Mahaabhaarat goes global

Ekta's Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki on 9X is reaching a stage from where the high drama of the greatest epic takes off. In the first week of October, on the show, the Pandavas and Kauravas will be shown as adults for the first time. And as the adolescent boys become men, the high drama in the story of their lives will begin to unfold on screen. The roller-coaster ride of relationships, power, politics, emotions and values, will become extremely strong. Producer Ekta Kapoor says, "The high point of Mahaabhaarat will be shown in October. Radha will get separated from Lord Krishna forever. Kans will die and Hiten who plays Karna will enter the show." When asked about the TRPs of the show, Hiten said, "We have just aired 42 episodes of the mytho and it is too early to speculate about the fate of the show. We are getting mixed reactions and I think it will take some time for the show to pick up." Whereas, another actor of the show Chetan Hansraj said that he doesn't believe in numbers. He added, "I have played the younger Balram in B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat so I am quite aware of the differences in the show. With Ekta's mytho we have tried to experiment as there is no point serving the show in the same manner as it was shown earlier." When questioned about the crticism that the costumes have been receiving Chetan said, "People are used to seeing mytho characters clad in gold jewellery and shiny attire so its taking a while for them to adjust with the new look. Don't forget that we are essaying the role of warriors and warriors are supposed to wear armours and not all those pearls. It is a modern Mahaabhaarat and keeping that in mind Manish Malhotra has been roped into design the costumes. And I believe he has done a fantastic job." Talking about the change in the colour of the attire from black to colourful, the actor says, "The change in look from black to colourful is needed as it marks the golden period of Hastinapur and this was the time when the kingdom was the prosperous most." It is debatable about the show's progress in India but regardless the show is going global. 9X is all set to air its epic series in the UK. A visibly excited Ekta said, "Although Mahaabhaarat as a story is thousands of years old, it is very applicable and relevant to today's day and age. I am delighted that 9X is taking the show to TV viewers in the UK. I am sure that not just the Indian audience but others too in the UK will like it." The Tamil version of the Mahaabhaarat, tilted as Mahabharatham premieres on Raj TV on Monday, the 22 September at 7 pm on weekdays.