Mahabharat (1988–1990) User Reviews

Full justice to the epic...

[estud · 10/10 · 19 November 2005]

The T.V. Series Mahabharat produced by B.R.Chopra is the most popular t.v. series ever showcased on Indian idiot boxes. The extent of influence the series commanded on Indian population can be gaged from the fact that during the time of its broadcast streets would get empty, and it would be impossible to find a single living soul at the busiest of the town centers. People who were fortunate to own a television would play hosts to all the less fortunate neighboring families. Even passers by would get a place in ones living room.

The series though technically lousy, and made with cheapest special effects, ended up doing full justice to the sentiments with which Ved Vyasa compiled the greatest of the epics. Its 93 episodes take you through every possible sentiment, every possible emotion, every possible relation that a human mind can fathom. People not familiar with Hinduism might find this series a perfect introduction to Hindu way of thinking, and its deep rooted beliefs and the social structure of the Hindu society.

Series does full justice to the complicated intertwined stories and their sub plots. The story of Mahabharat is narrated by Time ("Samay") which was kind of nice concept and helped in rushing through the less important details. Baring a few, most actors did full justice to the characters they were portraying. The portion of "Bhagwat Geeta" (the divine song) was also performed with great gusto and in its true spirit.

If you want to feel the true essence of Mahabharat, then this is certainly the right thing for you. However the technical aspects might disappoint you. Highly recommended to everybody. By far the greatest story ever told, nothing in this world can ever come close to it.

Awe-Inspiring Series

[rahuldahiya · 10/10 · 11 September 2006]

There never was ,is or will be anything greater than BR Chopra's Mahabharata on Indian TV ..... As Mahabharata is the king of epics,this TV series is the KING of TV SERIES. All credit goes to splendid production value,out-of-the-world dialogs (by Dr. Raza........may his soul rest in peace), superb acting,great action and a very 'real'casting. Every character has played his /her part so well that we can' imagine anyone else playing them now.... . Incidentally ,Mahabharata is the longest epic in the world 4 times longer than 'Odyssey'.It is supposed to have been written by Lord Ganesha and dictated by Ved Vyasa.Its historical proofs are scattered all over northern India.

The Best adaption of the biggest epic ever!!

[maverik12 · 10/10 · 27 January 2007]

This is was made in late 1980s and I watched it as I was young in India. But when I bought the all 16 DVDs. It was amazing...the special effects may look old but the acting is superb...the acting done by the leading cast is unbelievable..this epic is about the meaning of life and Bhagavad Geeta spoken by Lord Krishna looks so real and understandable. Highly recommend this version..I know there are many versions but this is the best and the original. I think everyone in life should either read this great epic or watch it...it's not about Hinduism its about your Dharma (Duty) as human being. And if you are interested in great story telling you won't be disappointed.

This is amazing...

[Voivod-2 · 7 July 2005]

...if you have the time to watch it consistently, and give it your attention. This is a very demanding piece of work-- there are many characters, and many plots going on simultaneously. Stop watching for a few days and you might just forget what was going on. Nevertheless, this is an amazing piece of work, incredibly moving, and affecting like very few works before it. I can't overstate how incredibly emotional the experience of watching it from beginning to end was; the ending, in particular, is a extremely powerful.

True, the scenes are a bit drawn out at times; personally, as director, I would have shaved off about 10-15 minutes from each episode. Obviously, the special effects are outdated as well, but they are sufficient to get the point across, which is the most important thing.

Ideally, this series should be watched when you have 4-5 days dedicated to just watching it from beginning to end. Yeah, that's a big dedication, but it is also an incredibly rewarding experience.

Wow

[deiveegar · 10/10 · 21 November 2006]

Simply WOW. No words exists in any language.I think i have seen more than 10 times .I bought the VCD collection and i saw all 64 CDs fully.

Each and every dialog is amazing.

Especially Karna,Beeshma,Vidura and all ...

I am really ..really... no words really.

Thanks to Chopra and his team.

Please see this serial before you die ...

Especially the conversation of Karna-Krishna and Karna - Kunthi and all, is truly great.

I think god came to earth and taken this serial in the form of Chopra.

Every body perfectly matched with their roles. Thats the special about it.

Please Please Please watch this Mahabharath Serial (all 64 VCD) at least once in your life.

This shows you what we dream life would be like

[ggb2003 · 10/10 · 27 September 2006]

This reminds you of how you should live and how the world is so different and corrupted from before. Back then they had so much respect for their elders and even when wars were fought the enemies were respected nowadays all of that has disappeared. This is my favourite TV series of all time and I'm Canadian born too but this just reminds me of how life should be especially karn. You'll never find a person like him in this world. For a series made 18 years ago, its an awesome series and if this did happen then i wish i was living back in that time not during the war but i mean in general with all the respect and honour. This is our history don't forget it.

