Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev (2011-2014) Reviews

The show is awe-inspiring with respect to its production values.The locales, the settings, the costumes (especially the ones worn by Sati and her jewellery) are stunning but the performances are average

With the exception of Om Namah Shivay, which aired many years ago, Lord Shiva has largely been overlooked by Hindi serial makers. Life OK's new offering Devon Ka Dev Mahadev is like a breath of fresh air and a terrific lesson in the life of the bairagi destroyer, Shiva. It wouldn't be wrong if you can call it a divine love story between Shiva and Sati, the youngest daughter of Prajapati Daksh, the arrogant son of Lord Brahma.

Inspired by the writings of Devdutt Patnaik (who has produced some seminal work on Shiva, retold Mahabharata and dealt with mythology in the last couple of years to bring it within the realm of the common man's understanding) and Bodhisatva, Mahadev is about Daksh's denial about the significance of Shiva and his daughter's love for the Lord. The show begins with Daksh's sthapana of the statue of Lord Vishnu. Everything seems to be in good order till the sages point out a glaring aspect that is lacking. There is no Shivalinga and hence the statue won't budge inside the temple. Not one to accept defeat, the arrogant King asks for parijaat flowers for the Narayani yagya he wants to perform for the installation of the statue. Sati volunteers to go to the forests to collect the flowers and that's when she stumbles upon Shiva's existence. Much as Sati tries to pull herself away from the vagabond God, she finds herself increasingly drawn towards him.

The show is awe-inspiring with respect to its production values. The locales, the settings, the costumes (especially the ones worn by Sati and her jewellery) are stunning. However, the performances are average and the dialogues are cliched like 'Main chupchaap saare dukh sehti rahi' to the 'Main pratiksha karoongi, sheeghra hi apeksha' stuff.

Mohit Raina as the mighty Mahadev is quite striking as far as the physical aspect is concerned. However, we would want him to be a little more expressive. Mouni Roy as the petite, fragile Sati is also stiff. She leaves a lot to be desired in the emotional scenes. She tries hard to convey the pathos and the pain but in vain.

We wish someone better with more depth was cast in her place. It's a pleasure to see Surendra Pal as the arrogant Daksh, despite him scowling most of the time. The rest of the cast pitch in good performances.

Notwithstanding the minor flaws, Mahadev is an engaging watch.