Mahabharat (2013 TV series)

In November 2005, a report from Variety stated Bobby Bedi's plan to make three feature films and 100 hours of television programming on Indian epic Mahabharat under Kaleidoscope Entertainment with the television version planned to be delivered by the end of 2007.[14] In 2006 it was revealed making for Star Plus which was to be directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi.[15][16] It was a part of Bedi's 360 degree approach to the epic through TV, film, gaming and theme parks.[17] Planned for 100 episodes with new actors, it was planned to premiere in March 2008 but got postpone due to production to August 2008 and later January 2009.[16][18][19]

During this, Ekta Kapoor was simultaneously producing a series on Mahabharat since January 2008 titled Kahaani Hamaarey Mahaabhaarat Ki for a rival channel to premiere in mid 2008 which she earlier planned for Star but could not as the channel roped Bedi.[20][21] This led on to a pressure in the production as they wanted to rush their premiere before Kapoor due to which Dwivedi quit mid way after association with them for two years after which three directors were working on it.[22][23] But, they were not able to rush up the series before Kapoor's. 50 episodes were shot at the sets created in Morna between Noida and Delhi for an year after paying ₹6 Crores.[19] However, as the channel was not satisfied with those episodes, they were asked to rework the entire series again pushing its premiere to 2009. But, Bedi reportedly started selling it in DVDs which created problems between them and channel and the production was stalled.[19] However, in December 2008, Star took Bedi to Bombay High Court filing an arbitration petition alleging that the production house took ₹6 Crore for the production of the series in advance but has not produced even a single episode while a senior executive from the production house stated, " This legal notice is Star's way of pulling out of the show. May be it doesn't want to go ahead with the Mahabharat project after all."[24] After these, the shooting was expected to restart from February 2009 but in mid 2009 the production was cancelled and the project was given over to Siddharth Kumar Tewary's Swastik Productions to start fresh.[25][19]

It took us four years of research and brainstorming sessions to conceive and execute the show.

— Siddharth Kumar Tewary [26]

More than 400 people were involved in production with 200 people working on graphics.[27] Renowned author Devdutt Pattanaik was roped as the chief consultant and guiding person for the series.[28] Also writer Salim Khan, music directors Ajay-Atul and Ismail Darbar and action director Ram Shetty were involved.[29]

Speaking about bringing Mahabharat to television again, Star Plus senior vice-president Nikhil Madhok said, "With over 20 years having passed since the telecast of Mahabharat serial on Doordarshan, we felt that the younger generation should be re-introduced to this epic. Also, the plot of this epic is open to interpretation and has many intricacies in it, unlike that of let's say Ramayan, which is fairly linear and is passed on from generation to generation."[30]

According to producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary, the Draupadi cheer haran (disrobing) sequence, which Tewary himself directed, took 20 days to shoot.[31]

Even in the last fight between Bheema and Duryodhana, the actors shared that the scene took 3 days to shoot.[32]

Originally planned for 129 episodes, its growing popularity gave an extension for about 100 more episodes as Tewary wanted to explore the story further in January 2014.[33][34] However, it ended with 267 episodes.

The set covering 10 acres of land in Umbargaon, Valsad, Gujarat was designed by the art director Omung Kumar.[35]

The costume designer of the series Nidhi Yasha along with her consultant Bhanu Athaiya, had referred 450 books related to period textiles, costume and jewelry.[36][37]

Different ancient techniques have been used to achieve the various looks. A lot of bright coloured silks, handlooms, gold and jewellery structured embroidery patterns have been used.

— Bhanu Athaiya [38]

It took a study of over 450 books related to period textiles, costume and jewellery and four years of hardwork to arrive at the current look and feel of the show. An extensive study on jewellery structures according to ethnicity, fabrics, drapes and costume was undertaken.