History Can't be repeated

[ashokm · 10/10 · 10 September 2006]

The great thing happen rare time in the world , and Mahabharata is one of those great things.

All of the character had played very well, and It's a result of their respective work..

I have already told that history can't be repeated, means even though same people Try to do work with their all ability they can't do same like they have did, so it's a time dependent story. I like the all characters but among them the most that I like is a Krishna, because of his speech, and elegant behavior.

Thanx.

Greatest Indian television series ever

[abtheboss · 10/10 · 1 April 2020]

A show like B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat cannot be recreated. This show was unique because unlike other mythological shows that time this show was shooted in outdoor locations. That's why war sequences of this show look so realistic. No one able to create war sequence like this show till date.

The music of the show was great as well. "Hey priyatame" is most underrated among all songs. It perfectly reflects the mood and mindset of the warriors before the War.

Mahabharat had ensemble cast. It seems like all actors were born to do this show. Each performance one better than another. IMO Mukesh Khanna as Bhishma, Gufi Paintal as Shakuni and Nitish Bharadwaj as Krishna are three best performances from the show. Nitish Bharadwaj's dialogue delivery is so natural. His eyes were so expressive and through them he conveyed so much. Other performers also did phenomenal job in their respective roles. Rupa Ganguly did brilliant job in Draupadi's disrobing scene. Arjun, Punit Issar and Pankaj Dheer were perfect in their respective roles.

There are so many scenes were perfectly executed. Bhishm Pratigya, Draupadi's cheer haran, Abhimanyu vadh, Virat Yudh etc were some of my favorite scenes. Hats of to B.R. Chopra and Ravi Chopra for making this cult show and hopefully it will remain fresh for so many years.

The greatest series ever to walk on earth.

[hemant_balz · 10/10 · 31 March 2010]

Mahabharat,the battle for Bharat,now the modernize India is the grandest and greatest epic serial i have seen in my whole life.The war that was fought for all the rightfully reasons.For some the greed,for some the revenge,for some the pride,for god just to show his divine power.This is the best we see from the Indian Television Cinema.

B.R Chopra,what a proud man he would be after portraying us the grandest and biggest unforgettable epic ever to see.A startling insight of the life of God Shri Krishna,making of many legends like Bheem,Karana,Arjuna & Bhishma ,also one of the most ferocious and epic battles you will ever see.

This battle was fought for various different reasons.A thousand reasons may be.All characters are just perfect.Bhima looks definitive Bhima,Karana looks remind us of how in that period Karan would have looked like.Casting of Krishna is perfect.It can't get better then this.You should just see Shikhandi and Duryodhan for the perfection matter.Fabulous.Casting hits the top in Mahabharata with Beautiful Draupadi taking most of the lime light.

Fight scenes are gruesome.Lot of blood but truly in those ages war would have been fought like that only.Lot of divine and magical stuff.Some battle scenes are emphatic.Just try and remember the fight between Bhima and Jarasandh.Also,fight between Arjun & rest of the Hastinapur known as Virat Yudh.The fight scenes of Karna and Arjun are a sight to see.Bhishma too with Abhimanyu lives up to be the most emphatic battles you would see.And the breaking of the Chakarvyu by Abhimanyu was simply amazing.Death of Abhimanyu and the arrival of Ghatotkatch.I can remember every scene till the end.

The 94 episodes get to you.But still every episode is unique in its own and portrays different attributes of India at that time.We are all fascinated by wars but this is grand,more than a war.Some scenes like Krishna taking the divine form and Bhishma vow are just astonishing.Krishna and Karna talks just seem endless.We cannot forget the Samay(meaning time) here who narrates this fascinating epic story to us.Nor can you forget the game of dice neither the Draupadi harassing scene.

The soundtrack is surely divine.The voice of Mahendra Kapoor on the start of each episode just sets the mood to watch it even more.I am not sure if i will see a better Indian epic serial then this.This is Indian Cinema at its zenith.Even if God would see this serial he would surely bow and applaud the commendable work done by B.R Chopra.I can't stop applauding him anytime.The dialogs and all,they still echo in my ears.

