Rupa Ganguly as Draupadi and Mukesh Khanna as Bheeshma in Mahabharata
Highlights
- A redux of Mahabharata has been envisioned with a budget of 1000 cr
- B R Chopra's Mahabharata featured many celebs of the time
- It was also the ticket to fame for many actors
New Delhi:
The announcement of a
new megabuck adaptation of The Mahabharata has renewed the curiosity around B R Chopra's legendary adaptation of the epic for TV. While Mr Chopra's series was based on the traditionally accepted version of the text attributed to Ved Vyas, the new
Mahabharata, to be made on a budget of Rs 1000 crore, will adapt MT Vasudevan Nair's critically acclaimed novel
Randaamoozham. The principal character of the novel is the third Pandav brother,
Bheem, which will be played by south superstar Mohanlal. The film is touted to be a game changer in the big-budget projects segment of the film industry, just like B R Chopra's
Mahabharata, which was (and still is) one-of-a-kind on the small screen. Though there have been attempts to re-adapt the epic, none matched the iconic status of B R Chopra's version, made at a time when Sunday mornings were dedicated to watching what Doordarshan had to offer. This, as everyone who grew up in the Eighties and early Nineties, was often a community activity.
B R Chopra's series cast some famous names like Mukesh Khanna, Raj Babbar, Praveen Kumar and Rupa Ganguly but for many, the show became pretty much their identity. Mr Chopra's
Mahabharata originally aired from 1988 to 1990. Here's a look at some of the members of the cast after almost three decades.
Raj Babbar - BharatActor Raj Babbar started his Bollywood career with 1977 film
Kissa Kursi Ka and starred in several popular films like
Umrao Jaan,
Nikaah and
Kalyug. But his portrayal of Bharat in the television series is one of his most popular roles. Mr Babbar was last seen in Bollywood film
Tevar. He joined politics in 1989 and is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand for the Congress.
Image (R) posted on Facebook by Raj Babbar
Kiran Juneja - GangaActress Kiran Juneja started her small screen career with critically acclaimed show
Buniyaad in 1987. The next year she took the role of Ganga in
Mahabharata. She has also starred in supporting roles in films like
Fashion,
Jab We Met and
Khosla Ka Ghosla. She is married to
Sholay director Ramesh Sippy.
Debashree Roy - SatyavatiBengali star Debashree Roy started her career in 1978 and, after a brief struggle, shot to acclaim with a role in Aparna Sen's
36 Chowringhee Lane. Though she was applauded for her performance, the film failed commercially. 1982 film
Troyee made her a star. Debashree Roy was at the peak of her career when she signed up to play Satyavati in
Mahabharata. Her career graph took a downward dip after 2008 and she was last seen in 2014 film
24th July. She was briefly married to Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee.
Mukesh Khanna - BheeshmaAfter starring in several Bollywood films, actor Muukesh Khanna was cast as Bheeshma in
Mahabharata. He later worked in other popular shows like
Chandrakanta and
Shaktimaan and currently stars in TV series
Waaris.
Girja Shankar - DhritrashtraApart from
Mahabharata, actor Girja Shankar was also a part of TV show
Alif Laila. He has worked in several films like
Divine Lovers (1997),
Irada and was last seen in Punjabi film
Gadaar: The Traitor.
Renuka Israni - GandhariActress Renuka Israni's claim to fame has been
Mahabharata. After the show, she starred in small roles in films like
Rishtey, starring Anil Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor. She played the role of Sakshi Tanwar's mother in
Bade Achche Lagte Hain.
Gufi Paintal - ShakuniGufi Paintal made sure no one forgot the character of Shakuni for a long time. The actor has featured in small roles in films like
Dillagi and
Samrat & Co.. On television, he played the role of Mughal Emperor Humayun in 2013 show
Maharana Pratap and currently stars in
Shani as Vishwakarma.
Puneet Issar - DuryodhanaActor Puneet Issar will, perhaps, never shake off his controversial big screen role as antagonist opposite Amitabh Bachchan in
Coolie (1983), when Big B suffered his infamous and near-fatal injury while filming a fight scene with his co-star. In the weeks that followed, Puneet Issar was demonised by Big B's adoring public while the star lay comatose in hospital. Amitabh Bachchan made a full recovery and so did Puneet Issar's career, although he was typecast as a villain - he played Duryodhan in the B R Chopra version of Mahabharata and was later cast as Parshuraam in
Mahabharata redux, which aired in 2013 and was produced by Ekta Kapoor.
On TV, he last appeared in
Bigg Boss season 8 in 2014.
Pankaj Dheer - KarnaMahabharata was actor Pankaj Dheer's big break after which he starred in films like
Sanam Bewafa,
Badshah and
Gippi. His other popular television shows are
Chandrakanta, where he played Raja Shivdutt, King of Chunargarh, and
Harishchandra. The actor, whose son Nikitin Dheer starred in Shah Rukh Khan's Chennai Express, currently plays a pivotal role in TV show
Badho Bahu.
