History repeats itself on TV

Looks like the one-year drought of historicals on TV is about to end with Jodha Akbar and Maharana Pratap. In fact, reports suggest that two serials on the Rajput warrior are currently under production. So far, at least a dozen famous personalities have been captured on celluloid. 

From Chanakya, Chandragupta Maurya, Tipu Sultan, Prithviraj Chauhan, Jhansi Ki Rani to Shivaji, we have seen the greatest of warriors being brought alive on the small-screen. While Chanakya and Tipu Sultan are still remembered for their authentic recreation, casting and grandeur, others like Prithviraj Chauhan and Jhansi Ki Rani hit bull’s eye with their presentation. However, for every Jhansi Ki Rani there’s been a Shobha Somnath Ki and Chittor Ki Rani Padmini that sank without a trace. But that hasn’t deterred makers from digging into history for their stories.   

The deciding factor
Unlike a mythological, that has an immediate connect with the viewers, courtesy the Gods, a historical is a difficult genre to pull off. Firstly, the character on which the serial is based has to be completely positive and secondly, he/she should have a great persona. Says Chandraprakash Dwivedi who made Chanakya, “When there is a tough challenging time and the person facing it is a great personality, it creates history.” Ajay Balwankar, Content head, Zee adds that the entities have to be inspirational and well-known. He knows better as the channel had burnt its fingers with Shobha Somnath Ki. “It didn’t do well because people didn’t know about her and it also had some other issues,” he explains.

Making the right choice
This time the channel has played safe and chosen the love story of Jodha Akbar. Not only is it steeped in history, it has a romantic angle between the Mughal emperor and his Hindu wife. “It’s a passionate love story of an era where there were no mobile phones. It’s a different world altogether, has an element of fantasy, besides providing information on history,” says Balwankar. Even producer Abhimanyu Singh has chosen all iconic personalities for his historicals, be it Jhansi Ki Rani, Veer Shivaji or Maharana Pratap which he is making now. “Both Shivaji and Jhansi Ki Rani were the greatest of warriors and Maharana Pratap is the bravest Rajput who fought the Mughals. Everyone is aware of his inspiring story,” says Singh.

Research and development
For a historical to make a mark, the producer besides doing adequate research has to invest in recreating the flavour of that era, inventive dialogue and authenticity. Says Dwivedi, “In 1988, when I made Chanakya, I had made the pilot episode at the cost of Rs 18 lakh which works out to over Rs 1.5 crore today. It also involves a lot of research. You have to be able to study and interpret the missing link. Unlike in Hollywood where major blockbusters are based on history or literature, here people are averse to it.” Dwivedi who has just finished airing Upanishad Ganga which he calls part culture, part history, says one cannot make an historical like a daily soap. “For Chanakya I had researched on the subject for five years, but now nobody wants to wait that long or put in that kind of time,” he laments. Singh adds that one has to be accurate when it comes to historicals as people are sensitive.”

Back to the roots
Most historicals trace the journey from childhood and producers go to great lengths to cast the perfect child actor.  That’s because children help in straight away establishing an emotional connect with the viewers and if they are good, the makers strike gold. Whether it was Rajat Tokas in Prithviraj Chauhan, Ulka Gupta in Jhansi Ki Rani or Rushiraj Pawar in Chandragupta Maurya, they were instrumental in making the show a success. So much so that, once they were out, giving way to the grown-ups, the show didn’t sustain in most cases.

Way ahead
Kratika Sengar, who played the grown-up Jhansi Ki Rani replacing Ulka says, “There was tremendous pressure on me and people were sceptical about whether I will be accepted as most serials till then had winded up soon after the grown-up character was introduced.” Nikhil Sinha who had directed Prithviraj Chauhan points out that people are familiar with the child version of the character and when the grown-up character enters, it takes time to connect as the perspective and storytelling changes.

Given this scenario, it remains to be seen whether Jodha Akbar will replicate the magic of its filmi counterpart and if Maharana Pratap will succeed in recreating history on the small-screen!