So, @nakulsword on tumblr asked me about my thoughts on the BRC Mahabharata. So, here it is:-

1. The songs are fab. The og tracks mostly. It is nostalgia and old flavour mythology mixed into an ode of a respectful devotional ballad. 'Jagat mein samay' and 'Veenati Suniye Naath humari' and 'Sabse unchi prem sagai' being my most favourite.

2. Nitish Bharadwaj's Krishna. His dark skin and that sweet almost mellifluous style of talking. I can almost picture Kahnaji speaking like that. He had a very good grasp of the character. His humorous dialogues with Balarama and teasing conversations with Subhadra.. chef's kiss.

3. The Krishna Arjuna moments. As opposed to the Star Plus, Mahabharata, BRC did a good job of showing the love between the two. I loved how Krishna's tone almost always automatically became so freaking indulgent when he would talk with Arjuna. His fondness for him was so overt, the love softening his eyes, his very face. They were the superior duo.

4. The scene of Abhimanyu's death and Arjuna breaking down and Krishna cradling his face against his chest and then literally going down on his knees, in front of him (how God Himself can kneel in front of his devotees out of his love for them; anyone? ARGHHHHHHH..). He was so tender with his Partha! Unlike SP MB's Krishna staring from behind him in that coldly calculative way. Ughh.. no--

5. I won't say I loved the Abhimanyu's death sequence (my poor broken heart), but the way he was shown screaming for his father, calling out to Arjuna to come and help him, it was so visceral! So much more deliciously angsty than the utter nonsense SP MB showed.. ughh.. no again.

6. Subhadra was so beautiful, my heart ached seeing her. Aloka Mukherjee was such a good choice for her. She had that graceful almost naïve prettiness to her like I always imagined Subhadra to have. The Subhadra Harana Parva and Vivahika parva was shown so beautifully there. Also like Ruhi said, the scene with her and Arjuna on the bed... *heart melting into a pool of bashfulness fr*

7. Subhadra's dynamic with Draupadi though very lightly touched was my favourite portrayal of their relationship on screen. Draupadi genuinely seemed to fall for Krishna's sister. The way she hugged her at the end with that song sequence.. ughh.. my heart. Also Subhadra teasingly scolding Krishna for trying to make the ladies fight (addressing Drau as her 'didi' was so sweet.. T-T). And then Draupadi commenting that Abhimanyu's hair smelt like 'her' Subhadra's hair's fragrance... I was dying. SP MB just ruined them for me.

8. Subhadra in general was so sweet in BRC. Her running behind baby Abhimanyu threatening to beat him, getting so excited for his marriage that she started selecting jewellery for the bride-to-be even before she knew about the proposal... *sigh*

9. I majorly enjoyed Duryodhana's portrayal in the version. He was so comically villain-ish sometimes and just over all hilarious. The actor had such an impactful voice that his tone has stuck in my head as Duryodhana's voice. The faces he would make... xD

10. Karna, well.. the glorification as usual was ever prevalent. Though I think it was the most subdued glorification done on media. I loved how everyone except Duryodhana would inevitably give him a well deserved dressing down when he would start bragging about his non existent prowess. It was funny. Also Shalya Mama, rocks!

11. I loved Bhishma's portrayal. Mukesh Khanna played him to perfection. He had style and the perfect amount of gravitas needed to portray the grand patriarch of the Kurus. His friendship with Drona, his relationship with Vidura.. so subtle forgetful dynamics which has been explored so nicely. Also, his all encompassing adorable love for Arjuna was a plus point. Bhishma would always have his arms around Arjuna whenever possible, nearly cuddling him like the latter was a baby. It was heart breakingly sweet.

12. Roopa Ganguly's Draupadi would always be iconic. I know they majorly messed up her portrayal, made her aggressively arrogant and I will never forgive them for including that 'sutaputra' and 'andhe ka putra andha' nonsense that they did for masala... but her presence on screen was unmistakably fiery. I wish they would have explored her relationship with the Pandavas more.

13. I hated how there was little to no fondness in her relationship with her husbands. The way she was almost disrespectful to them at times... it was hard to digest is all.

14. The vastraharan sequence was much more visceral than any other version made. I don't much care for Pooja Sharma's Draupadi honestly.. she is way too smug and self righteous for my taste and Roopa's Draupadi showed her helplessness much more painfully than the former. They actually showed her in ekavastra, mentioned she was menstruating... the way she held the fabric with her teeth while folding her hands to call to Krishna... it was so much more horrifying to watch.

15. The Virata war! Thank God, there was at least some truth to the way they showed that sequence. All the other versions just gloss over it almost offensively. All in a grand effort to squash how much of a deadly fighter Arjuna actually was.

16. I loved the agyaatavasa parva very much. The actress playing Uttaraa was so pretty.. I just can't. Also Arjuna being so playful with Draupadi in that one sequence, teasing Uttaraa in another and then absolutely trashing the living daylights out of everyone (Kuru warriors : gazab beizzati hain yaar) the next moment... hilarious and so satisfying.

17. Vidura was honestly a literal firebrand in the BRC Mahabharata. His diatribe for Duryodhana and his misdeeds during the Vastraharana sequence, his scathing yet wise counters to Shakuni and Dhritarashtra when Krishna undertook the peace mission, his reverence and camaraderie with Bhishma, his quiet yet fierce love for the Pandavas and his devotion to Krishna... it was perfect.

18. I will forever love Vidura for his dialogue which BRC showed perfectly, 'Arjuna isn't Krishna's friend. He is his literal life's breath!' Ahhh Kakashree, won everyone's hearts you did!

19. Some of the dialogues which they transliterated from the text directly which every other edition missed or passed over and the dialogues which they created themselves. Bhishma saying even together they cannot defeat Arjuna and Drona supporting him, Karna acknowledging that he is scared of Arjuna much later in the war, Arjuna acknowledging the same, both of them being so graceful about it too xD. Arjuna saying the famous, 'I don't want the Narayani Sena, I just want Narayan', Krishna saying that all he has belong to Arjuna too, Arjuna's impassioned speech to Sanjaya for Duryodhan, Draupadi's teary diatribe to Krishna, every Karna and Bhishma dialogue---iconic moments.

20. I hated what they did with the Ashwamedha parva though. Utter nonsense and the other actor for Krishna was the worst casting choice ever. The story was majorly distorted and served no other purpose except for cheap entertainment.