Who is your favourite Mahabharata character?

Kurukshetra: The Great War of Mahabharata (S1; E1-18)

Animated Miniseries

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38235589/

This is an excellent animated miniseries that tells the story of the 18 days of the Kurushetra War across 18 episodes. It is a tightly edited series that narrates each day of the battle, then swings back in time to illustrate the background that culminated in the war. As we know, the Mahabharata, which includes the Kurukshetra War as only a small part, is 10 times longer than the Iliad and Homer combined. The series gives a very clear view of what the  War was all about. It is not all about killing and winning, but there is always a great reason and justification for why things happen the way they do.

Every now and then, the story backtracks to remind us of significant events from the Mahabharata: the iconic dice game in which the Pandavas lost their kingdom and even their wife, Draupadi, to the Kauravas; Draupadi's disrobing and humiliation; their exile; and the princes' childhood.

With too many characters and almost similar-sounding names, it can be pretty confusing for a newbie. Names like Bhisma and Bheema, Krishna and Karna, Dhrirashtrata and Duryodhana can sometimes give a mind freeze.

In war, everyone loses. Neither warring can claim to be just or otherwise, as that is the meaning of war when all decent manners to solve a problem have failed. In ancient India, however, it seems. The warring factions had specific rules of war. No war could go on after the sun sets. A soldier is only allowed to engage in combat with someone of equal rank. Combat should be face-to-face. Attacking someone from behind or killing someone unarmed is scorned. They were expected to attack gentlemanly. The Kurushetra War was the mother of all wars, where war codes were broken and marked the beginning of a new yuga, Kaliyuga.

Gemini's visualisation of Karna

Out of all the numerous characters who participated in the Kurushetra War, the one who plucked the strings of my heart is definitely the tragic Karna. Born out of wedlock to the Pandavas' mother, Kunti, he was disposed of at birth to float aimlessly in a river, only armed with some celestial markings. He was adopted by a childless charioteer. Because of his unprivileged upbringing, he was deprived of so many things in life. He was not accepted to learn sorcery from the best teacher of the era, Dronacharya. He had to lie about his background to learn it, instead of from Parasurama, who cursed him after discovering the truth about his parentage. He was disqualified from competing in certain events (e.g. Swayambara). Only after the leader of the Kaurava brothers, Duryodhana, gave him a kingdom did he attain the status of a warrior. For that, he was eternally indebted to the Kauravas.

So, when the war broke out, it was natural for Karna to support the Kauravas. By then, Karna had earned a reputation as a formidable warrior, admired for his skills. He was also revered as a kind person who would not refuse alms to the needy at any time. His nemesis had always been Arjuna.

Karna was dragged into the war as the Commander-in-Chief on the 16th day, only after Dronacharya was mortally wounded. Before that, because of their prior animosity (between Karna and Dronacharya), Karna did not fight alongside the rest. The shocker came to him just as he was going to war. Kunti appeared to reveal that she was his mother, that Karna was her firstborn. She pleaded with him not to kill any of her five sons, the Pandavas. To Karna, that was the most illogical thing. After all, he was also her son, and why should he comply with the demands of a mother who abandoned him? To Karna, Arjuna (the third of the Pandavas) was his mortal enemy. Arjuna was said to be of equal standing to Karna in war.

Karna replied to his mother, Kunti, "Either way, you will have five sons at the end of the war." His implication was that, even if either Arjun or Karna died, she would still have five sons!

The part about Karna's experiences just before he was downed was glazed over, without highlighting the philosophy surrounding his death. Karna had chosen King Shaliya as his charioteer. King Shaliya was an expert charioteer, uncle to the Pandavas, and was tricked into joining the Kauravas. Shaliya grudgingly became Karna's charioteer, sabotaging and irritating him at every level. He, being a King, felt insulted charioteering for a lowly 'low class' soldier. When the chariot got stuck in the mud, Shaliya booted off, claiming that it was not his job to pull the wheel up.

https://utkarshspeak.blogspot.com/2012/06/
karna-and-his-karma.html

This was another war travesty. While Karna was extricating the wheel, he was shot by Arjuna, who was in turn prompted by Krishna. This was unethical, shooting an unarmed soldier, but even the Gods did not follow rules in this war. 

