New 'Mahabharat' technically more superior: Costume designer

With B.R. Chopra's "Mahabharat" being the reference point, the new "Mahabharat" will be far more technically superior, says costume designer Nidhi Yasha and added that the makers have left no stone unturned to make the show "perfect".

"Right now, we are technically more superior in every field than what we were when the old 'Mahabharat' came. I am not in a position to comment on the older 'Mahabharat' as I was very young then. But we have exploited every possible aspect in every field in terms of quality," Yasha told IANS.

Mythological shows often have heavy costumes and there are techniques to make these garments more wearable, she said.

"There are techniques to distribute the weight so that it is not concentrated on one side...we have to have several trials and workshops, where the actors practice in their costumes," added the designer who has also designed for TV shows like "Shobha Somnath Ki" and "Devon Ke Dev Mahadev".

Scheduled to begin Sep 16 on Star Plus, the show features Samir Dharmadhikari as Shantanu, Shayantani Ghosh as Satyavati, Aarav Chaudhary as Bheeshma, Arpit Ranka as Duryodhan, Puneet Issar as Parshuram, Praneet Bhatt as Shakuni, Saurabh Jain as Krishna, Ratan Rajput as Amba and Pooja Sharma as Draupadi.

Yasha said that most of the actors in the show are very professional and hardly complain.
"Most of the artists are so professional, they don't have any complains. They are used to it," she said.

The designer also feels privileged to have worked with Oscar-winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya who has been roped in as a consulting faculty for the look of the show.
"I am very lucky to be able to get her guidance on the project. Her insights have been precious," she said.