Dharmakshetra

For all those who love analysing things from different perspectives , this series is a must. Kudos to the creators for doing such indepth research showcasing the critical thinking aspect of the Indian epics and culture..

I was sick and tired of the pathetic attempts at Mahabharat by Ekta Kapoor and her ilk. But this show comes as a unique take on the scripture. The strength of the show is the amazing script and dialogues, and how they bring out the unknown and not so popular stories from the epic. I had so many questions after watching BR Chopra's Mahabharat (which I consider at par with Lord of the Rings). Why did Krishna not stop the war, why did Yudhistir bet his brothers and wife in the gamble, was Duryodhan a selfish friend who used Karna for his own good, etc etc. The show answers all these questions basis actual stories from the scripture. An absolute must watch for all. Another show I would recommend is Upanishad Ganga from Doordarshan (now on Youtube)

I was surprised to see this series on Netflix this week. Being a binge watcher completed the series over a long break weekend. I was hearing about Dharamshetra for the first time. It was amazing to see and hear the reasoning of some of the actions done by pandava's and Kaurava's during the war. It's one of the well executed series based on indian history. Will watch it again sometime in future for sure. My favorite characters Suryodhan and Chitragupta.

Dharma Kshetra, in Hindi (with English subtitles) is a brilliant adapatation of the Mahabharat. The events take place after the war after all the protagonists (except /Ashvattama) had died. It is set in the court of the divine arbiter Chitragupta.

One by one, the charcters of the epic; Bhishma, Drona, Vidura, Dhritarashtra, Sakuni, Dharmaraj, Bhim, Arjun, Nakul, Sahadev, Draupadi, Kunti, Gandhari, Duryodhan, Karn, Dushasan, Ashvattama and even Vedavyas are put in the dock to answer accusations levelled against them. The twenty-six episode serial ends with Bhagwan Shri Krishna himself explaining his actions, which some times looked dowright unethical.

No character in Mahabharat was perfect. Each one was a fallible being combating his or her personal demons and was a complex amalgam of nobility and meanness, forgiveness and vengefulness, love and rancor and sacrifice and greed.

The epic is a macrocosm of our own lives- layered with contradictions and conflicts. The writing and acting were uniformly good, occassionally even brilliant- Duryodhan and Karn were outstanding.

Dharma Kshetra is a tour-de-force, a really great small screen production.

It reinforced my belief that Mahabharat in sheer sweep and grandeur eclipses Homer's Iliad and Odysseus. I was also exposed to nuances in the epic, which I had not been aware off earlier.

What a brilliant show, watch it and you will understand entire Mahabharat saga.