The
end of March may bring better tidings for Doordarshan, the
Indian behemoth pubcaster.
At a time when almost nearly all producers worth their salt
have ditched the national broadcaster, a historical serial
of rare canvas, Aamrapali, makes its bow on DD1.
And if the ultra lavish sets at Film City, Mumbai, are any
indication, this show may well go down as a truly memorable
serial.
The serial is produced by four individual entities comprising
two separate companies- DV Rao and LR Enterprises who make
up DVR Films and actor Amit Behl and budding entrepreneur
Dhilin Mehta who form Sri Ashtavinayak Telefilms. The directorial
burden falls on the shoulders of Vijay Pande (remembered
for The Thief Of Baghdad). The producers are all
gung-ho about the enterprise; there's more to come from
their stable - Agnipankh, a serial on the Indian
Air Force is all set to launch in about a month's time.
Aamrapali, set in ancient Vaishali, is the story
of the sudden transformation of a beautiful, innocent girl
into a mature adult. How this happens and how it transforms
her is what the story revolves around. Of course, adding
to the drama will be innumerable interesting elements absorbed
from events prevalent at the time.
On the sets, one comes across a plethora of animals and
junior artistes (a minimum 200 artistes are hired every
day) - all contributing an authentic village feel. The sets,
the canvas and the overall volume of it all is no doubt
very impressive. If the serial clicks, it might well resurrect
the somnolent pubcaster from its generally lacklustre programming.
Here's what the people involved with Aamrapali
have to say -
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