Siyaasat

Last updated

Siyaasat
Genre Historical fiction
Based onThe Twentieth Wife
by Indu Sundaresan
Directed bySiddharth Anand Kumar,Jay Dev Banerjee, Danish Aslam, Yogesh Bhati, Rishab Seth
StarringCharu Shankar
Sudhanshu Pandey
Uday Tikekar
Deepika Amin
Shaynam Ladakhi
Jannat Zubair Rahmani
Country of originIndia
Original languageHindi
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes42
Production
ProducerJay Dev Banerjee
Production location Rajasthan
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time60 minutes
Production companyIndigo Creation Productions
Original release
Network The EPIC Channel
Release20 November 2014 (2014-11-20)

Siyaasat (English: Politics) is a 2014 Indian fictional drama which aired on The EPIC Channel. [1] The series is an adaptation of the popular 2002 award-winning fictional novel The Twentieth Wife by author Indu Sundaresan. [2]

Contents

The series revolves around Mughal politics, inter-personal conflicts, sabotage, grandeur, power and the love between Prince Salim (the Mughal emperor Jahangir) and Mehrunissa also known as Nur Jahan, who was Salim's twentieth and final wife. [2] [3] It is now available on EPIC On, EPIC TV's streaming platform and on Prime Video as well.

Plot

Siyaasat is mainly about the journey of Mehrunissa to become Nur Jahan. It is based in the era of Mughal rule where Akbar is the Emperor. The show focuses on the battle between the princes to become the heir to the throne and also on Salim - Mehrunissa's love story. The other prominent aspects of the show are the politics in the harem between Jagat Gosaini, Ruqaiya Sultan Begum and other women, the rivals of Akbar like Malik Amber, Chand Bibi and Rana Pratap and the political turmoil in Akbar's court between Abul Fazl, Mirza Ghias Beg and Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana

Cast

Production

The series was shot over a period of six months in Bikaner, Rajasthan, [4] with the Laxmi Niwas Palace acting as a substitute for Emperor Akbar's palace in Lahore. Costumes for the series have been designed by Pia Benegal, the daughter of director Shyam Benegal. [7]

Charu Shankar made her Indian television debut with Siyaasat. She described how she bagged the lead role, "I had read all three books in the Taj Mahal trilogy and liked them. The producers called me and said that they were trying to make a Game of Thrones-style series out of it, to which I said, "Excellent. What role do you want me for?" And that is when I got to know that it was for Mehrunissa [Nur Jahan's birth name]. I was driving at that moment and I almost banged my car out of excitement." Shankar described how she prepared for the role of Nur Jahan. "I had a month to prepare for the role before we went to Bikaner, which is where we shot the series. I happened to be doing an art history course at the National Museum at that time and I spent it at the gallery studying Mughal miniatures and trying to imagine the world that Mehrunissa lived in." [4]

The show has been shot across various scenic locales in Rajasthan and real palaces of Bikaner.[ citation needed ] Siyaasat brings alive the decadent lifestyle, architecture, art, and stories of the Mughal royalty. [8] [ failed verification ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jahangir</span> Mughal emperor from 1605 to 1627

Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim, known by his imperial name Jahangir, was the fourth Mughal emperor, who ruled from 1605 until his death in 1627. He was the third and only surviving son of Akbar and his chief empress, Mariam-uz-Zamani, born to them in the year 1569. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Jahan</span> Mughal emperor from 1628 to 1658

Mirza Shahab-ud-Din Baig Muhammad Khan Khurram, also known as Shah Jahan I, was the fifth Mughal emperor, reigning from 1628 until 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mughals reached the peak of their architectural achievements and cultural glory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mumtaz Mahal</span> Empress consort of the Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1631

Mumtaz Mahal was the empress consort of Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1631 as the chief consort of the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, often cited as one of the Wonders of the World, was commissioned by her husband to act as her tomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nur Jahan</span> Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire

Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anarkali</span> Legendary 16th-century tawaif

Anarkali is a legendary woman said to be loved by the 16th-century Mughal Prince Salim, who later became Emperor Jahangir. According to some accounts, Anarkali was the nickname of the tawaif Sharf-un-Nisa, though scholars hold varying opinions.

<i>Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story</i> 2005 Indian film

Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story is a 2005 Indian historical drama film directed by Akbar Khan. The film starred Kabir Bedi, Sonya Jehan, Manisha Koirala, Arbaaz Khan, Vaquar Shaikh, Rahil Azam and Pooja Batra in the title roles. The film was released on 18 November in India.

