Maharaj Ki Jai Ho! (Hail the King!) is an Indian television science fiction sitcom series that ran from 23 March 2020 to 20 May 2020 on StarPlus, later shifted to Star Utsav and streams on digital platform Disney+ Hotstar.[2][3] It starred Satyajeet Dubey in the main lead role of Sanjay.[4] The telecast of the show was hampered due to its low ratings during COVID-19 pandemic and the show had to decline without completing its story in May 2020.[5]
| Maharaj Ki Jai Ho! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Science fiction Sitcom |
| Created by | David Polycarp |
| Written by | David Polycarp Inaamulhaq |
| Screenplay by | Yuvraj Pandey |
| Story by | David Polycarp Shubham Sharma Vera Raina [1] |
| Directed by | Deven Bhojani |
| Creative directors | Rakesh Tak Arvind Jadhav Rahul Lawhe |
| Starring | Satyajeet Dubey |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Production | |
| Producers | David Polycarp Vasant Valsan Sanket Vanzara |
| Cinematography | Raju Goli |
| Editor | Hemant Kumar |
| Camera setup | Multi camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | Trouble Maker Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | StarPlus Star Utsav |
| Release | 23 March – 20 May 2020 |
Plot
editSanjay, a small-time pickpocket hailing from Delhi travels back in time via a portal accidentally opened by the time machine of scientist Dr. Albert D'Souza to the period of Mahabharat during Dhritarashtra's reign in Hastinapur and causes chaos in the region. Sanjay crosses path with Sunaina, a thief (later revealed to be the Princess of Suryagarh) where love blossoms. The journey follows comedy and romance taking place in his life there and his eventual escape.
Cast
edit- Satyajeet Dubey as Sanjay Arora: A petty con-man from Delhi[6]
- Ashwin Mushran as Dr. Albert D'Souza: Scientist who creates the time machine
- Riya Sharma as Sunaina: Suryabhan's Daughter
- Nitesh Pandey as Dhritarashtra: The king of Hastinapur
- Aakash Dabhade as Shakuni
- Rajesh Kumar as King Suryabhan: The enemy of King Dhritarashtra[7]
- Monica Castelino as Gandhari: Dhritarashtra's wife; The queen of Hastinapur
- Abhishek Avasthi as Dhritarashtra's Senapati
- Sumit Arora as Suryabhan's Senapati
- Wahib Kapadia as Pratap a.k.a. Pappu: Suryabhan's son
- Vaishnavi Rao as Padma, Sunaina's friend
- Sulakshana Khatri as Mandakini
- Maera Mishra as Sweety
Production
editDevelopment
editThe first promo of the series was released on 19 March 2020.[8]
After the end of Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum, Anupamaa was supposed to take the slot from 16 March 2020.[9] Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, as the shootings were stalled, its launch was pushed due to inadequate bank episodes and Maharaj ki Jai Ho! got the slot to premiere on 23 March 2020 as there was a bank of about 50 episodes.[10][11]
Casting
editSatyajeet Dubey was cast as the main lead Sanjay, returning to television after nine years. Speaking about his role, he said, "I play Sanjay in Maharaj Ki Jai Ho, which is a situational comedy. My character is that of a rangeela, street-smart punter. Somehow, he goes back in time by 5,000 years and that's what piqued my interest."[12] Besides Ashwin Mushran, Nitesh Pandey, Aakash Dabhade, Rajesh Kumar, Clair Castelino, Riya Sharma and Abhishek Awasthy were cast.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ "Maharaj Ki Jai Ho - D'Souza Impresses Sanjay S1 E26". hotstar.com. 25 April 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Telly Tattle: Bigg Boss 13 Returns; Maharaj Ki Jai Ho To Air From Tonight". Mid Day. 23 March 2020.
- ^ "Confessions of a conman". Tribune India.
- ^ "Satyajeet Dubey to feature in the upcoming sci-fi time travel show, titled Maharaj Ki Jai Ho". Times Now.
- ^ "'Audience is lapping up rustic, realistic & relatable content'". Hindustan Times. 25 August 2020.
- ^ "Actor Satyajeet Dubey takes us back to the Mahabharata era with the sci-fi comedy-drama Maharaj Ki Jai How". www.indulgexpress.com. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "Here's why Sarabhai vs Sarabhai's Rosesh aka Rajesh Kumar has put on weight". The Times of India.
- ^ "Maharaj Ki Jai Ho | Coming soon on Star Plus". YouTube.
- ^ "Rupali Ganguli on her television comeback with Star Plus' Anupamaa". Eastern Eye. 20 March 2020.
- ^ "Star Plus Premiers New Comedy Show Amid COVID-19 Lockdown". The Quint. 25 March 2020.
- ^ "Maharaja Ki Jai Ho gets a launch date and time slot". Telly Chakkar.
- ^ "Satyajeet Dubey to return to TV after nine years". The Times of India.
- ^ "Satyajeet Dubey, Rajesh Kumar in sci-fi comedy 'Maharaj Ki Jai Ho'". The Times of India.
- ^ "Satyajeet Dubey all set to give modern twists to Mahabharat in new show Maharaj Ki Jai Ho". The Times of India.