Undeterred by the fate of the Bhagat Singhs at the box office, the small screen is all set to see the unfurling of another mega scale historical - Aamrapali.

Slated for telecast on Doordarshan's national network from 30 June, this 104-episode one-hour weekly mytho based in 600 BC is a combination of good production values, drama, conflict, politics, deceit, lust, greed, action, music, some good choreography and classical dances.

The serial will be telecast every Sunday at 11 pm. Produced by D Ventakeshwar Rao and co-produced by entrepreneur Dhilin Mehta, the serial is directed by Ravi Kemmu, earlier associated with Shyam Benegal's Bharat Ek Khoj. "We had to erect a huge multi-functional set that cost us Rs 40 million. The set has all the required shooting areas of the period like villages, palaces, Raj Darbar, dance room, ponds, markets and so on. It's the biggest set ever created in the history of Indian television," says Dhilin.

When asked whether the highly Sanskritized version of Hindi used in the serial will not be a deterrent to urban viewers, Kemmu says, "When I was young I did not understand English, yet I would eagerly watch English movies. The same applies here. I feel Aamrapali is a very interesting and dramatic subject and will attract viewers for its content."

It remains to be seen though whether these will also yield matching profits.

Click here for a detailed story on the making of Aamrapali

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