Iconic Void

8220;The channel is in Marathi and will be a reflection of the culture and the pride of the land. We are not touting a line but celebrating and showcasing the ethos of the culture,8221; says J C Giri, executive vice-president of Star8217;s regional network. But the channel that promises to reflect the cultural pride of the people of Maharashtra hasn8217;t exactly been very innovative in finding its icons though. Two other Marathi channels, DD8212;Sahyadri as well as Zee Marathi, have shows on Shivaji8212;Garud Jhep and Janta Raja have been airing successfully for a while now. But Raja Shivachhatrapati does boast of high production standards and grandeur unseen since the days of Doordarshan8217;s 8216;90s hit, The Sword of Tipu Sultan.

8220;I think we can be dismayed at the lack of imagination here. I don8217;t think you could be more predictable than this. Shivaji is a well known cultural symbol for the people of Maharashtra, and so a show on the figure, is destined to sell,8221; suggests veteran journalist, Anil Dharker. But he is keen to point out that he sees nothing wrong in this unless it excludes other communities. Politics, he suggests, has less to do with the presence of such a show.

Marathi theatre director Vijay Kenkre is keenly aware of the iconic ruler8217;s representation in Marathi cultural history. 8220;While Shivaji Maharaj has been part of numerous folk-songs and folk-theatre, one play 8212;Raigadala Jevha Jag Yete by Prof Vasant Kanetkar truly did justice to this legend. There have been TV productions like the one done by Vinay Apte for Doordarshan a few years ago. But that didn8217;t really work,8221; says Kenkre. The director still feels that there needs to be more writing on Shivaji, but laments the impossibility of a different take on his story for fear of extremist parties in the state. Shyam Benegal8217;s Tipu Sultan in the DD serial Discovery of India was a deglamourised bald ruler as opposed to his epic-soap counterpart Sanjay Khan. He also dies a miserable death, devoid of valour, at the doors of his own fort.

The uber-heroic portrayal of the warrior8212;bejewelled and clad in fine silk, or brandishing a sword, tikka on forehead8212;and its promotion stunt at the BMC would 8220;certainly provide mileage to the Shiv Sena,8221; shrugs Nikhil Wagle, editor of IBN Lokmat. 8220;And as for the presence of such a TV show, it8217;s obvious that a new Marathi entertainment channel will capitalise on popular icons and mythology8212;just as in the case of Mahabharata or Ramayana8212;to win viewers.8221;