The divine intervention!
Gods return to the small screen to fight Covid blues
Last year during Covid lockdown, Doordarshan struck gold re-telecasting Ramayan, Ramanand Sagar ’s hit mythological series of the eighties. This year, as India has come to a standstill once again owing to the second wave of the deadly coronavirus, many soap makers seem to have picked up cue. Mythology seems to be flavour on the tube once again, as Indian television finds a ready homebound audience base. A host of shows including VighnahartaGanesh and RadhaKrishn make for prime family viewing while the epics Ramayan and Mahabharat are being re-run on a private channel.
Shooting for mythological shows in the time of Covid is naturally tough, given the grandeur of set, costumes, heavy jeweller y and the execution they demand. Also, no matter the precautions, actors would always have to take off their masks in front of the camera.
In times of despair as the lockdown, portraying a mythological character also entails a ver y different challenge. Shows in this genre are meant to spread hope during a crisis as the pandemic, as people look up to divine protagonists on the small screen with reverence. In turn, this means there is the
need to be careful about portraying a character with authenticity more than ever, as these are characters people have immense faith in and are sensitive about.
This is something actress Madirakshi Mundle observes. She plays Devi Parvati in VighnahartaGanesh. “I feel fortunate to have essayed Goddesses on the TV screen. Sita, Lakshmi and Parvati are all Goddesses in our epics whose stories of virtue, ennobling qualities, benevolence and deep intrinsic strength we have grown up with and have a deep reverence for. They are of ten very commonly invoked as role models. People are attached to them and they are deeply integral to our culture and mythology. So, the audience’s feelings towards them are of paramount importance when I
essay such a role. People have a certain image they attach with such a character, in their minds,” says Madirakshi.
For Tarun Khanna, who plays Hanuman in RadhaKrishn, the challenge about mythological portrayals is more universal. “Mythological shows are tough physically and a person has to be ver y good at Hindi,” he says.
Here are some of the mythological shows that are currently a rage on the tube:
Ramayan
The popularity of late Ramanand Sagar ’s tele-epic continues to grow with time. While the show broke several records upon re-release on Doordarshan during last year ’s lockdown, it has been brought back on Star Bharat this year. The show stars Arun Govil as Ram, Deepika Chikhalia as Sita,
Sunil Lahri as Lakshman, Arvind Trivedi as Raavan and Dara Singh as Hanuman.
Mahabharat
This 2013 series stars Saurabh Jain as Lord Krishna, Pooja Sharma as Draupadi, Sayantani Ghosh as Satyavati, and Shaheer Sheikh as Arjun. The show also stars Arpit Ranka as Duryodhana, Praneet Bhatt as Shakuni and Puneet Issar plays the role of Parshurama.
Mere Sai: Shraddha Aur Saburi
The stor y of the show revolves around the life stor y of Sai Baba of Shirdi and talks of how he helps multiple people who seek him. His path of Dharma is highlighted in the series. The show stars Tushar Dalvi, Kishori Godbole and Vaibhav Mangle.
Santoshi Maa: Sunayein Vrat Kathayein
The show is a sequel to the series SantoshiMaa and has been produced by Rashmi Sharma and Pawan Kumar Marut. Actress Gracy Singh plays the lead in the show. Actors Tanvi Dogra and Vijay Badlani are also part of the show.
RadhaKrishn
The series revolves around the eternal bond of love shared by Radha and Lord Krishna. The show stars Sumedh Mudgalkar and Mallika Singh and has been directed by Rahul Kumar Tiwari. —IANS