Manasi Salvi on Mahadev & Sons: Bhanu shows how deeply love can hurt

COLORS' latest offering, ‘Mahadev & Sons’ has received an overwhelming response from audiences, striking a chord with its emotionally charged portrayal of family dynamics. A story where love builds a home, but fear brings the rules, the show is set in the sacred town of Hardoi and follows the Bajpai family's fractured legacy, where two sisters stand on opposite sides of a deep divide. Playing Bhanu, the strong-willed head of the Bajpai household, Manasi Salvi opens up about portraying a woman whose love has slowly turned into bitterness, the challenge of playing a character driven by pride and pain, and the warm sisterly bond she shares with her co-star off screen.

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1.  Tell us about the show.

A. Mahadev & Sons is a family drama that explores the cost of love, the weight of tradition, and the scars that never quite heal. Based in Hardoi, it follows Mahadev, an orphan who enters the powerful Bajpai household as a servant and, through sheer determination, becomes one of the town's most successful businessmen. His love marriage to Vidya, my younger sister, defies every social norm and comes at a devastating cost of being cut off from their families. Together they rebuild their lives, raising four children under strict rules born from past trauma. Across the street stands Bajpai Bhavan, led by my character, Bhanu, who believes Mahadev disgraced the family and is determined to destroy everything he has built. The show examines what happens when love turns into control, when pride becomes a prison, and whether families can ever truly heal from old wounds. It's a story that resonates across generations because every character believes they're right, and that's what makes the conflict so real.

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2. Tell us about your character.

A. Bhanu is not a conventional antagonist. She isn't driven by greed or cruelty for its own sake. She's driven by a deep sense of betrayal and wounded pride. As the elder daughter of the Bajpai family, she was raised to uphold tradition, protect the family name, and ensure their legacy remains untarnished. When Vidya, the sister she adored more than anyone in the world, chose to marry Mahadev, a servant, Bhanu saw it as the ultimate disgrace. She felt abandoned by the one person she loved most. That heartbreak hardened into resentment, and now she rules Bajpai Bhavan with an iron will, determined to prove that Vidya made the wrong choice and that Mahadev will never be worthy of the Bajpai name. But beneath the anger, there's still love. Her eyes still tear up when she sees Vidya. Bhanu believes she's protecting her family's honour, and in her mind, everything she does is justified. That complexity is what drew me to her.

3. We have seen how close Bhanu and Vidya used to be, and how they are now. What can you say about that bond?

A. Obviously, there's a lot of takraar between both the sisters now. They are both headstrong and know what they want. But there was a time when they had a beautiful bond. Bhanu wouldn't even open her eyes in the morning if Vidya wasn't the first person she saw. They were that close. Vidya was her world. And then, suddenly, everything changed when Vidya married Mahadev against the family's wishes. From that point on, a wall was created between them. The love is still there, but it’s buried deep. The hurt, the betrayal, the pride, it all stands between them now.

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4. Bhanu is the primary antagonist, but she doesn't feel like a typical villain. How do you approach playing a character with such layered motivations?

A. I never see Bhanu as a villain. I see her as a woman who's been deeply hurt and is trying to protect what she believes is right. The moment you judge your character or play them as purely evil; you lose the truth of who they are. Bhanu's anger comes from a place of deep hurt and wounded pride. She believes that tradition and family honour are sacred, and that Vidya and Mahadev betrayed both. In her mind, she's not the antagonist, Mahadev is. To play Bhanu authentically, I had to empathise with her pain. I had to understand why she does what she does, even if I don't agree with her methods. Playing Bhanu has made me understand how love and resentment can coexist.

5. This is a family drama rooted in class consciousness and social hierarchy. How does Bhanu's perspective on status and tradition shape her conflict with Mahadev?

A. Bhanu's entire identity is tied to the Bajpai name. She was raised to believe that their family stands for something, that their lineage, their reputation, their status in society matters. For her, Mahadev will always be the servant who overstepped his place. It doesn't matter that he's successful now, that he's built a business, that he's respected in town. In her eyes, he's still the man without a surname, the outsider who didn't belong in their world. And the fact that Vidya chose him over her own family, over tradition, over everything Bhanu held sacred, that's the wound that never heals. For her, it's about restoring what she believes is the rightful balance. It’s a battle of values as much as it is deeply personal.

6. We've seen the sister bond on-screen. What bond do you share with your co-star Sneha off-screen?

A. We have a great bond off-screen, just like sisters. In fact, a while back I posted a picture of us together and people showed so much love for it. They said it reminded them of their own sisters, which was so heartwarming. The connection we share is very real and very authentic. We actually look like sisters in real life! We're both Maharashtrian mulgis, so there's that instant cultural connection. Sneha started calling me Manasi Di from the very first day, and somewhere that sisterly bond has trickled off-screen too. She's like a younger sister to me on set. 

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7. What is your message to viewers and fans?

A. Thank you for the immense love you have shown to Mahadev & Sons. It is because of you that we are who we are today, and I never take that for granted. I love reading your comments and watching the edits that you make, and it lifts my mood every time seeing the love we have received and how much this story has touched everyone. The fact that you connect with these characters, that you feel their pain, their conflict, their love, that's what makes this all worthwhile. Bhanu is a complex character, and I know she's not easy to like sometimes, but I hope you see the layers, the heartbreak, the humanity behind her actions. I hope you keep watching the show and loving it the way we have loved making it for you.

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Watch ‘Mahadev & Sons’ Monday to Friday at 9:30 pm, only on COLORS and JioHotstar.

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