\|/ :: Devon Ke Dev Mahadev- Article Archive :: \|/ - Page 53

With new twists and turns and new characters making appearances, this week's gonna be a blast. Check out what's there in your favorite shows this week.

Diya aur baati hum:-After Sandhya's Teej' fiasco and confessing to the same bhabho was upset, yet she decided to get her daughter in law and son for prayashchit' in temple, while Sooraj supported Sandhya all  along. Meanwhile Vikram is keen to get Suraj's advise on investing in shop rather than bhabo's decision of investing in gold for Chavi. Watch the forthcoming episode, where he will approach Suraj with the idea of selling the shop.

Saraswatichandra:-Interesting twists are happening now. While Budhidhan gives his property to Kumud, infuriating Pramad to core, a lovesick and caring Danny seems to be eventually falling for Kumari, despite all! Let' see where the show will lead. As for now, watch the next episode, where Kumud will try and Kalika engaged, while Pramad will look on. Kalika will openly vow for revenge to Kumud stating that she will have to pay for it later!

Madhubala- Ek Ishq Ek Junoon:-With RK's film getting financed, the mood is jubilant in Kundra household. He goes to Madhu and tells her to rejoice, but there is someone who is not so impressed by Madhubala. Madhu fails to impress Pabho, who feels she is inadequate as a daughter in law and so refuses to give her jewelry, which she had made for RK's bahu!

Balika Vadhu:- Things are becoming dramatic with Jagdish explaining about the difference between him and Sanchi and his views about the match. His family members are devastated. What is more disturbing is Ganga's arrest on the behest of false accusations by Bala. Watch the next episode when Jagdish will try and help, while Sanchi will be infuriated with Jagdish calling off the marriage. Meanwhile watch out for Anandi, who will confront Sanchi to speak the truth!

Bade Achhe lagte hain:- Priya is back home and the mood is happy. Ram is all emotional, yet he decided to control with his children's help. He even makes Pihu promise to her mother that she will get married. Watch the next episode where Neha and Vikram are all emotional about Priya's return and they decide to stay back, while Sammy is all helping them.

Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke:-Things are getting murkier for Rachana and Gunjan. Watch the next episode where a few of her friends will come to her home and give an absence slip. On inquiring about why the friends did not pass it on Gunjan, Shail will be shocked to learn that Gunjan was absent from college and also lied about a workshop.

Qubool hai:-The mistake has been done by Ayan and Zoya in a fit of defensive behavior, but is it that serious that they pay for it. Zoya confessed her helplessness to Asad, who completely supports her, but the other so called members of the society and community are still far from giving their consent. Watch the next episode, where the maulvi' will ask Ayan if he accepts Zoya as his wife, while he will look on helplessly at Asad.

Devon Ke Dev-Mahadev:- Parvati is disturbed with Ganga and is constantly being told by all to rest. Even Kartikeya and Gana have taken in to cooking, to help her, while Parvati is all agitated for not being able to make Kheer' for Mahadev! Watch the next episode where she will be agitated and the black magicians will excite the Kaali roop' in Parvati! However, watch Mahadev' becoming aghori' again, to help mata Parvati!

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Malla- Mani to use tantra-vidya to captive Mahakali

Mahadev to incarnate as Kapal Dhaari Agoori in the Maha episode of Devon Ke Dev.Mahadev!

On My Plate

Shiva, the brand God who never fails

Every major Indian band has a song that celebrates him, qualifying him as a bonafide rock hero. And why not? He was into hallucinogens and danced the universe to its destruction (ahead of its subsequent rebirth), dreadlocks and all.

Then there's the snake draped around the neck. He's the subject of a hip new popular TV serial, besides being the basis for the central figure in a best-selling series of books. He's like, seriously cool.

"Shiva is the outsider," says writer and expert on mythology Devdutt Pattanaik, explaining the enduring fascination with the god. Pattanaik, who advised on the TV serial, says he's one divine figure who's easy to form a connect with. "The story is a personal one that people relate to directly."

The Mahabharata is a spectacle, to be enjoyed in full, but it's hard to focus on individual characters and stories. The Ramayana offers a single focus, but Lord Ram is too perfect and divine for people to identify with directly " and even his apparent flaws, like the abandonment of Sita, don't make him a sympathetic character.

Krishna's stories are personal and likeable, but there is a basic divergence between two very different Krishnas, the lover of the Geeta-Govinda and the shrewd strategist of the Mahabharata, that complicates the narratives.

By contrast, Shiva's story offers simple parallels to people's lives.

"His conflict with Daksha is classic son-in-law versus father-in-law, the sort of story that TV tells all the time," says Pattanaik. All gods in Indian mythology have families, but Shiva is one of the few whose family story is so central to his legends: conflicts with his wife, problems with his sons, the basic themes are familiar, even if the central character has supernatural powers and wears a snake around his neck. "He is the alpha male who is on your side," he says. "He allowed us to make a mythological serial in a different way," Pattanaik adds.

Writer Amish Tripathi's works build on this outsider appeal of Shiva. He has written the hugely best-selling Shiva trilogy of novels, which offer an imaginative retelling of Indian mythology centering on a Shiva-like character, a Tibetan tribal warrior who becomes both saviour and destroyer of the ancient civilisation of Meluha, a possible stand-in for the Indus Valley Civilisation. Tripathi explains that there are two types of heroic archetypes " those who build and maintain society and those who live outside society, but come in to rescue it at times of peril.

Shiva is the second kind of hero. Tripathi is careful to emphasise that all gods and choices of those who worship them should be respected, but the youth connect with the heroic outsider is easy to understand. Being young is all about questioning and even attacking social norms as you figure out your place in society and "Shivji is the god of rebels," he says.

"He is the god with matted hair, the god who takes drugs, he is the god who is a brilliant dancer and musician.

He is said to have invented the rudra-veena."

These physical symbols count, and it is not surprising that Shiva shows up on so many tattoos.

It isn't all rebellion though. Tripathi points out that Shiva embodies many modern virtues. Unlike other gods who are shown in more traditionally patriarchal terms, Shiva treats his wife as an equal. "Many traditional images show them seated side by side, on the same level," says Tripathi. "And Shivji will have his children on his lap." He also points out that Shiva doesn't differentiate among his devotees, who include both devas and asuras, like Ravana: "There is a saying that Shivji apne bhakton ka bhakt hai'," and this humility emerges as another attractive aspect today.

All these factors helped the channel Life OK fix on Mahadev as the defining serial and hero of the channel.

"He appealed to young and old, to men and to women," says Ajit Thakur, general manager of Life OK. But they knew they had to be careful to craft the primary appeal to young people, and that emphatically meant avoiding old-style TV mythological treatment (which included one major past serial based on Shiva, Dheeraj Kumar's Om Namah Shivay, that first aired in 1997). "Our first big decision was not to build a set," says Thakur. "Other mythologicals have always built this elaborate set, with gold pillars and all that, and then everything has to take place on it.

We wanted to break away from this." Casting the character was obviously critical.

Mohit Raina, who plays Mahadev, has been the huge hit of the series, and a large part of the reason for his success.

Thakur says they needed someone who had classic good looks and a great body, but who also seemed grounded, and not offputting or arrogant.

"Mohit was the perfect choice. He comes across as a very rooted person, humble despite his looks and success."

They also realised, as the serial developed, how the stories of Shiva matched modern themes. "For example, when we did the track about Shiva getting Ganga to flow on earth, we have him warning that people will not respect her and this misuse will lead to environmental problems and water wars. We included all this, but it isn't new " the Shiva Purana is full of lesser known aspects like this."