After Porus' death, Chanakya takes the vision of Akhand Bharat forward and propels Chandragupta Maurya from being a carefree petty thief to a celebrated king. SANGEETA YADAV speaks to the actors about the second innings

With an end of Porus who died with the vision of akhand Bharat (united India) and fought against Alexander, The Great, only to achieve victory in defeat, Chanakya takes the story forward with the rise of yet another warrior in the making, Chandragupta Maurya.

The show Porus highlighted the king’s journey and how he and Chanakya worked towards the vision of a united India and prevent outsiders to invade India. Porus succeeds in convincing Alexander to leave India who leaves his general Seleucus Nicator behind. After the assassination of Porus by Seleucus, Chanakya takes his thought forward and goes to Dhananand, the king of Magadh, who insults him and considers everyone like dirt. Before leaving, Chanakya tells Dhananand that from this speck of dust he will create a mighty king who will take the vision forward.

“Chanakya realised that Dhananand has joined hands with Seleucus and is not able to see the future. Once Seleucus will capture Magadh, the Greek Army will take over and impose their culture on us. The culture, religion and language of India will be lost. Which actually happened when Britishers came,” Tarun Khanna, who plays Chanakya, says adding that the show will air at the same time slot, every Monday to Friday 8 pm on Sony Entertainment Television.

Taking the baton of akhand Bharat forward, Chanakya goes on tell the story of the making of India’s brave and most celebrated King in the Indian history — Chandragupta Maurya.

Essaying the role of Chandragupta Maurya, Kartikeya Malviya says: “I am doing an in-depth study on the life of Chandragupta Maurya. Since the show will throw light on the childhood days. Chandragupta, who had innate abilities of leadership and was a problem solver and a great friend, I will have to work hard to play different shades of the character. I will be riding a horse, doing masti with friends and create light moments which is very contrary to playing Shani Dev in the serial.”

Chandragupta Maurya was a reluctant student who had no feelings for his motherland and harboured only one goal — to earn his freedom from the hunter who he was sold to as a child. Chanakya, on the other hand, was a wise strategist with a vision of a united India. But how do these two people with such contrasting nature join hands?

“When Chanakya met Chandragupta, he found him to be a carefree child. He and his gang of friends were petty thieves. One thing which Chanakya found endearing was that Chandragupta loved his mother but never said it openly . He thought that a person who loves his mother so much will ultimately come to love his motherland as well. That thought made  Chanakya bet on this boy and convinces Chandragupta to be his mentor. This brings a big transformation in his life,” Khanna says who draws similarities between Chanakya and Mahatma Gandhi.

“Mahatma Gandhi too was insulted and thrown out of the train in Africa and realised that this is not a personal issue but a big concern for India and its people. He came back to India and made others join his fight against prejudice. If he had wanted, he could have also become the Prime Minister but he gave the power to Jawahar Lal Nehru. The most powerful person is one who has everything and gives it to somebody else. That is what Chanakya did. His aim was not to rule a kingdom but to make a king out of an honest and just man. He could have easily said to Chandragupta Maurya that you become my commander-in-chief and I will be your king but he chose to be his educator and advisor. Chanakya makes a king out of a commoner,” Khanna tells you

Through the concept of linear story which is used for the first time on Indian television, one historical show has paved the way for another without taking a break.  “Every end is a new beginning. For the first time on Indian TV one story will move into another seamlessly. It’s like one chapter will end and the second will start. The key characters from Porus will take the story ahead in Chandragupta Maurya, one of the biggest warriors of our country who had created a united India against foreign invasion,” says producer and director Siddharth Kumar Tewary.

Where Sourabh Raaj Jain will be playing Dhananand and Vikas Verma as Seleucus Nicator, Chandragupta Maurya’s mother will be essayed by Shefali Sharma.