Saarrthi
Encyclopedia
Saarrthi is a Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

 television drama broadcast on STAR Plus
STAR Plus
STAR Plus is a Hindi language general entertainment television channel based in India. The channel is part of the STAR TV network's bouquet of channels...

 and produced by Neela Telefilms
Neela Telefilms
Neela Telefilms, is a fast growing production house based in Mumbai. It produces fiction shows for various channels with the aim of providing wholesome entertainment to the audiences. It has risen in eminence over the years and carwed a niche for itself in the entertainment industry.Neela telefilms...

. It aired from November 9, 2004 to February 15, 2008 and contained 679 episodes. It aired every Monday–Thursday at 2:30 pm IST on STAR Plus channel and eventually started airing every Monday–Friday in August 2007. The story is a reworking of the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 epic, the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

, detailing the conflict between two brothers and their families in contemporary India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

History

Neela Telefilms
Neela Telefilms
Neela Telefilms, is a fast growing production house based in Mumbai. It produces fiction shows for various channels with the aim of providing wholesome entertainment to the audiences. It has risen in eminence over the years and carwed a niche for itself in the entertainment industry.Neela telefilms...

 had created many television serials in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2004, they signed a deal with India's most popular TV channel STAR Plus
STAR Plus
STAR Plus is a Hindi language general entertainment television channel based in India. The channel is part of the STAR TV network's bouquet of channels...

 to start a drama serial called Saarrthi. Depicted as the modern Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

, the drama serial was based on Mahabharata. The serial featured many established actors and actresses including S.M. Zaheer, Parikshit Sahni, Neena Kulkarni, Nawab Shah and Mansi Salvi. It also included famous rising stars like Neha Devi Singh
Neha Devi Singh
Neha Devi Singh is an Indian television actress and writer, best known for her portrayal of Bijli in Ssshhhh...Koi Hai and Bhoomika Goenka in Saarrthi. She is the first television actress in India to work as an action hero....

, who had portrayed "Bijli" in Ssshhhh...Koi Hai, Mayank Anand
Mayank Anand
Mayank Anand is an Indian actor, artist, author and director. He is best known for playing the character of Dr. Rahul on the television series Dill Mill Gayye.-Career:...

, who was portraying "Sid" in Hello Dollie
Princess Dollie Aur Uska Magic Bag
Princess Dollie Aur Uska Magic Bag is a TV series produced by Sagar Films for STAR Plus channel. The series was also re-telecast on STAR Utsav due to its popularity among Indian audiences...

and Romanchak Arora, who had worked as Neeraj in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and was hosting Pardey Ke Peechey. It also introduced new faces on television and launched their careers. These included Karan Grover
Karan Grover
Karan V Grover is an Indian actor, who is best known for his portrayal of Arjun Goenka in Saarrthi that aired on STAR Plus.-Career:...

, Adita Wahi and Mickky Dudhani. The drama serial premiered on November 9, 2004 and aired every Monday to Thursday. The serial went on to become popular and successful.

The drama's popularity increased with many talented artists as well as a good storyline plot based on Hindu epic Mahabharata. Viewership increased and popular actor Rahil Azam
Rahil Azam
Rahil Azam is an Indian, TV actor and model.-Early life:Azam was born in Banglore. He was a Software Engineer before moving in acting. He joined Kishore Namit Kapoor's acting classes, when he decided to take acting as career.-Career:...

 from Hatim
Hatim (TV Series)
Hatim is an Indian television series that originally aired on STAR Plus channel, about an Arab prince Hatim Tai, a pre-Mohammad era Christian from Yemen.-Airing history:...

also joined the cast and portrayed Suraj Kiran, who was an antagonist in the beginning but the storyline changed and he became a protagonist. The serial also launched the career of Rajesh Shringarpore, who was portraying the Hindu god Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

. All the artists who had previously performed low caliber roles on television became famous with this drama serial. The serial became so popular that its lead character Bhoomika Goenka, portrayed by Neha Devi Singh, won the STAR Parivaar Award
Star Parivaar Awards
STAR Parivaar Awards is a platform on which STAR Plus channel awards the best members of its family for entertaining its audiences and it takes place on a larger & grander scale every year following its launch.M.Haris-History:...

 in Favourite Devrani category in 2006.