The scriptures give a detailed account of how, at this stage, Karna's soul did not perish and how all his good deeds in life prolonged his life. There was an extensive discussion on how our actions shape the future. It was essential to be kind and charitable, but not to the point that it undermined us. In Karna's case, he had previously donated his protective armour and earrings, which made him invincible, simply because someone asked for them. 

Karna's story is the tale of one who is wronged at birth. His kind nature led him into much trouble, and he had to lead a frustrating life. Even the Gods played him out. All his good deeds are of no consequence. His life story tells us that we become the company we keep,

And there is a final lesson we learn when Karna finally succumbs to his injuries in the later versions of the Mahabharata. Krishna reveals his proper form and asks for a boon. Karna requests a life in which he can support others even at his lowest point. The philosophy of life is summed up in one statement: the purpose of life is to help those in desperate need.

An essential watch for those who want to learn about the Mahabharata and the Kurukshetra War but do not know where to start, this is it.

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Carpe diem!

Four Years Later (2024, Mini series S1, Ep1-8)
Australian-Indian Romance Drama

imdb.com/title/tt31632538/

We are given one life and are expected to make the best out of it. Sometimes, one gets one chance; sometimes, one gets a 'get-out-of-jail' free card. We can seize the opportunity to mould ourselves into better versions or just brood about it. We can blame everyone else for the lost opportunity or give it another go. At the same time, we need to take advice from people who have traversed a similar path. We do not want to leave a trail of enemies behind us. Neither do we want to leave behind a stream of people who believed in us with shattered dreams. Nevertheless, their advice may be archaic, and on top of that, it is our dream too.

This is the story of the son of every middle-class Indian family, yours truly included. The parents would work hard, instil discipline and build an impossible dream via education. They would drum into the kids all their life problems once the coveted degree is attained. The children will soon realise that they have been sold a fake narrative. Nothing changes.

A communist would blame all the problems we encounter in our lives on someone else. He would blame it on societal pressures, patriarchy, and capitalism. He would adopt a victim mentality and vehemently refuse to accept any blame for these issues. In reality, our lives are in our hands. We write our destiny. We reap what we sow.

This is an enjoyable miniseries, written, produced, and directed by second-generation immigrants of the Indian diaspora, that tells the story of an Indian doctor from Jaipur who hopes to pass his anaesthetic examinations in Australia. What makes this production interesting is the storytelling, the nuanced characters, and the depth with which the characters and their emotions are explored.  

In the typical Indian fashion, the doctor is match-made and is married off. Soon after the wedding, his application to join his job in Australia comes through. The patriarchal leader of the family decrees that he should leave for Australia alone, as bringing his newlywed wife would be a distraction. This sets the stage for the problem that would drive the miniseries to eight episodes. Our hero starts a fling with a fellow immigrant who works on the hospital cleaning team. The series begins with the newlywed wife making a sudden trip to Australia, unsanctioned by her in-laws.

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The story behind the assassination!

The Hunt (2025)
The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case (Miniseries)S1; E1-E7
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor

https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/the-hunt-the-rajiv-gandhi-
assassination-case-1790006628/episodes

This police procedural drama reconstructs events following the assassination of India's former Prime Minister in 1991, when he was campaigning for his next election. In what is likely the first recorded case of a suicide bomber in human history, a bomber strapped with RDX explosives detonated herself while garlanding her intended victim, the Congress party's candidate for Prime Minister. Aside from kamikaze bombers, this may have been the first time the world encountered the concept of suicide bombing.

