Cast: Vinod Sharma, Sahil Vaid, Saumya Daan, Annamaya Verma, Manoj Pandey, Himanshu Rana, Neha Gargava, Neshma Chemburkar, Pawan Kalra, Krutarth Trivedi
Creator: Anu Sikka
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Streaming On: Netflix
Language: Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada
Runtime: 9 episodes of 30 minutes each
“Paanch paanch patiyon ki patraani, jise khel khel mein aapne daasi kar diya, use ab aur kya dena shesh hai Maharaj?” An angry Draupadi tells this to an already embarrassed Maharaj Yudishthir, in one of the scenes of Kurukshetra. Leading to one of the darkest revenge tales, Kurukshetra, is a new web series that arrived on Netflix.
This mega-project, is an animated series which aims to present the Antim Mahayudh – the Mahabharata in an altogether different perspective. While this superb concept could have been a war declaration on the established mythology genre in India, it falls short of its ambition, right in the middle.
So, the premise of Kurukshetra is brilliant – based on the Mahabharata, the web series bravely attempts to tell the story of the 18-day battle through the eyes of 18 different warriors. However, does it serve justice to this brilliant premise, or does it simply fall flat on the battlefield? Well, the answer is not a single Yes or No. The web series works brilliantly in parts and apart from the minuscule flaws, which turn big over the entire nine episodes, it is a well-made web series!
Mostly, Mahabharata and its retellings have three to four major plotlines – the major one being Draupadi’s perspective. One of the perspectives is Karna, the other one is Kunti, and finally, it is the family that has never lived together happily! Apart from these four perspectives, no one has offered anything new for a long time. But Netflix’s web series sets up a brilliant premise – moving beyond the traditional Pandava-Kaurava dichotomy and diving into the agonizing, moral conflicts of the supporting players of the Mahabharata. Part 1 of the web series consists of nine episodes, giving us the crucial details of the battle and the backstories of the warriors, taking us forward one day at a time into the Mahayudh!
The political manipulation and personal grief become a strong core of Kurukshetra, and their raw intensity makes this a story of revenge that would turn a hero for the kids to let them know about the story of the Mahabharata. While the animation is competent, the overall scale is massive, and it makes sure that one realizes that animation is not just for the kids!
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The undisputed star of the animated web series is undoubtedly the voice of Gulzar Sahab. He has narrated the entire tale, and this is the biggest star-power flex of this series. His narration single-handedly elevates the entire web series from the word go. When he speaks of the eternal nature of dharma and karma, the series finds its soul. However, the second winner for this web series is the conscious choice to view the epic through 18 different lenses. This is a writing triumph that works in favor of this web series.
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Kurukshetra Part 1 treats the epic with respect and stories that capture the Mahayudh’s gravity. It truly looks like the biggest animated project to emerge from the country in years. However, the only mistake this series makes is the casting of the voices! Except for Gulzar Sahab, none of the voices hold you enough, probably because of the lack of star power! This turns a sin for this web series that should have brought some known voices to echo the sentiments of Lord Krishna, Arjuna, and Panchali, at least!
All the voices are generic, and in a character-driven epic, this is a major turn-off! The series holds back major warriors of the Mahabharata for the second part. However, it builds enough intrigue through the nine stories of Sanjay, Vishwaroop, Bhishm, Dronacharya, Abhimanyu, Jayadrath, Arjun, Ghatotkach, and Yudishthir.
Despite Lord Krishna’s life-altering Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, and the devastating, heart-wrenching slaughter of Abhimanyu, Kurukshetra shows that none walked away from this war guilt-free! Apart from the flaws in the voice-casting department, Kurukshetra Part 1 works brilliantly because it finally dissects Mahabharata at its basic – a war that needs to dissect its warriors. Something that none aimed to date. Progressing through the 18 days of the war and picking a story of a warrior for that day is a total winner!
However, the strongest line of this web series was introduced in the trailer itself – Ant hi Antim Hai, Neeche Bhoomi, Upar Nakshatra Hai, Ye Kurukshetra Hai!
3.5 stars!
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