— Nidhi Yasha[38]

Star spent ₹5.1 billion (US$72 million) on the project and spent another ₹410 million (US$5.7 million) on marketing the show, making it India's most expensive TV series.[39] As a part of marketing, Star constructed Mahabharat museum across malls in cities consisting selective weapons, jewellery and finery of Mahabharat along with 3D virtual tour of the sets of Hastinapur.[40] In towns the same concept was adapted with wheels-canter vans along with LED.[40]

The sets of the series at Umbergaon in Gujarat cost ₹100 crores and production costs of ₹13-15 Lakhs per day.[41][42]

The series was mainly shot in the sets at Umbergaon, Valsad in Gujarat.[43][35] Shooting also took place in various exotic locations such as Jaisalmer, Amber Palace in Jaipur, Kashmir, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur in Madya Pradesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.[44][45][46][27]

The actors shared that they had to go through acting workshops and various trainings for about a year where they were explained in detail what to do and how.[47][48][49] Rajit Kapur trained the actors by conducting acting workshops.[50]

I undertook proper training and grooming sessions. There was a teacher for diction classes, horse riding, weapon training among other things. The training went on for almost eight months. All of us, who are a part of the show are loving the challenges, because we get to shoot at a new location everyday. We worked on my diet and everything.

— Shaheer Sheikh[49]

I felt confident and comfortable after doing a workshop for more than a year. As part of my learning process, I learnt martial arts, the art of war, rode horses and I grew up beard. It took me one year to maintain the length of my beard.

— Praneet Bhat[51]

I was surprised at the response I got about my acting in the show, despite joining the show only a month before the telecast. However, I always remained positive about my work and we were always cheerful on the set. I got to learn many lessons, which are relevant even for today's times as well.

— Pooja Sharma[52][53]

Writing for Rediff, Nishi Tiwari wrote that "If it maintains the quality of writing and able actors who portray key characters, we may have another winner among us".[54] DNA praised the costumes, scenery, Krishna's flute theme which was given by Raj Mohan Sinha,[55] and most of the CGI special effects, but said the serial's pace was too fast.[56] However, the premiere episode received negative criticism from Deepanjana Pal of Firstpost for CGI effects, acting, dialogues, cinematography and background. They also stated the storytelling as disappointing.[57]

Hindustan Times criticised, " The scale of the Mahabharat is grand and overwhelming. The characters are larger than life. Highly dramatic events take place in the epic. But at the same time, it is a nuanced look at human beings and their frailties. Everything is so exaggerated. Even relatively less important moments are treated with such overblown drama," They also criticised the background music being sound.[58]

The Indian Express said, "Mahabharat came in with all the pomp and show, glory and grandeur, with larger-than-life sets, special effects and Lord Krishna as its sutradhaar, narrating the story, introducing its characters, and peeling off the layers. No doubt it's a good looking and talented ensemble cast and the locations are stunning, but this is no Game of Thrones."[59]

The Times of India expressed that this version of Mahabharat is the first Indian series to portray the Game of Dice sequence elaborately stating, "For the first time on Indian television, viewers will witness an elaborate ‘Game of Dice’ where the rules of the game will be set, one by one the play of emotions, cheating and manipulation that led to Draupadi's dishonor."[60]

In June 2020, Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa then, on watching the Kannada dubbed version appreciated the series and stated that the character Krishna played by Saurabh Raj Jain impressed him.[61]

Its premiere had a viewership of approximately 8.4 million people (8445 TVTs) (4.09 TVR).[62][63] That week it averaged 6356 TVTs.[64] The viewership ratings of the week of 1 December 2013 reached 9,801 TVTs. The game of dice leading to Draupadi's 'cheer haran' took Mahabharat at its peak viewership (10 TVMs) and helped the broadcasting channel Star Plus clock one of the highest GTVMs.[65] During Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown in India, it started re-airing on Star Plus from 30 March 2020.[66] It soon became one of the most watched Hindi GEC series featuring in top five programs even during the re-run.[67]

This series is regarded as the costliest show ever launched by StarPlus and one of the costliest Indian television series, being the first Indian television show to be made on a budget more than ₹100 crores.[68][69][67]

In 2014, the cast of Mahabharat were invited to hold a fan meeting tour at Jakarta and Bali. The Times of India reported that the show has a huge fan following abroad and as result, the prominent characters from the show had been called to Indonesia for a special event.[70] The main casts of Mahabharat, performed on "Mahabharat Show: Fan Meeting Tour" in the year 2014 .[71][72][73][74][75][76][77]