Swaraj ka raj?

And he could well be correct. Swaraj produced by Singh and Dominic Watson and directed by Watson, recreates a very important segment of India8217;s freedom struggle. It deals with the lives of martyrs such as Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ramprasad Bismil and Ashfaq Ulla, the person who Singh says, was the first Muslim martyr. There are many other young people in a cast of a 100 main characters; their individual and collective bravery is the theme thread that runs through Swaraj. 8220;They all lived dangerously,8221; remarks Singh.

In a post-Kargil India, when a nation responded so emotionally to the martyrdom of many Indian soliders, Swaraj might receive a more enthusiastic audience response than it did on the previous occasion. 8220;Suddenly, everyone at DD was interested in me. Earlier, they would not even let me enter their offices,8221; comments a wry Singh. She appreciates that there has been a change, a change of heart in the younger generation 8212; and she has 3,000-odd letters to prove it. If you give her half the chance, she8217;ll read them out to you with passion in her voice: 8220;I8217;m an emotional person,8221; she admits.

The letters from young people throughout the country not only praise Swaraj but display a patriotism that surprised and touched Singh.8220;They want to do something for their country,8221; explains Singh. The same patriotism would emerge from the closet during Kargil and even now there is a residual sense of nationalism. It is this burgeoning nationalism, Swarja could capitalise on and give the repeat telecast a relevance most serials could not hope for.8220;It8217;s like something that is now being marketed,8221; Singh says of the Kargil effect.8220;This was something that was waiting to happen.8221;

Singh is at pains to explain that Swaraj has been a labour of love, the way the birth of a child is. The producer who made serials such as the phenomenally good, Ek Kahani between 1984-1989, Adhikaar 1987, says the research for Swaraj was painstaking. 8220;Two years for research, one year making it and one year getting it onto DD!8221;

Swaraj is not peopled with famous TV stars. The cast consists largely of students from the National School of Drama in Delhi. Most of them were entranced by the roles they could play. Ravi Gosain, now better known for his role in Amanat Zee, insisted that he alone could play Chandra Shekhar Azad. And so it came to pass. The actor who played Ulla, came to believe he was a reincarnation of the Muslim freedom fighter. And so it went on.

Singh also likes to stress the contribution of designer Bhanu Athaiya who worked on the costumes because she liked the project so much. If Singh sounds as if she is promo, it8217;s because she is. 8220;There8217;s no point of such a programme if people don8217;t know it exists,8221; she says. Quite true. And in an effort to create more awareness and enthusiasm for the show, she is thinking of adding a 2-minute interactive session at the end of each episode which will probably be presented by a film star. 8220;I wanted to do it,8221; Singh reveals, 8220;but DD does not allow producers to appear TV,8221; she adds regretfully.

It8217;s time to leave Singh. Just before that, there8217;s one question that you have to ask: how come Singh has done nothing for the private satellite TV channels when they are teeming with life and opportunities? Singh smiles a private smile. 8220;I take so long to make a serial that I can8217;t make many,8221; she explains,8220;and I genuinely feel that all I have done, achieved is through Doordarshan. I am what I am because of Doordarshan,8221; she continues this should please DD enormously, 8220;and then with these other channels, they have fixed prices, they want to own your product. But I plan to do something for them.8221;

At the moment however, she has only an single word mantra on her lips: Swaraj, Swaraj, Swaraj..