A Magical Comeback

“We will be focusing on the next generation. Chandrakanta’s son and Shiv Dutt’s son will be prominent characters in this one,” says Sunil Agnihotri,director of the show. Agnihotri has also taken over the production mantle from former producer Nirja Guleri. “Whenever I switched on my TV,I saw either mythology shows or historicals. There wasn’t any fantasy drama for the audience. So I wondered why not bring back the show,” explains Agnihotri.

Kahani Chandrakanta Ki is currently being shot in Mahabaleshwar,and will be followed by schedules in Rajpipla in Gujarat.

A lot of new faces are now part of the show,like Vindoo Dara Singh,Raja Chaudhury and Puneet Issar. Some of the prominent actors from the original like Shikha Swaroop who played Chandrakanta,Rupa Ganguly as Rupmati and Krutika Desai who essayed the role of Naintara will retain their roles.

Agnihotri is also remembered for being the first to bring special effects on a large scale on Indian television. With advances in technology,he promises to do a better job this time around. Given the stringent regulations that Doordarshan follows,was it difficult for Agnihotri to present the sequel? He clears the air: “Doordarshan does not have any copyright on Chandrakanta. Anyone can make a show based on any book. Moreover,I am not re-running the old show. Mine is a brand new one.”