Prince Vijaya, expelled from the Vanga Kingdom in present-day Bengal, is believed to be the ancestor of the Sinhalese people. He occupied Lanka to establish the Sinhala kingdom in 543 BCE. The original inhabitants before his arrival were hunter-gatherers, Yakkas, and Nagas. The Tamils began to appear around the 2nd century BCE. South Indian kingdoms such as the Cholas and Pandyas invaded parts of the northern and eastern regions of the island. The British brought a second wave of Tamils to cultivate tea and coffee. Alongside the British, missionaries arrived. The Americans started building churches in the northern Tamil regions, while the British occupied the southern Sinhalese areas. They aimed to introduce 'culture' to the locals through education, but their focus differed. The Americans valued science and technology, whereas the British emphasised arts-related subjects. When it came to establishing their place in the modern world, the Tamils proved to be more marketable and prospered. This disparity in educational and economic status became evident when Sri Lanka gained independence. The newly formed government, dominated by the majority, repeatedly attempted to change the status quo. New affirmative actions were introduced to reduce Tamil dominance. The Sinhala language was emphasised, and a quota system was implemented for university entrance. The Tamils retaliated, eventually leading to a civil war with groups like the LTTE taking up arms to demand their homeland, Tamil Eelam.

Rajiv Gandhi

The ruling government responded with reciprocal actions that led to a mass migration of the Tamil population and employed genocidal tactics that lured fleeing individuals into a supposed safe haven before systematically destroying them. Bodies of tortured dissidents are still being uncovered today and identified to provide closure for families, even as we speak.

By 1991, the Tamil separatist movement, led by Velupillai Prabakaran, was particularly angry with India for deploying a peacekeeping force (the Indian Peacekeeping Force, IPKF) to manage the situation in Sri Lanka. It is claimed that between 1987 and 1990, the IPKF colluded with various groups and was involved in human rights abuses, working closely with the Sri Lankan Army (vis-à-vis the Sinhalese people) to commit atrocities against the Tamil population. As a result, the LTTE developed grievances against the Central Indian Government. Their kin across the Palk Straits, who share ethnic roots, generally supported the LTTE's struggle. They offered a safe haven and even supplied expertise, funding, and moral backing to their cause. The politicians of Tamil Nadu promoted the idea that the conflict in Sri Lanka was akin to a clash between Northern and Southern India, since the ancestors of the Sinhalese were from Bengal (North). This kind of division suited their Dravidian political stance. 

The two years before this were turbulent for Indian politics. After the collapse of previous elected governments, the Congress Party, led by Rajiv Gandhi, believed the next election in 1991 was theirs to win. Filled with hope, he made a last-minute campaign visit to Sriperumbudur to support a local candidate. However, the LTTE network, with its local sympathisers, seized the opportunity to eliminate Rajiv Gandhi.

Tamil Nadu intelligence advised Rajiv Gandhi against coming to Madras (Chennai), as their sources sensed a threat and warned him of potential danger to his life. As if the universe was warning him, his helicopter in Visakhapatnam experienced radio troubles and nearly could not be cleared to fly. Gandhi arrived at the campaign late into the night, past 10 pm, to an excited crowd waiting to welcome him. 

A vigilant policewoman noticed a young lady approaching the VIPs too closely, carrying a garland, and tried to shoo her away. As fate would have it, Gandhi signalled the policewoman and uttered his last words, "Don't worry. Relax." The lady placed the garland over his neck, bowed to touch his feet, and pressed the lever to activate the RDX bomb. 

The core of this police procedural series centres on how a quickly assembled multi-agency Special Investigative Team uncovers the mystery behind the bombing. With no leads except for a camera holding a roll of film, the team embarks on a chaotic chase across the countryside against a non-cooperative local population to find the former Prime Minister's killers. Within 90 days, they succeed in identifying the mastermind behind the attack, but not before leaving a trail of cyanide-swallowing suicidal members of the LTTE.

I believe the miniseries provides a fair and accurate depiction of the facts. It moves at a brisk pace. The conversations alternate between Tamil, Hindi, and English. There are no melodramatic elements. The facts are presented as they are, without any biased undertones. 

