Gufi Paintal, best known for playing Shakuni mama in the epic television serial Mahabharat, died on Monday at a Mumbai hospital due to age-related issues. He was 79.

The Mahabharata shows that leaders need to navigate moral codes that are as complex, varied, and subtle as the situations in which they find themselves 

The promoters of the movie claim that it would be the costliest Indian movie and made in Hollywood style with technicians sourced globally.

Post the lockdown, Doordarshan re-aired mythological shows Ramayan and Mahabharat on popular demand. Ever since then, the shows are making a lot of noise. The viewers have been following the shows very closely. Recently, netizens spotted a cooler behind Bhishma Pitamah

The latest BARC/TRP ratings for the Week 17 (April 25-May 1, 2020) are here. The mythological shows are still ruling the TRP chart. Among the mythological shows, Doordarshan National's Uttar Ramayan is at the tops slot while DD Bharti's Mahabharat has

The latest BARC/TRP ratings for the Week 17 (April 25-May 1, 2020) are here. The mythological shows are still ruling the TRP chart. Among the mythological shows, Doordarshan National's Uttar Ramayan is at the tops slot while DD Bharti's Mahabharat has

The return of Mahabharat and Ramayan on television has really pleased all the people across the nation. As reported, the views have been record-breaking and unheard of in a long time. And speaking about its return on television is veteran actor Gajendra Chauhan, who essayed the role of Yudhishthir in the show.

Talking to Koimoi, he said, "When the show came on TV for the first time, people used to just watch it. It used to come weekly. Now, 2 episodes are aired daily. Currently, people are watching it to learn something out of it. The show teaches a lot in terms of boundaries and India's culture and tradition, the duties of the king and the citizens." His choices of words suggested he was really elated by the fact that he and the entire nation were getting the opportunity to visit and revisit such a classic piece of work.

That's not all, he also spoke about how Mahabharat taught us to stay at home safe and sound. "In the show, Vidur says a few lines to Yudhisthir that are relatable today. The lines are – Vann ki akhir kaun prachit rehta hai? Wahi prachit rehta hai jo ghar mein hota hai'. Even Mahabharat has given a message to people to stay at home."

And lastly, he also shed light on his experience of visiting a school where the children were being shown an episode of the show. "A few years ago, I went to a school in Delhi and they had a lecture on Mahabharat where they would show 45 mins episode from the show. Every year, they used to have one test based on it. These are good steps taken to make sure our future generation is well aware of India's culture. There are a lot of Indians staying abroad who make sure their kids know about Ramayan and Mahabharat through whatever medium is available to them."

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In the recent episode of Mahabharat, which is clearly enjoying a fantastic or should we say a historic re-run on television, the viewers got to witness what became the reason for the Mahabharat- The Cheer Haran of Draupadi! For all those who saw this iconic moment on television or rather experienced and felt it, the memories can never get wiped out, and for those who witnessed it for the first time, were left in awe and had goosebumps!

Taking to their Twitter accounts, the netizens couldn't stop hailing the way the scene was staged, the actors performed, and the manner in which the entire drama unfolded. A user wrote about Roopa Ganguly, who played Draupadi, that nobody can become a better Draupadi than her.

Have a look right here:

@RoopaSpeaks no one become a better draupadi like you!! mam❤️❤️🥰 #Mahabharat pic.twitter.com/STNuwKiUm0

— PARTH (@10thwonderparth) April 20, 2020

Another user wrote- "GOOSEBUMPS while watching Shri Krishna protecting Draupadi during Cheer Harana. My blood boiled to see how everyone stood mute & did nothing to protect her dignity." (sic):

GOOSEBUMPS while watching Shri Krishna protecting Draupadi during Cheer Harana 🙏🏻
My blood boiled to see how everyone stood mute & did nothing to protect her dignity!
It was this Adharma everyone eventually paid for. One who can’t protect his wife doesn’t deserve one.#Mahabharat pic.twitter.com/yUKa2tzV5S

