Mirza Ghalib TV Serial - Doordarshan DD National (DD1)

Mirza Ghalib was a biographical television serial that aired on Indian television channel Doordarshan or DD National in the year 1988. The show was based on the life of famous Urdu and Persian poet or Shayyar Mirza Ghalib. “Mirza Ghalib “was written, directed and produced by acclaimed Hindi film personality Sampooran Singh Kalra who was more famously known by his pen name Gulzar. Mirza Ghalib was the classical , iconic and famous Urdu and Persian poet or shayyar in the Mughal Court during the British Colonial Rule.

It was during the lifetime of Mirza Ghalib Sahab that the Mughal Empire perished and was deposed and wiped off from the face of Indian subcontinent after the great revolt of 1857 by the British. He was notably the last poet of the Mughal era. Mirza Ghalib wrote many poems, songs better known as Ghazals related to and during the time of the great rebellion of 1857 which subsequently led to the establishment of the British Rule in India.

Mirza Ghalib was bestowed with the title “Dabir-Ul-Mulk” and “Najm-Ud-Badar” by the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II. His most notable and memorable poems and ghazals are written in Urdu and Persian. In today’s date, he’s not only famous in India and Pakistan but all over the world. He died on Feb 21, 1879, at Delhi, British India.

In the TV series “Mirza Ghalib, the lead role of Ghalib Sahaab was portrayed by veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah. The most prominent feature of the show was the Ghazals which were composed and sung by the musical duo Jagjit Singhji and Chitra Singhji. The musical score of this show went on to become a cult classic in the Indian subcontinent and it is considered till date Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh’s Magnum Opus. The cast of the TV show “Mirza Ghalib” comprised of stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah (as Mirza Ghalib), Tanvi Azmi (as Umrao Begum-Mirza Ghalib’s wife) and Neena Gupta (as Nawab Jaan-the courtesan lover of Mirza Ghalib). This TV show gained immense popularity among the audiences not only in India but throughout the Indian Subcontinent.