Sea Hawks is an Indian TV series that aired on Doordarshan DD Metro channel in the late 1998. The story was based on the life and times of the Indian Coast Guard officers. The series stars Om Puri, R Madhavan, Niki Aneja, Leelawar Tendulkar, Anup Soni, Simone Singh, Manoj Pahwa, Milind Soman and others. It was directed by Anubhav Sinha and produced by Anirudhya Mitra of UTV. Later, it was directed by Shivam Nair while Anubhav Sinha took up the writing of the show. Sea Hawks was the only Indian television action drama series that was shot on land, air, water and under the water in various locations including Mumbai, Goa, Daman and Mauritius. The series aired again in 2001 on DD Metro, 2002 on Star Plus network. It was produced by UTV.
The era of the 1990s was the timing of some of the most excellent TV shows that came out on Indian television and also that never will. There cannot be any comparison to any of the TV shows cast in those days. Especially the channel Doordarshan still counts as one of the channels with the shows that are remembered most by the audience. Unlike present day’s shows, in the 1990s, shows ranged from broad concepts. Some concentrated on stories of distant Indian villages while some revolved around mythology. It was also the time when there were serials on comedy and religion.
One of the shows that had a very different concept from most other shows is Sea Hawk. It is still one of the top television shows on Indian television. Sea Hawk had such a story that no other show till now has shown. The story was on adventures and expeditions. In those days, a show with such a storyline was bound to gain a lot of attention. Even today, there is hardly any serial which has a story like that of Sea Hawk. It took the audience through an amazing journey of wild and mesmerizing underwater experiences. The show revolved around the coastguards. How these men protected the waters of the country and their experiences. The way they made sure that no illegal activity was going on near the coast.
The Sea Hawk serial gave the viewers an entirely different storyline that revolves around a unique idea that is, the Navy. It showed the complexities faced by the coastguards along with their emotions. The underwater sequences were the most thrilling to watch. It was one of the first shows on TV to telecast such a story and such things on the screen for the first time. The show Sea Hawk episodes were so popular among the viewers that they still expect a second season of the show to come up. Sea Hawks’ cast included some famous TV actors as well Bollywood artists today. Anubhav Sinha was the director.
R Madhavan who is known for films like Tanu Weds Manu and 3 Idiots was a part of the cast as Lieutenant Commander Preet. Padma Shri winner Om Puri played Uncle Sam was also seen in the serial in Bajrangi Bhaijaan recently was a vital member of the cast. Milind Soman who is also a well-known face Bollywood played the role of Commander Vikram Rajpoot. Anup Soni was ACP Kumar in the show is now a famous face as the host of crime shows. Lastly, there was Niki Aneja Walia played Dr. Natasha. The show continues to be one of the most popular shows on TV.
The plot revolves around the activities of a mafia don's network, the coast guard, and the police and includes underwater and action sequences.
- Anup Soni as ACP Kumar
- Simone Singh as Rupal, Kumar's wife
- R. Madhavan as Deputy Commandant Preet
- Niki Aneja as Dr Natasha
- Manoj Pahwa as Mafia kingpin Dev Bhamra
- Om Puri as Uncle Sam
- Milind Soman as Commandant Vikram Rajpoot
- Vineet Kumar