— Dishu Chaurasia (@chaurasia_dishu) April 20, 2020

Someone else stated- "Nitish Krishna was just 23 years old when he casted to play Krishna's role in this epic seriel. just like Ramayana this show had aleo broken many recored and people used to leave all important work to watch this. wonderfully played role by him big salute." (sic):

#Mahabharat @nitishkrishna8 was just 23 years old when he casted to play Krishna's role in this epic seriel. just like Ramayana this show had aleo broken many recored and people used to leave all important work to watch this. wonderfully played role by him big salute pic.twitter.com/MnNxJGFKhK

— Librandus ki marne wala (@librandu_kumar) April 20, 2020

It was time for another appreciation tweet, a user wrote- "Shree Krishna was the only man who saved Draupadi Chirharan. Vidur and vikran(young brother of Duryodhan) was the other two men who tried to stop Chirharan. Also, Rupali nailed it. No one can play the role of Draupadi better than her." (sic):

Shree Krishna was the only man who saved Draupadi Chirharan. Vidur and vikran(young brother of Duryodhan) was the other two men who tried to stop Chirharan. Rest all were Assholes.

Also, @TheRupali has nailed it. No one can play the role of Draupadi better than her. #Mahabharat pic.twitter.com/BFGjVUXHMr

— Ruthless MS (@EngineerMs14) April 20, 2020

We are slowly gearing towards the episodes that will give us an insight into how the entire battle of the Mahabharat unfolded and the sheer audacity and scale that the makers managed to bring on the screen back when there was barely any technology and visual effects at their disposal. Some more goose-flesh moments await the viewers!

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There cannot be a greater feeling for any actor when he's known by the name of the characters he has essayed on the big screen or even the small screen. If Amjad Khan was Gabbar Singh, Amrish Puri was Mogambo, Shah Rukh Khan was Raj and Rahul, Feroz Khan was Arjun. Yes, the Arjun from Mahabharat.

Such was the popularity of the role and such was the impact on people that he was rechristened as Arjun Feroz Khan. You may know him as the villain from a lot of Bollywood films of the 90s but it was this iconic television show that shaped his career and made him a household name. Speaking to Hindustan Times about being selected for the show and how it made history, he spilled the beans on everything.

He said, "It's a proud moment to watch Mahabharat with the present generation. It's a good opportunity for them to know more about their culture. It was a game-changer for Indian television. It impacted people's lives. Due to the lockdown, everyone is at home and they're glued to their television sets to watch epics like Mahabharat and Ramayan. Even my grandchildren are watching it and they're amused to see me shooting arrows."

History isn't made easily so expectedly, getting such a fascinating role wasn't easy for the actor either. He recalls the day when he went for the audition. "I went in and saw actors like Deepak Parashar, Raj Babbar and Govinda, among others there. The auditions for Mahabharat were going on and Govinda told me to give it a shot. I was given two pages of dialogues in Hindi. I told him to read out the lines in Hindi so that I could rewrite them in English."

He added, "A week after when I didn't get a call back, I went to his office. I was asked to wear my costumes and a moustache. I went up to Chopra Saab's cabin in the first floor and he was sitting their along with our writers, Dr Rahi Masoom Raza and Pandit Narendra Sharma and they told me that I've been locked to play Arjun." And as they say, the rest is history! He was addressed as Arjun by everyone, even his mother. What greater validation can an actor ask for?

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Given people today have the tendency to make memes on almost anything and everything, how could a tv show like Mahabharat stay away? It's a cult show and making history in terms of TRPs even in 2020. But in one of the episodes, 49 to be precise, they spotted an AC cooler and made a lot of memes on the scene.

And now, talking about this to Times of India, Khanna has broken his silence and reacted to it. He has said, "I had been hearing about a picture of mine from the sets of Mahabharat going viral where I am shown sitting in front of a cooler, for the past few days. I want to know yeh picture aayi kahan se and secondly yeh kisne spot kiya? I doubt if this picture is from a still from the show. And if it is, it is a huge mistake. But from what I can say after seeing it is that it appears to be clicked in between shots. I don't think such a glaring mistake would have happened from BR Chopra's side. He was too careful with the making and the editing of Mahabharat."

