Mahabharat

Mahabharat was a landmark in Indian TV industry. It did to TV in 80's what Kaun Banega Karodpati did in 2000. It carried on what was started by Ramayan - an epic saga series.

Many Indians who gave no more importance to the epic, those had forgotten it, and most importantly the kids who would have had no chance of learning about it, were greatly helped by the TV version. Its greatest achievement was to revive the lost pride in the culture.

Though the special features will now seem kiddish, the costume will seem gaudy, yet I appreciate the details that were achieved with such small budgets. Fast-paced episodes aptly covered the whole epic in just 94 episodes.

I would recommend it to all Indian parents bringing up children in western countries to help kids learn about our great culture.

...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 Obviously, the special effects are outdated as well, but they are sufficient to get the point across, which is the most important thing.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.

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.

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.

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.