Hindi TV Serial - Jodha Akbar - Jodha married to Akbar, comes into the harem

A serial on Jodha Akbar is always going to be controversial, but with the success of Devon Ke Dev, there was again a quest for having serials based on mythology or history, and so Ekta Kapoor comes up with the idea of having a serial based on the story of Jodha Akbar. Now, even when the film came up, there was a controversy since the historical record of that time really does not prove that such a story of the immense love between the Mughal emperor Jalal Akbar and a Rajput princess Jodha; and sections of the Rajput community see such a story as besmirching the warrior reputation of the Rajputs. After all, the Rajputs have a long history of fighting with the Mughals, but at the same time, there were many cases of Rajput rulers choosing to make peace with the Mughals (or the Delhi Sultanate before them), and one of the strongest ways of forming an alliance was through marriages, so getting a daughter married off to a Mughal ruler was seen as forming a strong alliance.

The history of the Mughal emperor Akbar was a violent one. His father, Humayun, had been toppled off his throne by Sher Shah Suri and had to spend a large amount of time traveling from one place to another, trying to mobilise an army to take back his kingdom. As a result, the birth of Akbar was during the time he was wandering, and much of his childhood was spent as his father was fighting, and even when Humayun did manage to win back his kingdom, he died soon after and a young Jalal had become the ruler. Thus, he was supposed to have become a very hard person, not prone to showing gentleness, and would give ultimatums to rival kingdoms that either they accepted him as their ruler, or else he would fight them, and then there would be no mercy. This is what happened to the ruler of Amer, who decided to accept the emperor Jalal as their ruler and decided that the young Jodha would also become another wife of Jalal, he already having a harem with other wives.

So, Jodha is not very happy about this, but there is very little choice, after all, the safety of her kingdom is at stake. She however asks Jalal to promise that she will be allowed to remain a Hindu, and will also have her god with her at her palace in Jalal's palace so that she can pray to her god. He agrees to both of these conditions, but otherwise he does not care too much. His mother on the other hand hopes that this feisty Rajput princess will finally break the coldness of her son's heart and make him a better man. So, finally Jodha comes to the palace for the wedding, with her presence causing the chief wife of Jalal, Queen Ruqaiya, to think that she also needs to bring this young wife of the emperor to quickly learn her place in the palace and understand that it is Queen Ruqaiya, who is the head of the harem and the person to whom Jalal goes to. On another problem is Mahamanga who is the one who has provided advice to Jalal from the beginning, and who also does not like the presence of Jodha in the palace and who tells Ruqaiya that she will work with her to show this new wife her place and ensure that she is embarrassed. 

Hindi Serial - Jhansi ki Rani - Manu Bai is married to the King, and projects a strong image

The serial is about the historical figure called Jhansi Ki Rani (the serial is actually called 'Ek Veer Stree ki Kahaani Jhansi Ki Rani'), the lady who was prominent for her fight in the First Indian War of Independence of 1857 against the British. She was a lady who got married to king, and they could not have a natural heir. The British did not recognize the adopted heir that they had, and took over the kingdom when the King died. Opposing this, the Laxmibai led a revolt against the British. However, the serial seeks to portray that the fight against the British was not only from the time that they took over her kingdom, but something that was ingrained in her from the time that she was a small child, when she had setup a small group of kids to fight against the British.
In the current situation, Manu Bai has done a number of fights against the British, and they suspect her of being behind some of the attacks against them. And then she gets married to the King (the King is a middle aged adult and she is a young child, shown to be much wiser, but physically still young); however, just because she is young does not mean that she will allow herself to be pushed over. There is opposition to her from within the king's household as well as from the British resident, but she manages to make a relationship with the king, including insisting on a direct way to contact the King when necessary.
She is again invoking her fight against the British, opposing the influence of the British in the kingdom. In the latest such incident, she leads a fight against the efforts of the British resident to move the treasury (the Khazana) to some other location, enlisting the help of Sumer Singh in take back the khazana. However, she is seen by the King; will he manage to penetrate her veil and discover her secret.