However, downfall started in the drama when original cast started leaving the serial in 2006. Rahil Azam left the serial and his character Suraj Kiran ended that was considered an important character of the drama. By 2007, the megacast had suffered a lot of decrease in number and the lead actress Neha Devi Singh herself left the serial and was replaced by Zalak Thakker. Only the main cast remained with the show. The serial began more decline when its most important character Arjun Goenka was shockingly killed. In reality, Karan Grover had started working in a new drama serial called Meri Awaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni
Meri Awaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni
Meri Awaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni is a Hindi language Indian soap opera that aired on STAR Plus. It was first aired at 9:00PM IST. But later it was moved to the 8:00PM IST time slot...

and did not get time for Saarrthi, so he requested the producers to remove him from the cast. He was killed and the drama serial began flopping.

In August 2007, Saarrthi began airing on Fridays as well. Gurpreet Singh
Gurpreet Singh
Gurpreet Singh is an Indian footballer who plays for Salgaocar as a Defender in I-League-External links:* http://goal.com/en-india/people/india/25345/gurpreet-singh...

 was added in the drama to portray Rudra Singh as the new protagonist. He had previously replaced famous actor Rajeev Khandelwal
Rajeev Khandelwal
Rajeev Khandelwal is a popular Indian film actor notable for his versatility and choice of scripts. He has played the harrowed Dr. Aamir Ali in his critically acclaimed 2008 debut film Aamir and powerfully depicted the torn ACP Arvind Mathur who battles his inner demons in Shaitan...

 as the protagonist in Kahiin To Hoga. However, Rudra could not get the same success and popularity as Arjun received. As a result, the drama serial could not air for long and ended on February 15, 2008 with 679 episodes.

Plot

The story and characters are adapted from Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

 is of conflict between two brothers Mansen and Siddharth (Kaurava
Kaurava
The term Kaurava is a Sanskrit term, that means the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata.The term is used in the Mahābhārata with two meanings:...

 and Pandu
Pandu
In the Mahābhārata epic, King Pandu is the son of Ambalika and Rishi Ved Vyasa. He is more popularly known as the father of the Pandavas and ruled Hastinapur.-Birth:...

) and their families. The lead, Bhoomika (Subhadra
Subhadra
Image:Jagannath, Baladev and Subadra in Radhadesh.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=|Subhadra, flanked by her brothers Balarama and Jagannatha . Deities of the Radhadesh temple in Belgium...

) with her husband Arjun (Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

) portray the eternal couple who try to bring peace between families. Along with them is Manasi (Draupadi
Draupadi
In the epic Mahābhārata, Draupadi, also known as ' is the "emerged" daughter of King Drupada of Panchāla and the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura at the end of the war, Draupadi becomes the queen of Indraprastha...

) who becomes center of conflict between two brothers Suraj and Karan.

Cast

Actor / Actress: Role: Time Period: Notes: Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

 Role:
Karan Grover
Karan Grover
Karan V Grover is an Indian actor, who is best known for his portrayal of Arjun Goenka in Saarrthi that aired on STAR Plus.-Career:...

 
Arjun Goenka (2004–2007) Male Protagonist Arjun
Rajesh Shringarpure  Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

 
(2004–2008) Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

Neha Devi Singh
Neha Devi Singh
Neha Devi Singh is an Indian television actress and writer, best known for her portrayal of Bijli in Ssshhhh...Koi Hai and Bhoomika Goenka in Saarrthi. She is the first television actress in India to work as an action hero....

