Chanakya

Chanakya is a 47-part Indian television historical drama written and directed by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi and is based on events occurring between 340 BCE and 321/20 BCE, starting with Vishnugupta's(moniker of Chanakya) boyhood and culminating in the coronation of Chandragupta Maurya. Chandraprakash Dwivedi played the title role of Chanakya.

So the director features as an actor himself and to top it all, the protagonist of all characters. Kudos to him, who was supposed to only be a part of the scripting but had to direct it after a fallout with the to-be director. Thank God for that, else CHANAKYA would have been something and someone else.

The actors are apt, their acting perfect, not over-the-top as is the case with much other tele-serials of that era.The scripting and dialogues are perfect, as would have been in that ancient period, so is the background score, replete with shlokas and excerpts from the VEDAS and UPANISHADS.

The icing on the cake are the costumes and setting locations etc. They really look like a MAHAJANAPAD of that ancient period.

Only One complaint: The series should have been longer. Then we would have had more to enjoy and learn.

Dr Dwidevi made his first acting/direction TV venture with "Chanakya". It came out in times when several other historical and mythological series were popular. It is interesting how "Chanakya" captured the attention and minds of people in between such glamorous shows.

"Chanakya" is a result of a lot of detailed work on life of people during the rule of the Mauryan Dynasty. The sets, costumes, language & pronunciations and cinematography separate it from other costume dramas. The characters are not cardboard cut-outs. They are well-rounded and have depth. Chanakya is one of the shrewdest characters in history. He has been played so well that he virtually comes out of the screen.

On the whole, "Chanakya" reminds us that 'kutil' and shrewd minister of the Mauryas is not merely history. He created history.

India is a country of a billion people and I am surprised only 1 person before me has felt compelled to write about this work of sheer genius.

If I was in India, I would seek out all the makers of this tremendous effort and personally thank them for letting me know that there was one man in India such as Chanakya. He was the first true patriot that India produced - a patriot who unified India even as he was making seminal contributions to the fields of Political Science and Economics in the earliest stages of development of these sciences. No other professor has ever held a political sway over any country leading both to its creation and a stable government - in the history of civilization.

But that is not all. The script is truly awesome. The characters of Chanakya and the others have been portrayed with remarkable depth and consistency to make them truly believable and they arouse the viewer's empathy. 48 hours of viewing is not for today's world of fleeting attention spans - but for those who are willing to put in the effort and time, the satisfaction is tremendous. It is not entertainment material like pop corn accompaniment - to be shrugged off and confined to the dustbin of memory - after a couple of hours of viewing. For the history buff, it tantalizes you enough to want to devote 4-5 hours every day for 2 whole unrelenting weeks, without hesitation. I have already done that twice over a span of 4 years. I am sure I would want to watch the entire series again after my college going boys can muster the patience and interest to do likewise to understand their Indian heritage.

My only complaint is that the names of the actors and the roles they play are curiously difficult to find. I am still trying. The web search engines provided no answers and the DVD's I have do not make the job of finding these easy either. Even the janitors who helped the filming crew seem to get more prominent billing than the cast. After all the 90+ hours of viewing, I still can't figure out the name of the genius who plays Chanakya - who figures in almost 50% of all the frames!

never saw a series like this before. You cant see a series like this before. A pure historic projection , without any fiction or a filler , no Dramatic effects. !! just perfect! After Watching Mahabharta This is the one I like the Most!So all of you 21th centuries people have a look on this awesome seires !

Masterpiece from Chandra Prakash Dwivedi. Don't miss to watch this DVD. Once in a lifetime opportunity for people all over the world. Chanakya life is great inspiration for all the people who wants to achieve great success in life.