70 years of Independence Indian television shows that were based on our freedom struggle

India is celebrating its 70th Independence Day on August 15. We have not achieved the same overnight but it has taken a lot of sacrifices and compromises by our great country men and women for so many years. There are several movies which have depicted the Indian struggle for freedom against British rule. Be it ‘Mangal Pandey: the Rising’, or ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’ or ‘Gandhi’, Bollywood has produced many such movies. Not many know that the small screen too has produced several path breaking shows based on Indian independence struggle over the past few years. Indian television shows have been made where the key plot centered round our freedom struggle. Why not catch up with them on this Independence Day? Have a look at the shows.

Bharat Ek Khoj was a historical drama which covered every aspect of India, right from its beginning to its independence in 1947. The show which was based on India’s first Prime Minister Jawarharlal Nehru book ‘Discovery of India’ aired on Doordarshan. The show was helmed by celebrated Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal. The magnum opus had an awesome star-line up in the form of Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Alok Nath, Roshan Seth, Shabana Azmi, Pallavi Joshi. The list goes on and on. Om Puri not only acted but also gave his voice to the show as a narrator.

Yug was a fiction show which brought the story of our Indian freedom fighters and their constant struggle to achieve freedom from British rule. The show was aired on Doordarshan from 1996 to 1998. The series had an impressive star cast in the form of Hema Malini, Javed Khan, Neena Gupta, Mukesh Khanna, Pankaj Dheer. Several Bollywood actors were part of the show which also dealt with the era after independence.

‘1857 Kranti’ is regarded to be one of the best shows on Indian television which was based on the ‘Revolt of 1857’. It gave television audience an inside picture about the revolt and what were its consequences. Kranti telecasted on Doordarshan was one of the costliest shows during its time and the budget even touched Rs. 16 crore. The portrayal of the people who sacrificed so much for the freedom of india was up to the mark and was very much appreciated by the people. The show boasted of a strong actors like Maya Alagh, Tej Sapru, Siraj Mustafa Khan and many others.

'Ek Veer Stree Ki Kahaani-Jhansi Ki Rani' was a historical show which aired on Zee TV from 2009 to 2011. The show focused on the life of Lakshmi Bai, who was the queen of Jhansi. Kratika Sengar played the role of Rani Lakshmi Bai while the younger version was played by Ulka Gupta.The show portrayed Rani Lakhsmi Bai's defiance against the British and the various facets of her which were not known to many people. One should watch the show to see how an ordinary woman became a strong proponent of Indian freedom movement.