Devon Ke Dev Mahadev apparently is drawing to a conclusion, and the channel Life OK seems to be looking for a proper closure for the genre-defining mythological serial.
To his credit, its protagonist Mohit Raina, one of the most popular actors on TV, doesn’t deny that the series is indeed running out of time.
"I suppose there is a time and place for everything," says Mohit. "Our series has been telling the story with great success. But now I feel we’ve explored every aspect of Mahadev’s saga. There are no more hidden tales.”
Mohit says the TRPs for the series are stable. “We have a staunch and solid audience. In-between I admit the episodes went through an identity crisis and we faced a slump. But now, we are on firm grounds again. Given the constraints of the medium, our writers are doing a fine job.”
The decision on the serial’s fate is now left to the channel.
"It’s an official call," Mohit says. "I am doing my job even now as sincerely as I have always done. For me, playing Mahadev has been the biggest challenge, honour and satisfaction. Even if the series goes off air, I’ll continue to conduct myself with the same dignity and spiritual sincerity as I have been doing while playing the role.”
Mohit says living up to his fans’ expectations constantly does get a little intimidating. “But the rewards are far greater than the minor discomforts. At a time when mythologicals were considered obsolete, Devon Ke Dev Mahadev revived the genre."
The question is, what would Mohit do next? He admits another mythological is a possibility. “The problem is, Mahadev is the Supreme Being, the Ultimate God. I’ve already played the Supreme Power. After one climbs the Himalayan peak, one can only go down from there. Any thing I do, any God I play would be a climb-down.”
That's also the reason why a transition from television to films will not be easy for Mohit. "I am getting several movie offers but I have to be very particular about what I do. I am sure the audience that looks on me as a Mahadev knows that at the end of the day, I am an actor playing a God. But that doesn’t exonerate me from a social responsibility. If I do a film, it will have to be something as dignified as Rang De Basanti,” he says.
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