Gajendra Chouhan - YudhishtiraB R Chopra's
Mahabharata remains actor Gajendra Chouhan's most recognized show in his body of work. In 2015, Mr Chouhan was controversially appointed the chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India. FTII students went on strike, citing Gajendra Chouhan's perceived lack of qualifications. His appointment was also widely criticized by celebrities like Ranbir Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, Rishi Kapoor and director Kiran Rao.
Arjun - ArjunActor Firoz Khan, popularly known by his screen name Arjun, starred in several films before landing the role of Arjun in
Mahabharata. He's also worked in films like
Mehndi,
Aa Gale Lag Jaa and
Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat. He was last seen in
Yamla Pagla Deewana 2.
Praveen Kumar - BheemBefore becoming Bheem for B R Chopra, Praveen Kumar was an athletics star, who won several championships in his field of discus throw. He won a silver medal in the 1966 Commonwealth Games and represented India at 1968 and 1972 Olympics.
Apart from Bheem, he popularly portrayed Saaboo in the
Chacha Chaudhary series. In films, he was mostly cast as the villain's henchman or a goon. Praveen Kumar quit acting to become a politician.
After losing from Aam Aadmi Party ticket in Delhi's Wazirpur constituency in the 2013 elections, he joined the BJP.
Rupa Ganguly - DraupadiActress Rupa Ganguly debuted opposite Anil Kapoor in 1985 film
Saaheb but her ticket to fame was (like for many others)
Mahabharata. After that, she starred in acclaimed Bengali films like Gautam Ghosh's
Padma Nadir Majhi and Rituparno Ghosh's
Antarmahal.
She also starred in TV shows like
Kasturi,
Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil and
Kuch Toh Hai Tere Mere Darmiyaan, her last television appearance.
Surendra Pal - DronacharyaActor Surendra Pal played the role of Dronacharya in
Mahabharata and later starred in several other television shows like
Chanakya,
Shaktimaan,
Maharana Pratap,
Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev,
Siya Ke Ram,
Maryada and
Shagun. He currently stars in
Jaana Na Dil Se Door.
Surendra Pal has also played small roles in films like
1920 London,
Seher,
Jodhaa Akbar and
Khuda Gawah.
Nitish Bharadwaj - KrishnaNitish Bharadwaj started his small and big screen career simultaneously. He featured in National Award-winning film
Trishagni and
Mahabharata at about the same time. He reprised the role of Krishna in 2014 TV show
Ajab Gajab Ghar Jamai and was last seen in 2016 film
Mohenjo Daro. Nitish Bharadwaj also joined the BJP in 1996.
Varsha Usgaonkar - UttaraVarsha Usgaonkar had a thriving career in Marathi films when she was cast as Uttara in the show. She's also known for her portrayal of Rani Laxmibai in 1990s series
Rani Of Jhansi. She reprised the role years later in
The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey, starring Aamir Khan.
She has also featured in Marathi television shows like
Aakash Zep and
Eka Mekansathi.
Ayub Khan - ParikshitActor Ayub Khan is the nephew of thespian Dilip Kumar. Ayub has starred in several films like
Dil Chahta Hai and
Gangaajal, but he's mostly known for his roles on the small screen - from earlier shows like
India Calling to
Uttaran and
Ek Haseena Thi. He currently stars in
Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki.
Pradeep Rawat - AshwatthamaPradeep Rawat's first role was that of Ashwatthama in
Mahabharata, after which he starred in several Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. He played the principal antagonist in Aamir Khan's
Ghajini and Deva in
Lagaan, also starring Aamir. His upcoming film is Salman Khan's
Tiger Zinda Hai.
Goga Kapoor - KansGoga Kapoor played the role of a villain in most of the films he starred in - Amitabh Bachchan's
Agneepath and
Toofan, included. He played a negative role again in
Mahabharata as well.
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak,
Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya and
Refugee are a few other films he starred in. Goga Kapoor died in 2011 due to prolonged illness. He was 70.
Paintal - ShikhandiComedian Paintal, brother of Gufi, is known for his roles in films like
Jawani Diwani (1972),
Rafoo Chakkar (1975),
Bawarchi (1972) and
Piya Ka Ghar. He was last seen in Hindi film
30 Minutes, along with his son Hiten.
Rajesh Vivek - Ved VyasActor Rajesh Vivek starred in
Mahabharata as Ved Vyas but before that, he played the role of Dr Rajendra Prasad in Gandhi (1982) and was also seen in
Ram Teri Ganga Maili. The actor also starred in TV show
Devon Ke Dev Mahadev and in films like
Lagaan,
Swades and
Jodhaa Akbar. He died of a heart attack in 2016 at the age of 66.
Chetan Hansraj - young BalramChetan Hansraj started as a child artiste in
Mahabharata and later continued his TV career with
Kkusum. He worked in other popular Balaji television shows like
Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. He was also a part of TV shows like
Jodha Akbar and
Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev. He currently plays the antagonist in Chandra Nandni.