Mahabharat (1988 TV series)

The series covers the incidents of epic Mahabharata revolving around Krishna, Pandavas, Kauravas among other characters.

The show begins with Emperor Bharata giving more importance to 'Capacity' than to 'Birth'. He shows the birth of Bhishma and his oath, birth of Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidur and birth of Pandavas and Kauravas. The story then focuses on the childhood of Lord Krishna.

Elsewhere, Dronacharya teaches Pandavas and Kauravas and asks to defeat Drupad as Guru Dakshina. Pandavas do so and give half of his kingdom to Drona. For revenge, Drupada obtains Dhrishtadyumna and Draupadi. Dhritarashtra makes Yudhishthir the crown prince of Hastinapur. Shakuni (the maternal uncle of the Kauravas) and Duryodhan hatch a plan to burn Pandavas and Kunti alive, but they survive and go into incognito. Duryodhan is made crown prince of Hastinapur.

Arjuna wins Draupadi in her swayamvara but later shows her marriage with all five Pandavas. Later, Yudhishthir is made the king of Indraprastha and Pandavas conduct Rajsuya Yagna where Draupadi insults Duryodhana. Latter shows Duryodhana's revenge by trying to disrobe her and sending Pandavas along with Draupadi for an exile of 12 years and 1 year of anonymity. Duryodhana argues that the Pandavas violated the condition of anonymity in their last year of exile, therefore they must spend another 12 years in exile followed by another year of exile in anonymity. This conflict begins to sows the seed for the Mahabharata War.

Arjun and Subhadra's son Abhimanyu marries Uttara. Krishna tries to make peace between both parties. Indra in the disguise of a Brahmin took Karna's armor and earrings. Kunti's sorrow on the corpse of Karna reveals Karna's true identity of being the eldest Pandava.

Before Mahabharata War, Shri Krishna enlightens Arjuna about the "Bhagavad Gita" and showed his Virata Swaroopa to Arjuna. The latter shows the deaths of Bheeshma, Drona, Karna, Abhimanyu, Shalya, Shakuni, Jayadrata, Ghatotkacha, 100 Kauravas, 5 sons of Draupadi and many other warriors in the war leading to the victory of Pandavas over Kauravas. Gandhari holds Krishna responsible for her son's death and curses that his family will also get destroyed. The show ends with Yudhishthir's Rajyabhishek and Bhishma's death.

Episode 1 – Introduction of Kuru Family, Raja Bharat and Raja Shantanu

Episode 2 – Ganga Kills Her Sons

Episode 3 – Bhishma is Grown-up

Episode 4 – Bhishma Pratigya & Iccha Mrityu Vardaan

Episode 5 – Amba, Ambika and Ambalika's Introduction

Episode 6 – Birth of Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidur

Episode 7 – Karna's Birth-story

Episode 8 – Story of Adhiratha and Radha, Pandu is cursed

Episode 9 – Dhritarashtra is king, Pandu's sanyas and Pandavas are born.

Episode 10 – Kansa is king at Mathura and Akashwani about Krishna

Episode 11 – Birth of Balarama and Krishna

Episode 12 – Krishna Janma (birth of Krishna) celebrations and Pootna's Death

Episode 13 – Krishna Brahmand Darshan and Krishna gets caught while stealing Makhan

Episode 14 – Maiya Mori Mai nahi makhan khayo and Kaliya Nag Tandav

Episode 15 – Radha and Gopikas, protest against Mathura, Devakasur and Trulambasur Vadh

Episode 16 – Kansa invites Krishna to Mathura

Episode 17 – Kansa Vadh; Krishna meets his parents and grandfather

Episode 18 – Karna's adoption, Pandu and Madri's Death

Episode 19 – Satyavati, Ambika and Ambalika take sanyas with Rishi Vyas

Episode 20 – Karna grows up; Duryodhan Poisons Bhim and Bhim gets strength of 1000 Elephants

Episode 21 – Sudama's chivda story and Drona arrives at Hastinapur

Episode 22 – Shastra Pooja, Drona rejects Karna, Arjuna's test

Episode 23 – Karna's education under Parshurama,Story of Eklavya

Episode 24 – Karna enters the Rangbhoomi

Episode 25 – Karna is crowned as king of Anga, Drona's guru Dakshina to capture Dhrupad

Episode 26 – Krishna gets Sudarshana chakra from Parshuram, defeats Jarasandh and orders building Dwaraka

Episode 27 – Yudhishthira is crowned as Prince. Rukmini of Vidarbha is Being Forced to Marry Shishupal