However, to bear the heat, there were AC coolers on the sets for the actors, as revealed by Khanna. "We were shooting in Film City which was fully air-conditioned. However, since I had such heavy costumes and to top it all a long beard which I had to wear most of the day I used to feel extremely hot. Especially because of the beard. So, I requested BR Chopra Ji to allow me to use an air-cooler. The beard was such that after shots I used to sweat a lot and it used to irritate me," said the actor.

Well, Mahabharat is enjoying a dream run on television and as days and episodes pass by, the TRPs are only likely to grow!

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The lockdown has unveiled a large public health crisis. A recent development, of an increase in eye injuries, has now been attributed to re-runs of Mahabharata and Ramayana.

He said no to Brook, as he would not be allowed to carry hemp to the US! He had selective praise for Dylan and was openly caustic about contemporary artists. Shoma A. Chatterji reviews a biographical film on Gour Khepa, the brilliant and eccentric baul who lived life on his own terms.

सोनू निगम (Sonu Nigam) का ये वीडियो काफी पुराना है, जिसमें वो 'महाभारत' (Mahabharat) का टाइटल सॉन्ग गाते दिखाई दे रहे हैं.

रामायण (Ramayan) और महाभारत (Mahabharat) के बाद अब टीवी पर पुराने विज्ञापन (90s Advertisement) लौट आए हैं.

एक्ट्रेस जूही चावला (Actress Juhi Chawala) को 'महाभारत' (Mahabarat) में द्रौपदी (Draupadi) का किरदार सबसे पहले ऑफर किया गया था.

'महाभारत' (Mahabharat) की गांधारी (Gandhari) यानी एक्ट्रेस रेणुका इसरानी (Actress Renuka Israni) के बारे में जानें कुछ खास बातें.

महाभारत (Mahabharat) में अर्जुन (Arjun) का किरदार निभाने वाले अभिनेता फिरोज खान (Firoz Khan) ने शो मिलने के बाद अपना नाम बदल लिया था.

एक्ट्रेस वर्षा उसगांवकर (Varsha Usgaonkar) ने 'महाभारत' (Mahabharat) में राजकुमारी उत्तरा (Rajkumari Uttara) का किरदार निभाया था.

मुकेश खन्ना (Mukesh Khanna) ने 'महाभारत' (Mahabharat) के उस सीन के बारे में बात की है जिसमें भीष्म पितामह (Bhishma Pitamah) के पीछे कूलर (Cooler) दिखने का दावा किया गया है.

Sonu Nigam took to Instagram to share a throwback video in which he performed the title track of BR Chopra's Mahabharat, with the show's cast in audience.

This re-telling of Mahabharata from the perspective of Shakuni delves into how the heir of Gandhara used the Padavas and the Kauravas as pawns in an intricate and clever power play that culminated in an epic battle of 18 days.

Post the lockdown, Doordarshan re-aired mythological shows Ramayan and Mahabharat on popular demand. Ever since then, the shows are making a lot of noise. The viewers have been following the shows very closely. Recently, netizens spotted a cooler behind Bhishma Pitamah

The latest BARC/TRP ratings for the Week 17 (April 25-May 1, 2020) are here. The mythological shows are still ruling the TRP chart. Among the mythological shows, Doordarshan National's Uttar Ramayan is at the tops slot while DD Bharti's Mahabharat has

BR Chopra's 'Mahabharat' is currently being re-telecast for the audiences on Doordarshan and remains the most-watched show, much like Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayan'. 

The latest BARC/TRP ratings for the Week 17 (April 25-May 1, 2020) are here. The mythological shows are still ruling the TRP chart. Among the mythological shows, Doordarshan National's Uttar Ramayan is at the tops slot while DD Bharti's Mahabharat has

Puneet Issar had once caused megastar Amitabh Bachchan near-death experience on the sets of 'Coolie'

Saheer Sheikh, who plays Arjun in the new Mahabharat, discusses his character.

The show joins other popular epics such as "Ramayan" and "Mahabharat" to be re-run amid the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. "Coming soon: 'Shri Krishna'," the post on DD National channel's official handle read.

Mahabharat: Fan spots a dead soldier alive