Several TV show makers have attempted to recreate the Hindu epic Mahabharat on the small screen, but no one could repeat the magic of Mahabharat televised by BR Chopra and his son Ravi Chopra. Their 94-episode series, aired between 1988 and 1990, took the nation by storm with its laboured screenplay and star cast.
Decades later, the show is set to return to the small screen. It will air on Pen India’s new channel, WOW.
The channel has procured the rights from the makers of the coveted TV series, which starred Mukesh Khanna (Bhishma), Pankaj Dheer (Karna), Gajendra Chouhan (Yudhishthir), Arjun (Arjun), Roopa Ganguly (Draupadi), Puneet Issar (Duryodhan) and Nitish Bharadwaj (Krishna), among others. A source close to Pen said the show would be aired between 5.30 am and 7 am every day.
When contacted, Jayantilal Gada of Pen India Limited said, “We feel no remade version of the Mahabharat can come even close to the epic creation done by the legendary BR Chopra years ago. His version is like history, which cannot be rewritten. It’s an honour for us to have procured the rights to air the coveted show on our channel.”
Asked if they would have enough viewers for the show, given the morning slot, Aksshay Gada, who is helming WOW, sounded optimistic. Pen is trying to get other slots during the day for a repeat telecast.
“Our channel’s programming team is trying to make room for more slots besides the 5.30 & 6:15 am slot so that people across age groups can enjoy the show. For the older generation, watching the old Mahabharat will bring back their yesteryear memories. As for the younger generation, they will get to experience a show that’s unparalleled to date,” he said.
Another segment to watch out for in the morning is Ilove (8 am), which will feature the best of romantic songs on WOW. The channel is available on all MSO and DTH networks.
