What do Kunti, Gandhari, Subhadra, Krishna & Yudhistir of ‘Mahabharat’ have to say about show’s success? (Read Excerpts)

Siddharth Kumar Tewary’s magnum opus ‘Mahabharat’ started with a lot of expectations in 2013. From being compared to the 80s Mahabharat to not being aligned with the set norms/concept, this show has come of age and how!

With its new age technical tools, innovative costumes and a beautifully rendered soundtrack, ‘Mahabharat’ has achieved roaring success in a short time. The show is aptly deserving of the honour and accolades it has received until now. And most importantly, the characters portrayed by the various actors are bound to remain etched in everyone’s memory for years to come. Team Mahabharat recently spoke about the show that made them famous and how it feels on top of the world.

Rohit Bhardwaj (Yudhistir)

I was a person who never liked staying alone. I had always needed someone to be by my side. But after I started shooting for this show, I have to stay alone and have learnt to spend time with my own self. I have started loving more and more day by day. Rahul Tewary and Siddharth Kumar Tewary are game changers. Siddharth is a sweetheart; he is very friendly to me and to everyone on the set. I really feel very comfortable sharing everything and anything with him. The character I love the most is Dhuryodhan as I always wanted to play that character. One of my fans from Florida recently came to meet me with a lot of gifts for me and my daughter. She was so happy to see me in real life. I and Arpit Ranka share different chemistry on-screen. We are enemies in reel life but off-screen we are friends.

Riya Deepsi (Gandhari)

Mahabharat is more of like a short film for me I never felt that I am shooting for some television show. Feeling wonderful that show has become successful and a hit show and everyone have accepted new Mahabharat. I mostly connect with my fans on social networking sites. The character which I like the most in Mahabharat is of Krishna played by Saurabh Raaj Jain. He is very sweet, humble, and intelligent and a very kind person, and also the character suit him a lot he is playing that character in very superb way. All co-stars are my friends but if I had to choose someone then they will be Praneet Bhat (Shakuni) and Shafaq Naaz (Kunti). Praneet is like brother to me even in real life and Shafaq and I have created a good bond because we generally shoot together.

Shafaq Naaz (Kunti)

I feel proud to be a part of Mahabharat. It's like a big achievement for everyone .Initially when we started shooting for Mahabharat, we all were very nervous. But slowly we received a positive response from the audience and it's really a nice feeling. Because of this positive response, I think, the show has become very successful. I think characters, graphics, and story line is different from the old Mahabharat (read: B.R. Chopra’s). In the new Mahabharat, they have described all the character in detail and this has worked in the favour of the show. For me it’s like a turning point in my career. Personally, I like Arav Chaudhary (Bhishma) and Aham Sharma (Karna) on-screen. One of my fans on twitter tweeted that if I don't reply to his message then he will commit suicide. After three days I got a message from same person saying that he had tried committing suicide but somehow he is still alive! I got really scared after reading that message and chose not to revert. I am best friends with Veebha Anand as I have known her for three years.

Veebha Anand (Subhadra)

I am really happy that show has got really good response. I had never followed Mahabharat before I started shooting for this show. Once I joined, I personally got engrossed in it and took special interest. I have learned many good things from Mahabharat and it has helped me a lot in personal and professional life. It has given me lot of popularity and has boosted my career. Swastik is one the best production house I am working with and they are lovely people. Siddharth sir is really good person he is very passionate about his work and a very intelligent person. I like Saurabh Raaj Jain’s character as his role has got different shades.

Arpit Ranka (Duryodhan)

I feel really happy and proud. Mahabharat is amazing show and whoever has got to work in this project is very lucky. The show has made in such way that whoever follows our show will never forget the concept of the of it. The scripting and narration has worked in the favour of the show. For me this is a very big break in my life and I find myself very lucky to be a part of Mahabharat. I have got lot of popularity and people recognized me by my character name. I have never meet a person like Siddharth ji. Aham Sharma who is playing Karna is the best person I know on the sets. I would like to share an incident when I was mobbed by 2000 people while shooting for the show outside Mumbai. I was thrilled to see this!

Saurabh Raaj Jain (Krishna)

It's satisfying whenever you are part of a project that is good. Mahabharat has taught me many new things both as a person and as an actor. Siddharth bro is the coolest producer I have ever worked with and the best thing about him is that he is not only very clear and decisive but also very logical in his thinking which makes the work more interesting. I have three favourite characters and they are - Karna for his tragic life, Shakuni for his vengeance, and Draupadi for her powerful personality. I am humbled with the kind of love I am getting through this role and whosoever meets me showers lots of love. I am friends with everyone on set it's like a big family.

Producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary

Creating Mahabharat on the small screen is an honor for me. It's been a life changing experience and I'm blessed by my father to be able to achieve fulfill this challenge. It took me a lot of time to just understand the text. Every minute I used to think of how we will tell this story to today's viewers and whether they are open to viewing a different interpretation of the epic or not.. Finally, we came on air after four years of hard work and it feels blessed to see that viewers have loved our work and I'm ecstatic with what we achieved so far. I believe we have interpreted the same Mahabharat story in our own way and viewers have appreciated it. The feedback has been superb. This series comes 24 years after the legendary first rendition of the epic and has made its own unique space in the minds of the viewers as it's a different interpretation and not a remake of the old version.