Mythology scores over drama

TV show Mahima Shanidev Ki completes 175 episodes, maintains a high TRP.

At a time when star-driven reality shows and daily soaps are ruling the roost on television, it’s surprising to learn that a religious show that airs once a week continues to do garner eyeballs, three years into airtime. Sagar Arts’ show Mahima Shanidev Ki completed 175 episodes on Imagine and continues to garner good TRPs on the Saturday evening non-prime slot.

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Shiv Sagar, the creative producer of the soap, attributes the success of the show to the episode-format of storytelling. “Right from the time we started researching for the serial, we had decided that our objective would be to change the general impression that Shani is a cruel and unforgiving Lord. We wanted to convey the viewers that Shani is a fair and dispenser of justice who cleanses man’s life of the bad deeds of previous and present karmas and sowed seeds of goodness, humility and honesty in his heart during his time on Earth,” explains Shiv Sagar.

Interestingly, Daya Shankar Pandey asserts that it was a miracle that he was selected for the title role of Lord Shani. “It happened on a Saturday exactly when the passage of Shani in my horoscope started,” he recalls when asked about bagging the role. “I did not have much hope as I had not done TV till then,” concedes the actor who had worked in films like Lagaan, Swades, Gangaajal till he was called by Shiv Sagar.