P.S. Seven of those involved were ultimately imprisoned for the killing. Two of the masterminds were initially sentenced to death but later had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. In 2022, after three decades behind bars, the seven were released on good behaviour, though the decision was still controversial. Rajiv's children, Rahul, the Opposition leader, and sister Priyanka, engaged in a one-to-one discussion with Nalini, one of those originally sentenced to death. They said they had forgiven their father's killers. The Tamil Nadu Government also campaigned for their release.

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Spy vs Spy?

Tehran (Hebrew, Persian, English; 2020)

Miniseries (S1-3, 24 Episodes)

https://www.apple.com/uk/tv-pr/originals/tehran/

It used to be that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Israel decided to align itself with Iran. Surrounded by hostile Arab neighbours and trapped in the centre, these two non-Arabs—Jews and Persians—found common ground in each other. Secretly, they supported and assisted one another, fostering a discreet alliance. Their relationship dates back to the time of Nebuchadnezzar.

Even after the Islamic invasion and its golden age, Jews remained involved until the era of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. Iran was one of the first countries globally to recognise Israel as a sovereign state. It was said that Israel and Iran shared intelligence secrets and collaborated on developing each other's nuclear facilities. Iran compensated Israel with Iranian oil for assistance. The Islamic clerics within Iran were sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Iranians began to view their monarchy as a pawn in the American imperial chess game. Everything changed when the people rose against the Shah, encouraged by the clerics, in 1979, leading to Iran becoming the Islamic Republic. Overnight, Israel became Iran's enemy for occupying Palestine. The Republic, emboldened by the success of the first Islamic Republic, sought to position itself as the de facto leader of the Islamic world by promoting Islamic causes. They even claimed that Israelis should be wiped off the surface of the planet.

Iranian-supported militias operate across many parts of the Middle East — Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas within Palestine (antagonistic to the PLO but allied with the Muslim Brotherhood), and Houthis in Yemen. On one level, there appears to be a Shia-Sunni division in their aims. Iran does not see any reason for Saudi Arabia to lead the Muslim world. The split within the religion mainly concerns internal control, but when facing a common enemy, the Shia-Sunni divide becomes less clear. For example, in Palestine, Shia Iranians support Hamas, the Sunni Palestinians. The Muslim Brotherhood is Sunni. In Yemen, the conflict with Saudi Arabia is often viewed simply as a Sunni Shia war. Of course, American influence in Saudi oil is frequently blamed for all problems. Jews are usually considered everyone's primary enemies. Terrorists often cite obscure parts of the Quran, such as where a Jewish tribe betrays the Prophet or about the End of Days and a rock whispering to Muslims to kill Jews hiding behind it to justify their reckless violence against Jews.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8339854/

This is a gripping Israeli espionage miniseries about a Mossad operative of Iranian descent who infiltrates the Iranian elite to sabotage their radar system so the Israeli air force can bomb their nuclear plant. If it had succeeded, the entire operation would have ended in the first episode. Unfortunately, the whole plan was compromised by Israeli internal agents. Mossad now must rely on its intelligence to complete the mission.

It's a classic spy versus spy scenario, as both sides of the intelligence community hold many cards close to their chest. Coincidentally, I remember a time not so long ago when Mossad deployed a computer virus to sabotage Iran’s nuclear facilities. The prospect of a hostile atomic nation within firing range sends shivers down the spines of Israelis. The world has also heard of Mossad planting an explosive device in Tehran three months before top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh came for an official visit and was placed at a guest house at a supposedly secret location, with the Israelis remotely aiming a missile to kill him. The truth is that there is plenty of espionage, counterespionage, double-crossing, and wheeling and dealing happening between the two countries. The world remains perplexed by how such an elaborate operation could be carried out with such surgical precision.

This miniseries probably stems from their extensive history of international intelligence operations. Sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

https://www.profitableratecpm.com/eavw6i1vus?key=563e27a9bff24095551c69d633759b79

Time to update what teenagers are capable of?

