||Mahabharat - Article Archive|| DT's Nt pg 65 - Page 53

Siddharth Kumar Tewary is one of the master minds of Swastik Productions and produced many shows like Amber Dhara', Mata Ki Chowki' Saas vs Bahu' and Agle janam Mohe Bitiya hi kijo', Phulwa, Navya and presently Mahabharat'. It took around four years for him to prepare epic drama Mahabharat'. Find out about his interesting journey and whom he is thankful to for making this epic in an exclusive chat with Just Showbiz.

It actually took 4 years. It is a show which cannot be made overnight. Telling a story of Mahabharat which is the biggest epic, I had to understand and get into every detail of it to present it in a new way to the viewers. Its been 25 years since the TV version of the epic was aired. I had to have my own interpretation to it. So it took us 4 years to understand the story line, to present it, to build the sets and to work on every aspect to before it is aired. If you are making a series like this, its an humbling experience and a challenge of a lifetime because it cannot be made twice.

I think they do. Comparisons will always be there. From the time I started working on this series, I knew they will compare. But I was very clear that we are going to make. Our interpretation is different because we are talking to a new generation that has come in. The whole agenda of this Mahabharat to me was to make it relevant for today's viewers and make themunderstand what makes Mahabharat relevant even after thousands of years. Eventually, people have given our interpretation a different lead all together. We have reached a status that people are respecting our work. I am happy that we have our own identity.

Its like we study the same books in school and different students pass out each year studying the same books. Basically, what each person gets on and understands from it and how he interprets it is what makes the difference. I am sure that people will again attempt Mahabharat. But it depends on how they interpret the epic which was primarily written with an idea of understanding the  values of our country and how to live life. Primarily, whoever taps this right will give a new interpretation. Whenever and whoever makes it, it will be great because making Mahabharat is an honor and its not something which comes so easily.

There is a difference between a daily soap and a Mahabharat, an epic. The point was that people already had preconceived notions and visuals of each characters in their head. People already imagine Krishna, Bhishma, Shakuni  and all the characters to be in a particular way. For me, the biggest challenge was to get the cast in such a way that these characters have their own identity and people start liking them for their performances and not compare them. They had an uphill task and had to work really hard so that they could have a standing of their own. Casting has taken 2/3 years. In a series like this, The casting plays a critical role where you have to present to a newer set of viewers who already have a preconceived notion about the characters you need to go an extra mile to be liked. All our actors are accepted because of their hard work.

Oh! there are way too many. Its an epic story. It is not like a 2 character story.It has more than 100 plus characters. Its a multi product mystery. Most of the scenes are extremely difficult to recreate because the story keeps travelling and not fixed in one house. Its very difficult to choose the most difficult scene.

The complete credit goes to our writer Mihir Bhuta. We wanted Gita' to be understood and simplified it to that level where people can understand what is being said. The writing is the strength and I think Mihir is the most outstanding writer we have in Indian television today. He did a marvelous job. I don't think anybody could have done a better job than him in the Mahabharat

I believe it has appealed to the youth and that's what the numbers say. I keep getting a lot of feedback from youngsters across the world who are loving theshow and also mention the characters they love. They are not just liking one character but the variety of characters we have in the show. That's very difficult to achieve in today's world where people are used to watch shows with one or two main characters.

I personally believe that one should always try and better yourself. I don't aspire to be the best but try to better myself. There is a phrase "Be better than the best".I just believe in the first part of it - be better. That' what we as a company believe in. So, every show we do, every story we want to tell out viewers, we try and challenge ourselves, Try not to be in our comfort zone, try not to repeat ourselves. We try to do something which keeps us on the edge so that we don't take our viewers or ourselves for granted.

I am a simple guy who wants to do his best in what ever he attempts.I am a boring guy who does his work and goes home. I think you should ask others about me.(Smiles).

I am a complete content creative different person. I write, direct and do crazy things. I am an adventurous person. I like to take challenges and do things which people think twice to do. I want to do something new, get excited and that's what keeps me going.I am a complete workaholic.

Personally, I like Krishna a lot and there is a reason for it. The thought what we want the next generation to learn from the Mahabharat comes through Krishna. As a character he is very close to me. Most of the things I wanted to communicate, I do it via Krishna. Saurabh is an outstanding performer and has taken Krishna to an other level. He is born to play Krishna. Having said that, I also like Arjun, Karna and Shakuni who add a lot of value to the series.

We are working on a certain new shows. Primarily, its Mahabharat. It will end in a month and a half. We want it to end on a high. Parallelly, we are shooting a show for Zee. Its also a unique concept, Its the first animal-human show on Indian TV.

Mahabharat is a complete team effort. There are more than 400 people working but the most important are of this epic is the writing. Sharmin Joseph, Radhika Anand, Anand Vardhan, Mihir Bhuta and Me. The writing has been the clear winner. All my actors, Creative team of Nitin, Amit, Amol and all the kids down the line,  Music of Lenin Nandi and  the people who have given their heart and soul to make this series what it have become today. Not to forget, my brother Rahul, planned with the series and  has given it all and Ritesh handling the project from the production point of view and doing his best with Taheer. There are a lot of  people and lots that has gone into making this series. This is the first premium production in  Indian Television. You have never seen a show of this scale on Indian Television on a daily format. To give this quality of production, make a series of this nature, write it of this level, really hats off to the whole team of Mahabharat. 

We have been humbled by the response given to us. We are constantly trying to improve and give the best that we can to the viewers.There is nothing better than Mahabharat to learn from. It's not that comes easy to anyone and a lot of hard work has gone behind it. Really thankful to the fans for giving us the stature and accepting our hard work and passion with which we made Mahabharat. Just keep watching.

Website : http://swastikproductions.com/