Chetan Hansraj reveals how Mahabharat marked the beginning of his television journey

Chetan Hansraj recalls starting his TV journey with BR Chopra’s Mahabharat in the 1980s

04 September,2026 09:14 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  IANS

Chetan Hansraj looked back on his television journey, recalling his debut with BR Chopra’s Mahabharat in the 1980s. After a long break, he returned with Ssshhhh…Koi Hai in 2001 and began his second innings with Balaji shows from 2004

Chetan Hansraj. Pic/Yogen Shah

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Popular television star Chetan Hansraj recalled how he began his career in the 1980s with late BR Chopra’s iconic Mahabharat and returned to the small screen after a brief break in 2001 with Ssshhhh…Koi Hai, before his career entered a new journey with Balaji shows from 2004 onwards.

Talking about his journey in the small screen industry, Chetan said, “I actually started my television journey way back in the eighties with Mahabharat. That was BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, the first massive show on Indian television. I was a part of it then.”

Mahabharat was produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his son, Ravi Chopra. The script was based on the epic composed by Maharishi Veda Vyasa. Each episode is 40-46 minutes long and begins with a title song that consists of lyrical content and two verses from the Bhagavad Gita

“After that, I didn’t really do much television for a long time. I came back to TV directly in 2001 with Ssshhhh…Koi Hai and then from 2004 onwards, I majorly did Balaji shows. That’s when my second innings on television truly started,” he said.

Having established himself as one of Indian television’s most recognizable villains, he has delivered memorable performances in major daily soaps including ‘Kkavyanjali’, ‘Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai’, ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, ‘Baa Bahoo Aur Baby’, ‘Jodha Akbar’, ‘Devon Ke Dev…Mahadev’, ‘Mahakali – Anth Hi Aarambh Hai’, ‘Naagin 3‘ and ‘Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyaag Tandav’.

He has also competed in reality TV shows such as ‘Fear Factor India’, ‘Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao’ and ‘Lock Upp‘. On the silver screen, he has appeared in Hindi films like ‘Bodyguard’, ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara’, ‘Shootout at Wadala’ and ‘Hero’.

Talking about the small screen, the actor feels television has failed to evolve with time.

“Honestly, I feel television has immense potential, but it is not being utilized or fed the way it should be. We are still stuck making the same old daily soaps, revolving around the same stories and the same formulas.”

“Television should have evolved a lot more than what it has right now. We could have explored so many different kinds of stories and different genres,” he said.

He said that it’s still not too late.

“I know the audience has now shifted more towards OTT and they are mostly watching content on their phones, but television still holds a very major part of the viewership, especially in middle India. In smaller towns and even in bigger towns, there are still a large number of people who watch television every day.”

“But for that audience to stay, television will slowly have to evolve and upscale itself to match what people are now used to watching on OTT platforms. The storytelling, the treatment, the pacing – everything needs to change with time.”

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