And the Rest is History

The book is currently being adapted for an ambitious television series,titled Malikaa,by Epic Television. Speaking at the show’s preview,the author said,“There are some stories in history that have to be told.” Mahesh Samant,Managing Director of Epic Television Networks,agrees. “It is like looking at the past through a modern lens,” he says. For Malikaa,the storytelling is modern while the pace is fast and the characters,relatable. The channel will go on air in August and is dedicated solely to Indian historical fiction and non-fiction. Samant believes that historical narrations work because the stories are fascinating,the characters are powerful,and make for great entertainment.

Historical and period dramas have enjoyed an impressive track record. Today,shows such as Bharat Ka Veer Putra: Maharana Pratap and Jodha Akbar have once again taken the audience back to the time of war,heroism and glory. Such a trend has been augmented by the success of Ek Veer Stree Ki Kahani…Jhansi Ki Rani that ran successfully on Zee TV till June 2011. Its producer,Abhimanyu Singh,believes that people are taking an interest in watching history.

Singh is also the producer of the show Bharat Ka Veer Putra on Sony TV,based on the 16th century Rajput ruler of Mewar. It is generating a lot of positive response owing to the realistic depiction of customs of Mewar,like the practice of jauhar. “People are always curious about history. They want to actually see the history that they always imagined while reading textbooks,” Singh says. Apart from the visual treat that historical dramas offer with their grand sets and costumes,what works is relevant to the present social scenario. “If you find that connect,it clicks with the audience,” he says. “For

instance,Maharana Pratap was a king who led the life of a commoner to fight for their rights,that is something you can see happening around

us today.”

Ajay Bhalwankar,Head of Content and Programming at Zee TV,which recently launched the historic epic Jodha Akbar,agrees. “The story about emperor Akbar is also one of power politics between a husband and a wife.” He says that even though films are made on these themes,it is television that does justice to the stories. “A lot of details cannot be captured in a three-hour film.” Bhalwankar believes that in television,the scale changes. Looking forward to his upcoming project on the life of Gautam Buddha,he says that no matter how much research is done,depicting history is always an exciting challenge.