Mahabharat (2013 TV series)

Mahabharat tells the story of Hastinapur, a kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan where the Kaurava and the Pandava brothers compete for its throne. The Pandavas are the sons of Pandu, and the Kauravas are the sons of Dhritrashtra. Yudhistira (the eldest Pandav brother) and Duryodhan, the eldest Kaurava brother, claim to be next in the line of succession.

The story begins with Devavrata, the son of Shantanu and Ganga and a disciple of Parshuram. Devavrata earns the name Bhisma by taking an oath of celibacy to fulfill his father's wish to marry Satyavati. He also vows to serve the throne of Hastinapur and is granted icchya-mrityu (the ability to live forever, as long as he does not choose to die). Bhisma gives up his rightful throne, and Satyavati rules the kingdom as the Rajmaata (mother of the king) after her husband's death. Her son, Vichitravirya, is an alcoholic who is dependent on Bhisma. He cannot rule the kingdom, leading Satyavati to decide that Vichitravirya's future son must rule the kingdom. Since Vichitravirya is unable to choose a wife for himself, Bhisma must do it for him.

The three princesses of the Salva kingdom (Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika) are won over by Bhisma, who takes them to Hastinapur to be married to Vichitravirya. Amba has already chosen a groom, however, and demands to be released. Although she returns to her lover, she is scorned as the rejected wife of another man. Vichitravirya then marries Ambika and Ambalika.

When Amba demands justice, she is given the option of marrying Vichitravirya and becoming the queen of Hastinapur. She asks Bhisma to marry her instead, since it was he who won her. Bhisma refuses due to his oath of celibacy, angering Amba; Lord Shiva grants her rebirth with a memory of the past and the fate to cause Bhisma's death. Reborn as Shikandi in the Panchal Kingdom, she participates in Bhisma's death.

In Kuntibhoj, Princess Kunti obtains a boon from the sage Durvasa enabling her to invoke any deity and bear his child. She tests the blessing, calling on the Sun God and being given a son named Karna. An unmarried woman, Kunti sets Karna afloat on the Ganges to avoid embarrassment. She later marries Pandu, son of Vichitravirya, and invokes other deities to give her three sons: Yudhistira, Bhima, and Arjuna. Madri, Pandu's second wife, invokes the Ashwini Kumaras to bear Nakula and Sahadeva. Ahe and Pandu die of a curse by Rishi Kimdam, and Kunti decides to raise the five children together.

Karna is raised by a charioteer named Adirath and his wife, Radha. Belonging to a lower-caste family, he is often mistreated but becomes a skilled archer. Karna's true identity is not revealed until the end of the Kurukshetra War. Duryodhana (enemy of the Pandavas) is his only supporter; Karna vows to protect him, and fights for him during the Kurukshetra War.

Arjuna wins the Swayamwara of Draupadi; Kunti mistakenly orders her to be shared by the five Pandavas, who eventually marry her. Draupadi is later insulted and disrobed in the Game of Dice by Duryodhana and the rest of the Kauravas, and the Pandavas swear to avenge her.

Bhisma asks for Gandhari's hand in marriage for his blind nephew Dhritarashtra, infuriating her brother Shakuni. He persuades Shakuni, however, since Dhritrashtra would be the future king of Hastinapur. During the coronation ceremony, Dhritrashtra's younger brother Pandu is crowned king due to the influence of Vidur (another of Dhritrashtra's younger brothers). Shakuni, feeling cheated, swears to destroy the Kurus. He turns Duryodhana against the Pandavas and sows the seeds of the Kurukshetra War, where Lord Krishna gives the Bhagavad Gita to his Pandava cousin Arjuna. The war results in the deaths of many, including Bhisma, Drona, Karna and the sons of Dhritrashtra and Gandhari. Yudhisthira becomes the rightful king of Hastinapur and his wife, Draupadi, becomes queen.

Star spent ₹100 crore (US$14 million) on the project and spent another ₹20 crore (US$2.9 million) on marketing the show, making it India's most expensive TV series of its time. Its record of being India's most expensive TV show was later broken by Swastik Pictures' Porus.[8]

According to producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary, the Draupadi cheer haran (disrobing) sequence,[9] which Tewary himself directed, took 20 days to shoot.[10]

It won the trophy for the Best Drama in Star Guild Awards 2013 as well as number of accolades in other award shows.[26] Show won Best Historical/Mythological serial award in Indian Television Academy Awards. It won the Indian Telly Awards for Actor in a Supporting Role (Drama), given to Aham Sharma for his portrayal as Karna, and Actor in a Negative Role to Praneet Bhat in 2014. The crew members also won the awards for Best Costumes for a TV Programme, Best Make – Up Artist, and Best Stylist.[27] It has been dubbed to other languages including Bengali, Marathi, Oriya, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.[28]

• Mahabharat on IMDb
• Official Website on Hotstar