After sessions and panel discussions with popular faces of Indian television, TV actors, who have shot to fame by playing mythological characters appeared on India TV's conclave TV Ka Dum with Saas Bahu Aur Suspense host Charul Malik and actor Maniesh Paul. Prominent among them were actors such as Mukesh Khanna, Saurabh Raj Jain, Debina Bonnerjee and producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary. The discussion took place over how mythological stories portrayed on television have changed over years and its impact on the actors on the personal level.
Siddharth Kumar Tewary, founder of Swastik Productions that produces big-budget shows such as Mahabharat, Karmaphal Daata Shani, Porus and RadhaKrishn among others was also present on the TV Ka Dum panel. Talking about his journey as a producer of mythological shows, Mr. Tewary said that he didn't plan his entry into such shows. It was merely coincident that he ventured into producing grand serials. He said when he planned the making of Mahabharat, he realised that he cannot make such show without knowing about it deeply.
Saurabh Raj Jain, who shot to fame with his portrayal of Lord Vishnu in 2011 show Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev said, he has thrice played the role of a Hindu God on TV screen and he is grateful to producer Siddharth for giving him the opportunity. The actor feels happy when people appreciate his work irrespective of what character he is playing.
Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna, who is known for playing Bhishma Pitamah in B. R. Chopra's Mahabharat and the titular role in Doordarshan show Shaktimaan, was also on the panel. The actor said that during B. R. Chopra's Mahabharat, special effects were rarely used as it had just arrived in the industry. He said today there are a lot of channels as well as shows and people are confused about what they should watch. But earlier, there used to be just one TV and one channel, that is Doordarshan. On Sunday, people used to watch Mahabharat and then discuss it on Monday.
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Debina Bonnerjee, who made her TV debut with 2008 show Ramayan said, she was quite nervous as she was playing a grand character, which has earlier been represented in a beautiful way. People warned me about being typecasted and due to it I was under immense pressure, she added.
Pooja Sharma, who shot to fame by playing Draupadi in Star Plus' show Mahabharat and the lead role in Mahakali-Anth Hi Aarambh Hai said she has learned a lot from the shows she has done. People say that female characters in TV shows are regressive but she has proved it wrong with her roles, said Pooja.
Sumedh Mudgalkar, who became a household name with his show RadhaKrishn said, he is getting immense love from masses for his portrayal of Lord Krishna.
Concluding the session, producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary revealed that shooting for mythological shows is not easy as the cast and crew travel to a place in Gujarat, which is three hours drive from Mumbai. Adding further, the ace producer said that when he is making a show like Mahabharat, he has no intention of competing with the original version. Rather, he is presenting his own interpretation on the TV screens.
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