A new mega serial for TV, The Great Monk Swami Vivekananda, was inaugurated at the city's revered Dakshineswar Temple on Thursday.

The serial features actor Kartik Jain as Swami Vivekananda. Other cast members include Sourabh Agnihotri as Shri Ramkrishna Paramhansa, Piyush Suhane as Ram Kumar, Aakas Berry as Khudiram, Shubh Laxmi Das as Chandramani, Kirti Adarkar as Rani Rashmoni, and Kedar Sharma as Mathura.

"The show will highlight the life of Swami Vivekananda and his teachings, so that this can serve as an inspiration for today's youth. The show will be shot across Kolkata, Ram Krishna Paramhansa Dev's birthplace Kamarpukur and several other places. We are hoping to release the show by Diwali," informed the show's director Krishna Mishra.

Mishra was present at the event with producer Kamal Mukut.

The serial went on floors on Thursday with 250 crew members. It will be broadcasted in English, Hindi and Indian regional languages to cater to viewers from all parts of the country.

Shoot during the first couple of months will completed at Kamarpukur villagein Hooghly district of West Bengal, the birthplace of Shri Ramakrishna.

The show is jointly produced by Krishna Mishra, Kamal Mukut and Dr. Shalini Gupta.