Flight of Fantasy

“Our biggest production in terms of scale,Game of Thrones has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards. We were already being questioned by fans why the show has not been broadcast in India yet. We are expecting a good response as it premieres on August 21,” says Shruti Bajpai,Country Manager – South Asia,HBO.

Game of Thrones,titled after the first of the five books in the series,was conceived in 2006,when David Benioff started reading them. Hooked,he called up his long-time friend,D B Weiss. The two later came on board as creators,writers and executive producers of the on-screen adaptation. “Fantasy is one of the most successful genres in the history of storytelling. Game of Thrones is set in an imaginary kingdom called Westeros. But here,the focus is on character and psychology rather than spectacle,” explains Benioff.

The story unfolds as King Robert Baratheon,the ruler of the seven kingdoms of Westeros,calls upon his close friend Lord Eddard (Ned) Stark to help him administer after the questionable death of his right-hand man Jon Arryn. Thus begins the fight for the throne as there is a threat from the east by the tribal warriors Dothrakis and Viserys,the teenage siblings on self-exile after their father was killed during Baratheon’s takeover of the kingdom. Then there are rumours of strange incidents north of the ancient Wall,which protects the realms from the darkness beyond.

The characters are plenty and the plot is vast,with twists and turns to keep the viewer hooked. But the most interesting feature of the show,points out Bajpai,is the fact that while it was being penned,the writers collaborated with language expert David J Peterson to invent the language Dothraki. “There were a handful of references in the book,with a few corresponding English translations. But together,the team invented 2,500 words,a script and complex grammer especially for the show.”

The show evidently has shades of Lord Of The Rings (LOTR) — JRR Tolkein invented an entire fantastical universe and language in his series. With a similar visual treatment and Sean Bean (Boromir in LOTR) playing the central character Ned,there are many similarities. But Bajpai insists that these similarities end right here. “LOTR is entirely fantastical. Game of Thrones,in comparison,does not rely heavily on imaginary elements,magic and sorcerers,and is instead a political drama.”