Review: Sony TV's Bharat Ka Veer Putra - Maharana Pratap

India has a rich and vibrant history. It was known as the magical country of rajas and maharajas who were known for their valour. The newly launched Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap (Contiloe Entertainment) on Sony Entertainment Television, as its name signifies presents to you the tale of Maharana Pratap. The show has opened with a bang with an impressive opening episode. Indeed, mega star Amitabh Bachchan did the introductory voice over which was beautifully penned. Kudos to the dialogue writer for having introduced the age old tale of Maharana Pratap with grandeur simultaneously bringing out the courageous spirit of the Rajput warriors. The map of India marked with the names of the ancient kingdoms of India corresponding to the times of Maharana Pratap was sprawled out during the narration which helped the viewers to clearly understand the political scenario of the era in a snap shot. Moreover, the introductory speech instilled a sense of national pride and unity which a good historical series should do. The first episode of any series is crucial as it is the expository episode. The debut episode of this series was flawless in the exposition. It crisply, simply and artistically conveyed to the viewers the personality of the child Maharana Pratap- his undaunted bravery, humility, courteous nature, pride for his kingdom and ancestral heritage and what a sweet and obedient son he was to both his biological mother and step mothers. The life of the royal family of Maharana Pratap was depicted with finesse. The sets which are in a semi-arid region of Gujarat are magnanimous. In fact, the passersby on the highway adjoining it may be mistaken to think that it is an ancient historical site as it has been built with meticulous care and is very convincing. The scene in which the maharani is preparing for a grand puja had been etched out in grandeur. The interior of the royal palace was looking all the more beautiful with the oil lamps. The family museum had beautiful paintings of all the forefathers of Rana Pratap. The aerial view of the kingdom perched atop a hill top dappled in greenery in the arid region of Mewar looked splendidly eye-catching. To sum up the pages of a history book seemed to come alive. The cinematography of this epic series is laudable. It is after all a must that historicals should stand out in their camera work. The chiaroscuro effect of silhouettes of warriors fighting in the background of the setting sun, of the cavalry crossing the desert sand dunes, the aerial view of the young prince sprinting ahead were all artistically photographed. The series depicts an era when there were no indoor lights. The cinematography team has made it seem as if just oil lamps had lit up the puja room in the indoor scene. The outdoor scenes shot at the backdrop of the sun at various times of the day were also well done. The costumes of the royal family, especially that of the queens have been designed excellently. The actresses enacting the respective queens- Rajshree Thakur who plays Maharani Jayawanta Bai Songara, Aashka Goradia who plays Maharani Bhatiyani and Divyaalakshmi who plays Maharani SajjaBai have carried themselves very well in their costumes and jewellery. All of them have understood their respective roles very well as three co-wives of different personalities. The makeup artist has enhanced the beauty of the already beautiful actresses. The most impressive performance however was that of Shakti Anand who plays Maharana Udai Singh, the father of Maharana Pratap who loves his homeland and can come up with ingenious plans to overthrow the enemy instead of the straight forward war method. He seems to be living the character he is playing. The dialogue writer has done good work. He has given all the characters- both adult and children different complexions as far as their personalities are concerned. The courage of the royal Rajput clan has been portrayed well through the dialogues. The family history of the royal ancestors were composed in impressive verse. The only downside of the show was that the Afghan head seemed to be painted in a too villainous avatar. Even if the Afghans were cruel and ruthless as shown in the series, maybe the reason as to why they were like that should be shown. Agreed that Maharana Pratap is the hero of this historical serial but that doesn’t mean that the enemy has to be portrayed as wholly wicked to simply things for the viewers as far as characterisation is concerned. We hope that in future when Maharana Pratap’s adversary Emperor Akbar is shown, he is depicted as the gallant king with a liberal outlook, just as he was in real life as per history books. This is a very promising show. We hope that the forthcoming episodes are as impressive as the debut one.