 
Bhoomika "Bhoomi" Goenka (2004–2007) Female Protagonist Subhadra
Subhadra
Image:Jagannath, Baladev and Subadra in Radhadesh.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=|Subhadra, flanked by her brothers Balarama and Jagannatha . Deities of the Radhadesh temple in Belgium...

Adita Wahi  Shefali Goenka (2004–2006) Lead Antagonist Bhanumati
Bhanumati
Bhanumati or Bhanumathi may refer to:* Bhanumathi is wife of Duryodhana in Indian Epic Mahabharata* Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, Indian actress, director and writer* Bhanumati, Nepal, a village development committee in central Nepal...

Zalak Thakker  Devika Parekh / Bhoomika Goenka (2007–2008) Female Protagonist Subhadra
Nawab Shah  Mansen Goenka (2004–2008) Lead Male Antagonist Dhritarashtra
Dhritarashtra
In the Mahābhārata, Dhritarashtra was King of Hastinapur at the time of the Kurukshetra War, the epic's climactic event. He was born the son of Vichitravirya's first wife Ambika, and was fathered by Vyasa. He was blind from birth, and became father to a hundred children by his wife Gandhari...

Rahil Azam
Rahil Azam
Rahil Azam is an Indian, TV actor and model.-Early life:Azam was born in Banglore. He was a Software Engineer before moving in acting. He joined Kishore Namit Kapoor's acting classes, when he decided to take acting as career.-Career:...

 
Suraj Kiran (2004–2006)
S.M. Zaheer  Devrath "Devji" Goenka (2004–2008) Bhishma
Bhishma
Bhishma or Bheeshma or Devavrata or 'Bhishma Pitamah' was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu who was blessed with wish-long life and had sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king. He was one of the most prominent characters of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He was the grand uncle of both the...

Mickky Dudhani  Yuvraj Goenka (2004–2008) Antagonist Duryodhana
Duryodhana
In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...

Manasi Salvi  Manasvi Goenka (2004–2006) Draupadi
Draupadi
In the epic Mahābhārata, Draupadi, also known as ' is the "emerged" daughter of King Drupada of Panchāla and the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura at the end of the war, Draupadi becomes the queen of Indraprastha...

Romanchak Arora  Keshav (2004–2006) Krishna
Parikshit Sahni  Hemraj Goenka (2004–2008) Chitrāngada
Chitrangada
Chitrāngada , was the elder son of Shantanu and Satyavati. Since his elder half brother Bhishma took a vow of not ascending the throne of Hastinapura, he became the king after Shantanu and was very successful. Unfortunately, his success angered a Gandharva king of the same name...

 & Vichitravirya
Vichitravirya
Vichitravirya in the Hindu epic Mahabharata is the younger son of queen Satyavatī and king Śaṅtanu. His elder brother, Chitrāngada, had initially succeeded their father to the throne of Hastinapura, but when he died childless, Vichitravirya succeeded him.Vichitravirya was still a child when he was...

Neena Kulkarni  Kumud "Baisa" Goenka (2004–2005) Ambika & Ambalika
Ambalika
Ambalika was the daughter of Kashya, the King of Kashi and queen of Vichitravirya, King of Hastinapura.Along with her sisters Amba and Ambika, she was taken by force by Bhishma from their Swayamvara, the latter having challenged and defeated the assembled royalty...

Savita Prabhune  Kumud "Baisa" Goenka (2005–2008) Ambika & Ambalika
Mayank Anand
Mayank Anand
Mayank Anand is an Indian actor, artist, author and director. He is best known for playing the character of Dr. Rahul on the television series Dill Mill Gayye.-Career:...

 
Shakti Goenka (2004) Bhima
Bhima
In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...

Kiran Karmarkar  Bhujang Ahuja (2006) Guest appearance (1 episode)
Gurpreet Singh
Gurpreet Singh
Gurpreet Singh is an Indian footballer who plays for Salgaocar as a Defender in I-League-External links:* http://goal.com/en-india/people/india/25345/gurpreet-singh...

Rudr Singh (2007–2008)

External links

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