The Secret We Keep (Danish, 2025)
Miniseries

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33496221/

Imagine travelling back in time by just over a hundred years. Children were expected to express gratitude for their very existence. The mere fact that they survived the challenging early years of life and did not fall victim to infectious diseases was, in itself, a miracle. They had to be eternally thankful to their parents for safeguarding them from these harmful factors. During that era, children had no rights; they were to be seen and not heard. 

Fast forward to the 21st century. Children are no longer perceived as an annoyance; rather, family life revolves around them. They are shielded and have a detailed schedule planned. Family activities centre on them. Children have rights, and the state goes to great lengths to ensure their protection, education, healthcare, shelter, and proper nutrition, as outlined by the 1959 UN Charter which guarantees these rights. 

These achievements have been beneficial. Children are no longer merely fillers for deceased or retired workers. They require a significant period of personal development known as childhood. At this stage, nothing is expected of them except to absorb knowledge, whether actively or passively, that they can utilise in adulthood. 

The trouble is this: all the good nourishment and access to knowledge have made children mature much earlier than their forefathers. In the eyes of society (and law), nothing is expected of them. They are deemed incapable of committing any crime. In their minds, they believe they are unable to consent to anything or to engage in complex matters such as robbing a bank or wooing someone into sex. 

Guess what? The world has taken a leap of change while they were napping. The ease of acquiring information from the World Wide Web at a moment's notice has replaced traditional discussions about ‘birds and bees’ or familiarising oneself with subversives. Nothing is taboo or classified anymore.

We end up with all-knowing teenagers who possess excellent nourishment and health due to science, hovering about like firecrackers with unlit fuses, ready to explode when the moment is right. 

This unsettling miniseries portrays a scenario in which two affluent neighbours, whose husbands are business partners, are also close friends. They share numerous similarities, both having teenage sons and each employing au pairs of Filipina heritage. 

One of the au pairs approached her neighbour's Madame to express her dissatisfaction with her employer. The Madame merely attempted to cut the conversation short, likely not wanting to jeopardise her friendship with the neighbour. The next day, the au pair goes missing. Everyone assumes she has merely run away from home. The police are called in. Things take a turn when the Madame begins to suspect that the husband may have had some involvement in her disappearance. A week later, her body is discovered floating in the lake.

Spoiler alert: As it turns out, one of the teenage sons had raped the Filipina. Feeling guilty and with no one to turn to, she took her own life. The trouble is that the youngster cannot be charged with rape. Legally, he is incapable of such an act. Forget that he is of Nordic stock, athletic, and a school wrestler. If anything, the deceased would be accused of sexual assault of the teenager! Probably because Filipinas are economically disadvantaged, occupy the lower strata of society, and are foreigners, the matter dies a natural death. Everyone moves on with their lives, nonetheless, dragging along huge burdens.

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Old dogs and new tricks!

Slow Horses (miniseries; 2002 -24)
4 seasons, 24 episodes

This is yet another binge-worthy miniseries. What sets it apart from the others is that its main characters are not exactly spring chickens. The show also teaches viewers how real detective work used to be conducted: through espionage and snooping around. Information needed to be sought clandestinely, the old-fashioned way, with flashlights, contacts, and keen observations.  

It provides a prime example of how old dogs team up with young punks to tackle challenging cases. The team consists of a group of discarded agents who were relegated to Slough House as a form of demotion after mishandling their MI5 duties. They operate from a dilapidated building known as Slough House, which has earned a notorious reputation as a sluggish place where no work gets done, or so everyone assumes. Slough House is managed by an equally noxious and aloof boss who seems to inhabit his own isolated world.  

The Boss, Jackson Lamb, is actually quite a decent bloke who cares about his subordinates. Although the workers at Slough House are supposed to be merely pencil pushers, in reality, they give MI5 a run for their money. Those sent to Slough House are there as punishment for their missteps, but these are not serious enough to warrant termination. The idea was to make the agents so bored that they would eventually leave the field of espionage and fade away. However, fade away they did not. They utilised their limited resources to investigate crimes that pose a threat to national security.  