Ek Veer Stree Ki Kahani…Jhansi Ki Rani - on Zee TV

Historicals are very difficult to pull through given the fact that the audience already has a definite opinion of the story one is about to narrate. It is almost next to impossible to carry out an interpretation that will closely fit into the collective imagination of the person or the period. Ek Veer Stree Ki Kahani…Jhansi Ki Rani, is Zee TV’s attempt to capture the essence of a woman who is revered and much adored till date in India. Indeed Laxmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi is for many India’s Joan of Arc-the brave lady who fought the oppressive British rule and took part in our very first Freedom movement.

It must be said that the channel, the producers of the show and the different creative heads by deciding on this particular historical figure took on a huge risk. The charisma of Jhani ki Rani is such that she is known through the length and breadth of the country. To capture the essence of such a dynamic and much loved character required a tremendous amount of guts and skill. To the credit of the entire team of the show, they have pulled it off. In fact it can even be said that their interpretation of Laxmi Bai has helped to strengthen the aura around her. The makers of the show have put more focus on characterisation than on the setting or on costumes. They have tried to delve into the psyche of this young girl/woman who rose above her ordained position to carve out a name for herself in history.

The makers of the show are keen to capture the entire social and political milieu of the story that helped to give a Laxmi Bai a distinct personality and they are doing so superbly. The attention to detail is evident in the characterisation of the principal cast. Thus be it the child yet rebellious Manu (Laxmi Bai was born Manikarnika, nicknamed Manu) or the young girl of twelve, queen of Jhansi Manu; there is a distinct persona that comes across. Manu was born in Bithur where her father worked in the court of Peshwa Baji Rao II. She grew up with the young Nana Sahev who was her friend and taught her to ride horses and sword fight. She then moves to Jhansi at the age of thirteen to the court of Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar. Her idyllic childhood comes to an end with this important transition as she finds herself surrounded by court intrigues and politics as the Rani of Jhani.

The handling of the various schemes underway to render Gangadhar Rao ineffective by his own clan and the British rulers is very interesting to watch. Luckily, the treatment of the court politicking and intrigues has not been reduced to shams and melodrama-filled sequences. As a young bride, we can fully empathise with Manu who is on the one hand trying to cope with a much older husband and on the other hand keep at bay the gorgeous courtesan Moti Bai. As her timely intervention once again saves her husband, it places her in a path of confrontation with Moti Bai. Who will win ?

Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur - Historical Saga on Sony TV

From time to time, the channels make shows that deal with historical figures, such as serials on Rani Jhansi, Prithviraj Chauhan; as a part of this, there are also shows with a religious fervor such as the serials on Sai Baba. The story of Rani Padmini, and her Jauhar (self sacrifice in a fire) rather than be dishonored by Alauddin Khilji (the Sultan of Delhi) is a part of the history of India, and the tales of her beauty and valor are incredible. So, the serial takes the story of her life (read an article on Wikipedia about her story). The few reactions that I have got from people about the serial (not too many people continue to see the serial after some time) are that they expected more drama, and that the serial seemed to have very colorful costumes, but was lacking in something.



The serial is about the story of Rani Padmini and Prince Ratan Singh of Chittod. King Ratan Singh is already married to Nagmati, but falls in love with Padmini, the daughter of the king of Singhaldweep. He appeals to her parents to let him marry her, even without the permission of his parents, and they finally agree. After some drama where Padmini is kidnapped and then rescued by Ratan Singh, she enters the Chittod royal palace against the wishes of Nagmati, and has to face some rivalry from her.

Cast:

Tejaswini Lonari...Rani Padmini
Rohit Bakshi...King Ratnasen
Mukesh Rishi...Allah-ud-din Khilji

Videos of the serial "Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur"

Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur (episode 32) 16 July 2009 part 1



Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur (episode 32) 16 July 2009 part 2



Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur (episode 32) 16 July 2009 part 3



Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur (episode 32) 16 July 2009 part 4