Episode 28 – Krishna Rescues Rukmini and marry her

Episode 29 – Lakshagraha is built-in Varnavata by Purochana

Episode 30 – Tunneling in Varnavat Begins

Episode 31 – Escape from Lakshagraha

Episode 32 – Hidimb Vadh and Bhima's marriage with demoness Hidimba

Episode 33 – Bheema kills Bakasura

Episode 34 – Drishtadhyumna & Draupadi Birth and Draupadi Swayamvar

Episode 35 – Arjuna wins Draupadi and later she became the wife of the 5 Pandavas

Episode 36 – Pandavas Leave from Panchal Kingdom to Hastinapur

Episode 37 – Pandavas arrive at Hastinapur and Partition of kingdom

Episode 38 – Pandav Get Khandavprastha

Episode 39 – Coronation of Yudhirsthir, Khandavprastha Becomes Indraprastha

Episode 40 – Balraam talks about Subhadra's marriage, Arjun elopes with Subhadra

Episode 41 – Arjuna weds Subhadra. Arjun gets Devdatta Conch and Gandiva and Bhima gets his Gada

Episode 42 – Jarasandha Vadh, Rajsuya Yagnya begins, Shishupala's story

Episode 43 – Rajsuya Yagya, Shishupala Vadh

Episode 44 – Vyas predicts war, Draupadi laughs at Duryodhana

Episode 45 – Pandavas go to Hastinapur to gamble

Episode 46 – Yudhishthir loses Everything in the gamble

Episode 47 – Vastraharan of Draupadi

Episode 48 – Pandavas bet back everything

Episode 49 – Re-match of Dyut

Episode 50 – Vanvas Begins

Episode 51 – Gandharvas catch Duryodhan

Episode 52 – Arjuna gets Pashupatastra, Karna conquers the world

Episode 53 – Krishna's story of one grain of rice, Bheema meets Ghatotkacha and Hanuman, Arjun learns dance from Chitrasena

Episode 54 – Arjuna gets curse of impotency from Urvashi, Abhimanyu as a kid, Jayadrath's head is shaved

Episode 55 – Story of Poisoned Water and Yaksha's Questions to Yudhishthira, Abhimanyu is Grown-up

Episode 56 – Agyatvas in Matsya Desh

Episode 57 – Parshuram's curse to Karna

Episode 58 – Keechaka Vadh by Bheema

Episode 59 – Kaurav Attack Matsya Desh

Episode 60 – Viraat war and clothes for Uttaraa's dolls

Episode 61 – Abhimanyu and Uttaraa's marriage and Pandavs decide to send a Doot to Hastinapur

Episode 62 – Dhritarashtra does not agree and sends Sanjay

Episode 63 – Duryodhana gets Narayani Sena from Krishna, Krishna agrees to become charioteer of Arjuna

Episode 64 – Krishna Goes to Hastinapur as Shanti Doot

Episode 65 – krishna's Viraat avatar, Karna gives away his kawacha and kundala to Indra

Episode 66 – Karna's identity is disclosed

Episode 67 – Kunti meets Karna

Episode 68 – Sanjay gets Divya Drishti from Vyasa

Episode 69 – Duryodhan Tricks Shalya to join Kauravas

Episode 70 – Shikhandi's Story of rebirth

Episode 71 – Rules of war are laid

Episode 72 – Kurukshetra War begins and Arjun Drops His weapons, Geeta Saar begins

Episode 73 – Geeta Saar continues

Episode 74 – Geeta Saar continues and Krishna shows his Maha-avatar

Episode 75 – Yudhishthira gets blessings, Yuyutsu changes side and war begins, Abhimanyu faces Bhishma

Episode 76 – Uttar dies, Arjuna faces Bhishma and day 2 begins

Episode 77 – 3rd day is over, 4th day begins, Bhima is surrounded, 10 Kauravas are killed, Krishna takes out his Sudarshan

Episode 78 – 9th Day is over and 16 Kauravs are dead, Bhishma tells how to take him out of the war

Episode 79 – Arjuna shoots arrows at Bhishma

Episode 80 – Karna enters the field, Drona tries to capture Yudhishthir but is unsuccessful, Shantanu comes to Bhishma

Episode 81 – Chakra Vyuh Planned, Duryodhan Promises Susharma

Episode 82 – Abhimanyu Vadh; Uttaraa is pregnant

Episode 83 – Arjuna Vows to Kill Jayadrath and Story About Jayadratha's Curse

Episode 84 – Arjuna Breaks Kamal Vyuh to Get to Jayadratha

Episode 85 – Shri Krishna covers the Sun with his Sudarshana Chakra, Jayadratha Vadh

Episode 86 – Ghatotkacha enters battle; Karna kills Ghatotkacha by Shakti Astra

Episode 87 – Virat and Drupad are killed, Drona Dies

Episode 88 – Bheema kills Dushashana, Karna spares Arjun's life again

Episode 89 – Karna killed by Arjun.