This miniseries is an intriguing choice for binge-watching. All the actors perfectly embody their roles. Special mention goes to the charming Gary Oldman, who portrays the grumpy boss with a humorous approach to protecting his team. His love-hate relationship with his secretary adds a vibrant spark to the series. Though it may be titled ‘Slow Horses’, it is anything but slow-paced. It is action-packed, filled with car chases, and no horses were harmed during its production!

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That is how the ride goes…

Tokyo Vice (Miniseries)

2 Seasons, 18 Episodes

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/tokyo_vice

I don't know why, but watching this miniseries reminded me of President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Southeast Asian countries. Everyone had much to say about Xi in private regarding the CCP's megalomaniac and imposing projects. Still, when the big Don landed in their backyard, leaders from these minion nations decided to hide their tails behind their hind legs and play dead. No one can blame them. This is the effect a powerful nation has on smaller ones. It happened in ancient times and continues to happen now. Might is right.

When the majestic fleet of the Ming Dynasty emperor came to the Malaccan shores in the 1400s, the Sultan had no choice but to send his emissaries to China with gifts. When the Siamese King showed displeasure, another entourage would go there with gifts and beautiful princesses to solidify international relations.

Intertwined with physical might are the potent forces of wealth and political office, with a recent addition being the capacity to influence public opinion. The power of propaganda cannot be overstated. In this modern world, where news travels faster than both light and sound combined, those who control the news literally control the revolutions of the planet!

This miniseries is based on Jake Adelstein's book of the same name, subtitled "An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan." Jake worked as an apprentice journalist at Yomiuri Shimbun, one of Japan's premier newspapers. He studied Japanese Literature at Sophia University in Tokyo, a Jesuit-sponsored institution. He was the newspaper's first non-Japanese reporter.

The book narrates his observations as an American looking at the working culture, working environment and his experiences reporting on criminal cases around Tokyo. He shadowed a police officer and was exposed to the down low of the running of the yakuza activities and the precarious understanding that they and the police foster. The yakuza are a necessary evil in Japanese society. Peace is maintained when different gangs have a sense to respect each other's boundaries and not to step on each other's toes.

The yakuza have intricate connections in all layers of society, including the police, politicians, and the media. What is reported in the press for general consumption is generally agreed upon by all factions above. Those in power justify suppressing the truth by citing national security and the need to maintain public order.

A similar scenario also occurs in Malaysia. Many of my schoolmates, who have since retired from active journalism, have much to say about the murmurs surrounding major breaking news that erupts frequently. Fearing the repercussions of breaching the disclosure clauses in their employment contracts, they would remain silent during conversations. Having interacted with them since childhood, I could see that their words were on the tip of their tongues, eager to burst out, but did not.

Jake's report about a well-known yakuza boss allegedly making a deal with the FBI in exchange for a liver transplant in the USA landed him in a great deal of trouble. Intertwined in the plot is another gaijin (a foreigner in Japanese), the American daughter of an evangelist who flees home to start a new life as a hostess, a modern version of a geisha. In this context, a hostess is someone who serves drinks, engages in conversation, and sits at tables in a bar or high-end restaurant. It is strictly non-contact entertainment. They make money through patrons' tips and from the owners of the establishment based on the number of drinks clients purchase.

I am grateful to SA for recommending this engaging miniseries to me. It helped me understand the subtle balance between vice, criminal activities, police work, and conducting business in the modern world. Much like a peacekeeping conduit, politicians play the role of middlemen, striking a balance between allowing gangsters to operate and keeping the police guessing their next move. They aim for a win-win situation where the bad guys (the yakuza, in this instance) exert their control over the public, politicians continue to disguise themselves while profiting, and the general public believes that their lives are improving. In reality, people are being taken advantage of while everyone else gets richer at the expense of the general public.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.