Starting from King Bharat to Krishna to Arjun to Bhishma to Shikhandi to Shakuni to Karana to Bheema to Duryodhan to Balram to Parshuram.I feel i have already touched the feet of God.That's only because of this.I can't stop watching this.Its just my moral now that does not allow.Geeta Saar still echo's in my ears.The beautiful visions of Shri Krishna truly comes in front of me every time.This is grand.This is magnanimous.This is class.If God could walk on earth ,surely it is due to this epic serial only.I cannot say more.I am lost for words.

The greatest TV series ever!!!!!!

[mharishkashyap · 10/10 · 6 January 2008]

It is simply "the greatest TV series ever created"!!!!! Perfectly created!!!! First of all, adapting the legend of Mahabharatha is itself a monumental task since it is the greatest and the biggest epic ever written on earth. BR Chopra has done a magnificent job of adapting it onto the small screen. What clinches the score is the casting, dialogues, screenplay and direction.

1. Casting - Everyone!!!!!!! No mistake in even a single character, be it even a small one. The best of all is Mukesh Khanna as Bhishma and Nitish Bharadwaj as Krishna. People used to literally call them as their characters even in their personal lives. 2. Dialogues - A single man, Dr.Rahi Masoom Raza. Despite being a Muslim from Ghazipur, UP, he was well-versed in Sanskrit. The dialogues were top-notch and incomparable to anything else. One of the main reasons for the popularity of the serial. 3. Screenplay and Direction - It is the magnum opus of BR Chopra. Each and every scene was perfectly created. Performances were terrific. Costumes, sets are truly reflective of Dwapara Yuga.

I will not delve into the details of the plot since it will result in me over-running the prescribed limit of IMDb message space.

Overall, this is a masterpiece of a TV serial and it will be a Herculean effort to remake. Several rumors float around like Muslim gullies used to be empty during 10-11 AM on Sundays, i.e., during the running time of the serial. Even shops used to be closed because shop-owners themselves used to watch it. I personally remember that every newspaper in South India used to print the dialogues in native languages beforehand for the convenience of the public to understand the Hindi language. I can confidently assert that there are not more than 5% of people who haven't watched this legend. And they are unluckiest of the Indian citizens!!!!!!

George RR Martin might have read Mahabharat

[ya_alok · 8/10 · 29 April 2020]

This Series is epic. And felt like somehow GOT was inspired by this and Jon Snow was his Karna

DD : Superb series

[nkj-vsp · 10/10 · 16 April 2020]

Ramayan and Mahabharat are superb series till date and will be in future too. Salute to all character.

It is not that easy!!

[daanveerkaran · 6/10 · 12 May 2006]

The Mahabharatha is the longest epic in the world. It is the greatest too. One can find almost every mental attribute of any man in the world in one of the characters. This is not a Ramayana where the characters are all oh-so-divine and the battle is a simple good vs evil. It is a lot more complicated than that. Truth, virtue, moral and ethical code - Dharma to be precise, is what is highlighted throughout. The protagonist is the manifestation of Lord Almighty, Shri Krsna and His disciple is Arjuna, the great warrior leading the Pandava side against the Kaurava side which represents a side whose collective aim is evil yet the individuals are not. Warriors on the Kaurava side, Karna, Bheeshma, Drona albeit fighting for the evil side are bound to the evil by their code and although they are right people on the wrong side, they are bound to fall. I don't think I can explain even the crux of the matter and one has to read it, understand it and interpret it on one's own.

What is needed to adapt this epic to screen and yet not lose any of its content? The special effects shown in the battle in lord of the rings, the dramatization presented in the Godfather and the Schindler's list, the acting performances that match the ones in most of the IMDb Top 250 List of movies.

B.R Chopra could not do these. In fact he could not do any of these. He did his best in a time when special effects were costly. The acting performances are good if not great, the dialogues and screenplay was good and most importantly he tried his best to adapt to the original story. He has to be lauded for his efforts.

I'd say *** / *****

Not for non-Indians!

[vishnupanayara · 4/10 · 20 July 2020]

This may look like a low budget spoof movie for non India. This does not deserve a place in imdb top 250. Sorry for hurting your feelings fellow Indian. I have enjoyed this as a kid but watching this now would be a horrible choice.

Loved it

[Nyknicksrdabest · 24 August 2004]

I greatly enjoyed watching this TV series. Some say that the special effects of this series are bad.

To me, I could care less about the special effects. It's the actual meaning the series demonstrated that really counts.

It captured the holy essence and is extremely closely aligned with the original epic. It covers an immense amount of the original epic, as there are ninety-four 45 minute episodes. It educated me a lot on Hinduism. It showed the awesome power and grace of countless heroes like Bhishma, Arjuna, Karna, and Holy Krishna. I would greatly recommend this movie to everyone. I absolutely loved it.

