Raj Babbar’s dialogue on nepotism almost stopped BR Chopra’s Mahabharat from airing ever

‘Wasn’t happy with the role of Yudhishthira’

Speaking to Hindi Rush, the actor said, “I am glad and happy that I got a chance to work in Mahabharat. I have had a long journey in Mahabharat. I was originally offered the role of Krishna. Then I was made Balaram. And eventually, I was given the role of Yudhishthir, for which I wasn’t prepared. I thought maybe I am not getting what I wanted to do. But our director Ravi Chopra told me that this role is equally good. He convinced me that the story of Mahabharat is led by Yudhishthir. He is the main character. Everybody speaks about Yudhishthir. He has always been the talking point.”

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He added, “The reality was that I didn’t have a lot of work with me earlier. When they started casting for Mahabharat, they approached me first for the role of Krishna. I auditioned for the same. But it got delayed. Originally, Mahabharat was supposed to telecast much before Ramayan. But due to multiple issues, it got delayed.”

‘Mahabharat was supposed to telecast in 1984’

Chauhan revealed that the makers had begun promoting the show as early as 1984, but it took several years for the series to finally make it to television.

“Originally, the makers had played the ad for the show in 1984. But the shooting for the series could start only in 1988. And it got telecast in the same year—October 2. There is a huge story behind the telecast of the first episode of the show. On September 30, 1988, there was a huge party organised at the Taj Mumbai. Several big industrialists and businessmen had attended the party. We were all happy that our show was finally going to release on October 2,” he said.

However, just days before the premiere, the show faced another hurdle.

“Meanwhile, a couple of politicians in Delhi watched the preview of Mahabharat. They objected to two things. First, Raj Babbar, who played Raja Bharat, had a dialogue that said, ‘A king must be determined on the basis of merit and not on the basis of birth.’ Someone was very badly affected by it. That person ordered that this serial shouldn’t be telecast. On October 1, they put a stay on it. Every media house carried the news and the newspapers were printed,” Chauhan recalled.

‘An overnight court hearing was arranged’

He then shared how BR Chopra and Ravi Chopra sought an urgent court hearing to ensure that the show could premiere as scheduled.

“However, on the same evening as the stay, Chopra sir pulled a fast-track court at night. He made sure the stay was revoked. But by this time, newspapers were printed for the next day. There was a misunderstanding. People believed that Mahabharat wouldn’t be telecast. Many believed the same, and it affected the first episode of the show. The TRP was very low,” he said.

Chauhan also recalled another objection raised against the show. “The second thing they objected to was that the chakra used in the series was a party symbol. It almost got trapped because of that, but somehow escaped it,” he said.

The actor also remembered how Mahabharat turned into a community viewing experience at a time when television sets were still a luxury in many parts of India. “During those times, there was one TV for four houses. The whole village often gathered to watch it together, and they wouldn’t appreciate any sort of disturbance while watching the series,” he said.

He also recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s admiration for the show. “The biggest fan of the show was our former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He used to watch Mahabharat so intently that no one could cross him. He was very strict while watching it. He had literally adopted Mahabharat. If you go back to his parliamentary speeches, you will see his references to Mahabharat. He often made me retell my dialogues,” Chauhan added.