiastically following Swastik Productions’ Mahabharat and seems to be all praises for this mega show.
Ashutosh penned down a special note to the makers of Mahabharat exclaiming his views on the epic that’s been on air, “Creatively, the biggest challenge for Star's Mahabharat is to match up with B.R. Chopra saab's Mahabharat. But that is inevitable. That series back in the 80's really influenced us, with regards to every aspect, be it casting, sets, dialogues and everything else that an epic needs. And I may add here, that I've been watching the series so far and I feel that this one too might just match up with the previous one.
Firstly, the concepts about mythology and the epic are very well presented, thanks to Devdutt Pattanaik once again. And I find the dialogues by Mihir Buta to be a fine blend of keeping the essence of Sanskrit but making it palatable to audiences today. What I like most is that Star, for the first time, (I may stand corrected) has put all their money on content. And what better content to have than the great epic!
It is very well executed. The sets are grandiose. The costumes are beautifully designed. And the property created is exquisite. I loved the embellishments spread out across all the scenes and locations - especially the use of ducks in the shots of Krishna, and many more.
All the actors have been cast well - a couple of names that immediately come to mind are Sayantani as Satyavati and Samir Dharmadhikari as Shantanu, who played their parts very well. And of course, Bheeshma - I would love to see how this actor plays the older Bheeshma in the later part of the epic.
I think this Mahabharat will prove to be a triumph for its Producers, Directors and STAR and this might just become a reference point for this generation. Sure, these are the first few episodes, and by the looks of it, this level of quality is going to be maintained - at least I hope it is going to be. After all, it’s Star, and they always know what they are doing!”- Ashutosh Gowariker.
Ashutosh’s note has been a great source of motivation for the entire team that has been working tirelessly on this epic project. The effort of the cast and crew is to ensure that the audience is not only visually satisfied but also largely educated.
To catch the epic – MAHABHARAT, tune into STAR PLUS every Monday – Friday at 08:30 p.m.