Just a reminder that nothing can replace truth.

[nmanav · 10/10 · 21 April 2020]

According to me, it is the best TV series of all time.

Greatest show ever 🙌

[nitinpankhaniya · 10/10 · 30 April 2020]

The MAHABHARAT is not only the TV show of entertainment but, it's the greatest treasure of Indian history to live life by controlling the human behavior of man kind and the lessons of historical society to deal the man how to live the life. The greatest war is also teachs that the truth is always win, Dharma is greatest. Shree Krishna gave the largest and greatest lessons of Bhagwad Geeta during that great war in kurukshetra.

Never boring

[tushargupta-27286 · 10/10 · 7 May 2020]

This show is spiritual and gives a lesson how to handle hurdels in our daily life I have watch since childhood 90s and today I have watched also this is my one of the favorite show ever I love this

Gold of Indian Television along with Ramayan

[Yash2018 · 10/10 · 3 May 2020]

This was another gold of Indian television. Excellent casting, excellent dialogues and excellent music. Ending title song always gives me goosebumps. This is the only show where dark color Shri Krishna which is the real skin color of Lord Krishna. Nitish Bharadwaj's performance was phenomenal. His smile and dialogue delivery were excellent. All other actors did exceptional job in their respective roles.

One of the greatest stories ever told!

[cseabhi · 10/10 · 5 April 2020]

Mahabharat is perhaps one of the most complex stories to tell as there are so many characters and so much happenings. But BR Chopra has done a teremedous job in bringing out an epic show like this.

Following Ramayana, Mahabharat also bought India to a standstill when this show was first telecasted on Doordarshan.

What stands out in Mahabharat is the choice of actors and how amazingly and convincingly each actors portray their respective roles.

Harish Bhimani as Samay is just excellent. His voice is like just strong and divine.

Mukesh Khanna as Bheeshma is perhaps the strongest character in the series. He is exceptionally well. Nitish Bhardwaj as Krishna was an excellent choice, it was as if we were watching real Krishna on screen. Puneet Issar, Rupa Ganguly, Pankaj Dheer, Gajendra Chouhan, Paintal, and all the other characters were just brilliant.

It will be almost impossible to write about how brilliantly each actors were in this series.

With exteme conviction in story telling, this story stands tall among the greatest stories ever told in India.

wow! this was way more better than i expected

[tegrazero · 10/10 · 12 May 2020]

Content is super rich. acting skills are lit. amazing series. a must watch for all indeed.

Did anyone say "best in the class"

[maruti_nandan · 10/10 · 8 July 2008]

Well, the plot is as complicated as life. The problems tackled can be compared to the most complex ones in today's world. Thats Mahabharat for you, worlds longest and greatest epics. And putting it in a format that will capture the hearts and brain the world over, simply demands the best of the class title. The gem of it is Geeta, and Chopra has sprinkled its wisdom throughout the script, not only when it was explicitly recited. Mahabharat as an epic deserves much more then currently its getting not only in Bharat (India) but the world over. And Mahabharat as made by Chopras is an ideal way to begin with. I'd easily and highly recommend this in its pure format to general human in general and budding ups in particular.

Other's comments say it all!! get a copy of it and entertain, enlighten and educate yourself. the sheer volume may take a few months to complete if watched a few hours a week, but its simply worth spending that much time and effort!

Amazingly good

[Prasangsss · 10/10 · 23 July 2008]

This production is the brainchild of Mr B.R Chopra,which provides a amazingly good insight into Ancient India,the way it talked,walked.....It is a must watch for any human,not just any Hindu or an Indian for that matter.....It inspires one to lead his life in such a way that he/she gets the most out of life and gets to know how life should be spent on this earth...It contains all the emotions that a human can feel..surpassing all the other literatures of the world.......it would suggest everyone to watch it from the beginning although one can watch it from the middle as it succeeds in striking a note even at a very short notice.....

Could have been better

[shahpreet-91918 · 6/10 · 19 May 2020]

Although acting was very good, the music wasn't upto the mark and even special effects seemed too weak. Some scenes in the battle were shown repeatedly that was disappointing

Boaring Serial......Br Chopra All Devotional Serial Fake & Waste of time, Only Legend Ramanand Sagar ji Devotional Serial Best like Ramayan, Krishna, Jai ganga maiya & Jai Mah

[lsharma-82429 · 1/10 · 5 July 2021]

Boaring Serial......Br Chopra All Devotional Serial Fake & Waste of time, Only Legend Ramanand Sagar ji Devotional Serial Best like Ramayan, Krishna, Jai ganga maiya & Jai Mahalakahmi etc.