The Sword of Tipu Sultan (TV serial)

infobox television
show_name = The Sword of Tipu Sultan
format = Historical
runtime = approx. 45 min. (per episode)
creator = Bhagwan Gidwani (writer)
Sanjay Khan (producer/director)
Akbar Khan (directed first 20 episodes)
starring = Sanjay Khan
Maya Alagh
Deepika
Anant Mahadevan
Mukesh Rishi
Shahbaz Khan
country = India
| network = Doordarshan
num_episodes = 60
imdb_id = 0366104|

"The Sword of Tipu Sultan" was a television serial that was first broadcast on the Doordarshan channel in India in the year 1990. Based on a novel by Bhagwan Gidwani, this serial was a portrayal of the life and times of Tipu Sultan, the erstwhile ruler of Srirangapatna. The serial faced lot of controversies that included a major fire accident that took place on the sets in the year 1989. The fire which took place in the city of Mysore, burnt down a major portion of the Premier Studios where the serial was being shot and claimed 62 lives.cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/aug012004/ac2.asp|work=Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2004-08-01|author=S N Deepak|title=A doyen of film production|accessdate=2007-08-17]

Production

The television series was produced by the company "Numero Uno International" which was owned by Sanjay Khan.cite web|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/2000/05/21/stories/14211848.htm|work=Online Edition of The Hindu Business Line, dated 2000-05-21|title=Numero Uno tie-up with Chandamama for TV series|accessdate=2007-08-17] Akbar Khan, the brother of Sanjay Khan, directed the first 20 episodes of the serial for a period of 18 months.cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/feb/18akbar.htm|work=Online Webpage of Rediff.com, dated 2003-02-18|title=I wanted Ash as Mumtaz Mahal|accessdate=2007-08-17] The remaining episodes were directed by Sanjay Khan himself, 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 the city of Mysore in Karnataka. The serial was based on a novel of the same name, written by the Montreal-based author Bhagwan S Gidwani.cite web|url=http://www.sindhiinfo.com/nri/gidwani.asp|title=Sindhis in Canada|publisher=SindhiTrade.com|accessdate=2007-08-17] The novel was a best-seller, having sold about 200 thousand 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 of the serial. The last few episodes were shot after the fire accident, a few years later. Other prominent actors who were chosen for this serial included Anant Mahadevan, Mukesh Rishi, Shahbaz Khan and Deepika.

Telecast

The serial was first telecast in the Hindi / Urdu language on the Doordarshan channel in the year 1990. In 2001, it was also telecast on Star Plus.cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010211/spectrum/tv.htm|work=Online Edition of The Tribune, dated 2001-02-11|title=Brave Heart|accessdate=2007-08-17] The episodes were also translated into Bengali and broadcasted on the BTV in the early 1990s and into Tamil and broadcast on the DD Podhigai Channel in 2006.cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2006/05/20/stories/2006052000080200.htm|work=Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2006-05-20|author=Chitra Swaminathan|title= The return of the Sultan|accessdate=2007-08-17] . In the BTV broadcast, certain portions of dialogue were censored. Outside the Subcontinent, the serial was also shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom during the early 1990s. Other countries included Iran, Indonesia and Mauritius.

Controversy

Petition against release

Petitions were filed in the Supreme Court of India against the telecast of this serial. The petitioners argued that the serial was not based on the real life and deeds of Tipu Sultan.cite web|url=http://www.bharatvani.org/books/tipu/ch11.htm|author=Madhavrao D. Pathak|title=History of Legal Battle against the T.V. serial - The Sword of Tipu Sultan|accessdate=2007-08-17] After hearing the arguments, the Supreme Court gave a judgment that the serial could be telecasted but that a notice has to be displayed along with each episode stating: "No claim is made for the accuracy or authenticity of any episode being depicted in the serial. This serial is a fiction and has nothing to do either with the life or rule of Tipu Sultan. The serial is a dramatised presentation of Bhagwan Gidwani's novel."cite web|url=http://www.flonnet.com/fl2226/stories/20051230001705200.htm|work=Online Edition of The Frontline, Volume 22 - Issue 26, Dec. 17 - 30, 2005|author=A. G. Noorani|title=Menace to free speech|accessdate=2007-08-17]

Fire accident

A major fire accident took place on 8 February 1989 in the Premier Studios of Mysore where the serial was being shot. Non-availabilty of fire fighting equipment and ignorance of fire safety standards have been quoted as the major reasons for this fire.cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/509678.cms|title=Film studios are fire traps: Experts|work=Online Edition of The Times of India, dated 2004-02-21|accessdate=2007-08-17] 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, and 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 some of the victims of the fire.cite web|url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lsdeb/ls10/ses2/0218129101.htm|work=Online Webpage of the Parliament of India|title=Written Answers to Questions|accessdate=2007-08-18]

Awards

For his work in this serial, Sanjay Khan received the awards "The Gem of India Award for Excellence" and "The Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award".cite web|url=http://www.goldenpalmsspa.com/man.htm|work=Online Webpage of Golden Palms Hotels and Spa|title=The Man behind|accessdate=2007-08-17]

Notes