Episode 90 – Shakuni and Shalya die, Duryodhana and Pandavas learn about Karna's truth, Yudhishthir curses all womankind, Gandhari curses Krishna & Yaduvansh, Duryodhan becomes iron bodied

Episode 91 – Balaram arrives, Bhim-Duryodhan Gada Yudh, Duryodhan fatally wounded, Balaram decides to kill Bhim

Episode 92 – Duryodhan Dies, Ashwatthama, Kripa and Kritvarma remain, Ashwathama kill the sons of Pandavas (Uppandavas) and Drishtadyumna, Ashwathama tries to kill Uttara's unborn son, Krishna curses Ashwatthama, Parikshit is Born

Episode 93 – Dhritarashtra-Vidur discussion about Dharma, Pandavas arrive at Hastinapur, Dhritarashtra Tries to kill Bhim

Episode 94 – Dhritarashtra and Gandhari ready for Vanaprasthan. Yudhisthir Becomes King of Hastinapur, Bhishma leaves his body.

Mahabharat's music was composed by Raj Kamal and lyrics were penned by Pandit Narendra Sharma. Some songs were taken from works of devotional writers like Surdas, Raskhan etc. Apart from main songs there are also several short couplets decoding summary of each episode. All those verse were sung by Mahendra Kapoor.[23][24]

In India the series was originally broadcast on DD National. It was shown in the United Kingdom by the BBC,[25] where it achieved audience figures of 5 million.[26][27] It was also the first programme broadcast on BBC Two after its 1991 revamp, but it had also been shown late at night on BBC One the previous year.

The show was again telecast on DD Bharati from 28 March 2020, on DD Retro from 13 April 2020, on Colors TV from 4 May 2020 as well as Star Bharat during the lockdown due to coronavirus.[28][5][29]

Ganguly was applauded for her performance in the Vastraharan sequence in which Draupadi is disrobed.[30] Ravi Chopra later disclosed that she was originally weeping while enacting in the Vastraharan sequence and the crew members had to console her later to make her stop.[30][31]|The sequence is often claimed to be the most climactic one of the series.[32] For the sequence Chopra recreated the visual effect of the Vastraharan sequence of Babubhai Mistry's Mahabharat (1965) starring Padmini as Draupadi.[33] His visual effects won more favour than that of the 1965 film and has still been considered by a part of critics to be the most brilliant in line.[34][35] of the most successful television series in Indian television history.[36] In common with the "Ramayana" serial, the broadcasting of a Mahabharat episode was associated with the simultaneous emptying of streets in the cities and people leaving work early to watch it.[37] Along with general audience many big names from Hindi film industry like Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Hema Malini and Dharmendra also praised the show.[38]

During its rerun in COVID-19 lockdown in India, it became the second most watched Indian TV show after Ramayan (1987).[39] In week 13, it garnered 145.8 million impressions with both morning and evening slots combined on DD Bharati.[40] After Ramayan ended, Mahabharat became the most watched TV show until its end.[41] The series ended with 22.9 million viewership.[41]

The series was uploaded onto the website "Rajshri.com" along with its dubbed Tamil version.[42] Home video of the Bengali-dubbed version of this series has been released by Heart Video.[43] In 2019, Pen India Ltd bought the rights of the show and uploaded all the episodes on its devotional YouTube channel Pen Bhakti including its spin-off series Mahabharat Katha.[44][45]

Mahabharat along with Ramayan (1987), became one of the most successful television series based on an epic in Indian television history.

Many actors became popular through their appearances in this series.

• Nitish Bharadwaj became famous as Lord Krishna and later he also played lead role in Chopra's another mythological show Vishnu Puran.[46]
• Roopa Ganguly, who played Draupadi, went on to become a successful actress in Bengali cinema.[47][48]
• Pankaj Dheer received immense popularity after playing Karna. His pictures are used in textbooks as reference to Karna and the actor also revealed that his statues are worshipped in temples in Karnal and Bastar.[49]
• Firoz Khan changed his name to "Arjun" professionally after finding success with the role of Arjun.[50]
• Mukesh Khanna, who was a not so famous actor until then, shot to fame as Bhishma and named his production company after his character.[51]

• Mahabharat at IMDb