The Sword of Tipu Sultan

The Sword of Tipu Sultan is an Indian historical drama that was first broadcast on the DD National in February 1990. Based on a novel by Bhagwan Gidwani, this drama was a portrayal of the life and times of Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler of Mysore, the series was widely praised for its casting and grandeur.[1]

The Sword of Tipu Sultan
DVD cover of The Sword of Tipu Sultan
Created byNumero Uno International
Based onThe Sword of Tipu Sultan
by Bhagwan Gidwani
Written byBhagwan Gidwani
Directed bySanjay Khan and Akbar Khan
StarringSanjay Khan
Malvika Tiwari
Maya Alagh
Deepika Chikhalia
Anant Mahadevan
Mukesh Rishi
Shahbaz Khan
ComposerNaushad
Country of originIndia
No. of episodes52
Production
ProducerSanjay Khan
Production locationsPremiere Studio, Mysore
CinematographyBasheer Ali
Running timeapproximately 45 minutes
Release
Original networkDD National
Original releaseFebruary 25, 1990 (1990-02-25) –
February 17, 1991 (1991-02-17)

The drama faced many obstacles including a major fire that burnt down the Premier Studios, Mysore and claimed 62 lives.[2]

Production

The television drama was produced by the company Numero Uno International owned by movie director and producer Sanjay Khan.[3] Akbar Khan (Sanjay Khan' brother), directed the first 20 episodes over a span of 18 months.[4] The remaining episodes were directed by Sanjay Khan, and he also played the leading role of Tipu Sultan. A total of 52 episodes were shot, some of them in the Premier Studios in Mysore, Karnataka. Whereas, the Music was composed by legendary Naushad and was photographed by Basheer Ali.

The drama was based on a novel of the same name, written by the Montreal-based author Bhagwan S Gidwani.[5] The novel was a best-seller, having sold about 200,000 copies, translated into many languages and reprinted in 44 editions. Apart from being the author, Gidwani also wrote the screenplay and script for the 60 episodes. The last few episodes were shot after the fire accident, a few years later. Other prominent actors who were chosen for this drama included Seema Kelkar, Anant Mahadevan, Mukesh Rishi, Shahbaz Khan and Deepika Chikhalia.

Cast

Broadcast

The drama was first telecast in Hindi on the Doordarshan channel in February 1990. In 2001, it was also telecast on Star Plus.[6] The episodes were dubbed in Bengali and broadcast on BTV in the early 1990s and into Tamil and broadcast on the DD Podhigai channel in 2006.[7] In the BTV broadcast, certain portions of dialogue were censored. Outside the subcontinent, the drama was shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom during the early 1990s. Other countries included Iran, Indonesia and Mauritius. An original pack of 12 DVDs was later released.[8]

A still from The Sword of Tipu Sultan with Sanjay Khan as Tipu Sultan (right)

Controversies

Fire

A major fire accident took place on 8 February 1989, in the Premier Studios of Mysore where the drama was being shot. Unavailability of firefighting equipment and ignorance of fire safety standards have been quoted as the major reasons.[9] Loose wiring and absence of ventilators were further causes for the fire to spread. Instead of fire-proofing material, the walls had gunny bags and the temperature rose to around 120°C (248°F) because of huge lights being used for the shooting. All these factors contributed to the massive fire; the final death toll was 62. Sanjay Khan himself suffered major burns and had to spend 13 months in hospital and undergo 72 surgeries. An ex-gratia amount of Rs.5000 was paid to the victims.[10]

Awards

For his work on this drama, Sanjay Khan received the Gem of India Award.[11]

References
  1. "Lessons From History". Indian Express. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  2. S N Deepak. "A doyen of film production". Online edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2004-08-01. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  3. "Numero Uno tie-up with Chandamama for TV series". Online edition of The Hindu Business Line, dated 2000-05-21. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  4. "I wanted Ash as Mumtaz Mahal". Online Webpage of Rediff.com, dated 2003-02-18. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  5. "Sindhis in Canada". SindhiTrade.com. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  6. "Brave Heart". Online edition of The Tribune, dated 2001-02-11. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  7. Chitra Swaminathan. "The return of the Sultan". Online edition of The Hindu, dated 2006-05-20. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  8. The Sword of Tipu Sultan
  9. "Film studios are fire traps: Experts". Online edition of The Times of India, dated 2004-02-21. 21 February 2004. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  10. "Written Answers to Questions". Online webpage of the Parliament of India. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
  11. "The Man behind". Online Webpage of Golden Palms Hotels and Spa. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
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