Kranti 1857 TV Serial - Doordarshan DD National (DD1)

The Indian Television industry involves two main categories in general. One being the ‘typical daily soaps’ as we call it which involves family drama, romance, comedy and much more. The other being the Indian Historical drama consisting of mythological stories based on reality which showcase the rich cultural heritage that belongs to India. Such shows require good characterization skills depicted in the show 1857- Kranti, which was one of the best TV serial based on Indian History and is still appreciated by most people.

It was directed by Sanjay Khan and produced by Numero Uno International Limited. It was aired on DD National on Sunday as the maximum audience watching such serials are free on Sundays. Kranti is one of the most costly TV show as the total cast and crew involved around 150 technicians, 80 artists, 150 horses, ten elephants, 50 camels and over 2000 sword fighters. The total cost of making the entire drama went up to around 16 crores. It showcased a royal picture of India as it was in 1857. Kranti is among the very few historical shows which are so authentic and real.

The main storyline revolves around the great Indian revolt of 1857 that took place and the consequences of it. This drama provides a different perspective of the Indian Freedom struggle. It portrays the sacrifices and compromises done by the people in to see India as an independent Nation. In this TV show, the situation in the entire Nation and the manner in which people used to live before the onset of the freedom struggle, what inspired them to take a step towards freedom, the life of women, children, youth, soldiers, the wars that took place, the number of people who gave up their lives and the heartbreaking scene of Indian soldiers have been described in detail. From the costumes till the sets and the body language while acting as each of the characters was worth an applause for the entire cast and crew of this drama.

Many people, especially the youth and the children today are unaware of the Indian Freedom struggle and the hardships faced by the people back then. This topic is just explained as a chapter of a few pages which children read and simply learn for the sake of exams at schools and colleges in India. Thus, it was necessary to make an appealing historical drama to serve the purpose of spreading knowledge and awareness about the freedom struggle among the youth of India.

It is an important aspect in the history of India and as responsible citizens of India, we must know the history of our country, in and out as it helps us evolve mentally and politically and form independent opinions. Kranti- 1857 did this job very well for which it is appreciated till date.

Cast: S.M. Zaheer as Bahadur Shah Zafar, Maya Alagh as Zeenat Mahal, TejSapru as Thomas Roe, Siraj Mustafa Khan as Sirajud- Daulah, Sunil Singh as Tatya Tope, Bhupinder Singh as Nana Sahib, Shashank Trivedi as teenager Nana Sahib.