Mihr-un-nissa Begum, also known as Banu Begum and Bahu Begum, and better known as Ladli Begum, was the daughter of Empress Nur Jahan and her first husband Sher Afgan of the Mughal Empire. She was the wife of Prince Shahryar Mirza, son of Emperor Jahangir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirza Ghiyas Beg</span> Official in the Mughal empire

Mirza Ghiyas Beg, also known by his title of I'timad-ud-Daulah, was an important Persian official in the Mughal Empire, whose children served as wives, mothers, and generals of the Mughal emperors.

Ali Quli Istajlu, also known by his later, given name of Sher Afgan Khan was a Turkoman who initially served the Safavids, and later became a Mughal courtier, becoming the jagirdar of Burdwan in West Bengal (1605–1607). He was also the first husband of Nur Jahan (Mehrunissa), who later married Jahangir after Ali Quli Khan's death and became Empress of India and the power behind the emperor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khusrau Mirza</span> Mughal prince (1587–1622)

Khusrau Mirza was the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his first wife, Shah Begum. The young prince displayed exceptional skills and wisdom and had the privilege to be groomed by the Mughal Emperor (Akbar) himself for the throne of the Mughal Empire. He turned out to be the most capable and qualified son of Jahangir but was befallen by an unfortunate destiny. Being Jahangir's eldest son, he was the heir-apparent to his father but Jahangir favoured his son Khurram Mirza as he held an animosity against Khusrau.

Begum is a female title which is also used in Mirza families/lineages, Daughter of Beg or Wife of Beg, a given name and surname.

Shaykh Khūbū, better known as Quṭb ad-Dīn Khān Kokah was the Mughal subahdar of Bengal Subah during the reign of the emperor Jahangir. He was appointed governor of Bengal on 2 September 1606 and died in office on 20 May 1607.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan</span> Grand Vizier (Prime minister) of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan

Abu'l-Hasan entitled by the Mughal emperor Jahangir as Asaf Khan, was the Grand Vizier of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. He previously served as the vakil of Jahangir. Asaf Khan is perhaps best known for being the father of Arjumand Banu Begum, the chief consort of Shah Jahan and the older brother of Empress Nur Jahan, the chief consort of Jahangir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagat Gosain</span> Empress Consort of Mughal Emperor Jahangir

Manavati Bai, also spelled Manvati Bai,, better known by her title, Jagat Gosain, was the second wife and the empress consort of the fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir and the mother of his successor, Shah Jahan.

Ruqaiya Sultan Begum was the first and chief wife of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Begum (wife of Jahangir)</span> Chief consort of Mughal Emperor Jahangir

Shah Begum ; was the first wife and chief consort of Prince Salim. She was known as Zan-i-Kalan being the first wife of Salim. She was a Rajput princess by birth and committed suicide shortly before the succession of her husband to the royal throne. She was the mother of the eldest daughter and son of Prince Salim, Sultan-un-Nissa Begum and Khusrau Mirza.

Saliha Banu Begum was the chief consort of Emperor Jahangir. She was the Padshah Begum for the most part of the reign of her emperor husband until her death in the year 1620.

Parhez Banu Begum was a Mughal princess, the first child and eldest daughter of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan from his first wife, Qandahari Begum. She was also the older half-sister of her father's successor, the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Asmat Begum was the wife of Mirza Ghias Beg, the Prime minister of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, and the mother of Mughal empress Nur Jahan, the power behind the emperor. Asmat Begum was also the paternal grandmother of Empress Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the Taj Mahal was built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khas Mahal</span> Chief Wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir

Khas Mahal, meaning "The exquisite one of the palace", was one of the chief wives of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.

References

  1. "Can a mythology and history-based channel be an #EpicWin?". Best Media Info. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 "A genuinely interesting TV serial at last?". Deccan Herald. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  3. "Mahesh Samat's 'Epic' run to begin on November 19". AFaqs. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "The reigning queen of Siyaasat: Charu Shankar on playing Noor Jehan". The Sunday Guardian. 3 January 2015. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  5. ""We know we have to work on awareness level," says Epic's Mahesh Samat". Indian Television.com. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  6. 1 2 "India's first genre-specific Hindi entertainment channel, The EPIC Channel, to go on air". Times of India. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  7. Team, Tellychakkar (10 March 2014). "Pia Benegal designs costumes for Samvidhaan". Tellychakkar.com. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  8. "Siyaasat: Celebration turns into a murder plot". The Times of India. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2015.