NDTV Imagine's New Serial "Meera Bai" (Full Details)
About the Show:
- Meera - Krishna Se Laagi Aisi Lagan Ek Rajkuvri Bani Jogan is an Indian historical drama television series produced by Sagar Pictures and written by Vipul Mehta. It is based on the life of Meera Bai, a 15th-century Hindu mystic and poet whose lyrical songs of devotion to the god Krishna are widely popular in northern India. The series, aired on NDTV Imagine from 27 July 2009 till 29 January 2010.
NDTV Imagine's Meera, produced by Sagar Pictures has gone thro' lot of detailing with regards to the grand sets, extravagant costumes and jewellery used...
The beautiful bedroom of Meera
NDTV Imagine brings to life one of the country's most loved classics Meera - the story of the legendary princess Meera, who renounced the luxuries of royal life and became the greatest devotee of Lord Krishna.
Produced by Sagar Pictures, one of televisions' most renowned storytellers this celestial epic of Meera will start this Monday July 27th and will air every Monday to Friday at 8.00 p.m only on Imagine.
In order to ensure the success of the show, the producers are paying attention to every minute aspect of the show. A lot of thought and effort has been put into designing the sets of the show keeping in mind the period.
Art director Chokas Bhardwaj was roped in to design the sets of Meera. It is for the first time after Jodha Akbar that a set of this magnitude has been made specifically for television.
Sitting room of Meera
The production team visited places like Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Pokhran, Mohangadh, Samodh and many other locations in Rajasthan to come up with an authentic set design and art work. Apart from various royal palaces in India, the team even visited Khudki- the birth place of Meera. Materials were shipped in from all over Rajasthan especially from Jodhpur as the referencing from there was most authentic. Attention has also been given to finer details like the curtains which have been especially hand-crafted. Artisans and s****ed workers were hired for this task after an extensive search as nowadays mainly machine woven materials are available.
Meera's Terrace
An entire team of over 500 workers each working in shifts was hired to recreate the magic of Rajasthan in Baroda. There are about 7 different sets that have been constructed for the show, ranging from the palace darbar to the various bedrooms. But the biggest of them all is a 3 storey palace exterior with a wide courtyard, open kitchens, terraces, towers etc... The palace has about 100 hand crafted pillars which took about 6 months to build right from planning to execution.
Utmost care has been taken while designing the costumes for the artistes on the show. Designed by Sheela Sagar, a wide variety of fabrics have been used right from silks to brocades to cotton. Some of the fabrics used for Meera's lehengas have been brought directly from Jaipur and Rajasthan. The existing richness of the fabric has been adorned with a variety of embroidered zardosi borders and kundan work.
Meera's Camel Carriage
The bright colors used for Meera as a child, symbolize the kind of person she was; vibrant, outspoken and a happy princess madly in love with her Krishna.
Bright colors are also used keeping in mind the Rajput preference as they always loved to dress up in the best of clothes and jewellery. Even clothes for Meera's parents, uncles, aunts and cousins have been designed keeping in mind the character of every person. The fabrics used are the same for everyone to add exclusive richness to the show.
Says Meenakshi Sagar, Sagar Pictures "A lot of research and effort has gone into the designing of the costumes in Meera. Right from the colors, to the fabric to the embroidery, care has been taken to keep the authenticity of that era alive. The jewellery was difficult to design as we did not want to repeat anything done before nor did we want to go overboard with the look of the characters. So almost all the pieces are exclusive and have been hand-made".
The cute Meera - Up Close
With regards to the jewellery of Princess Meera, a lot of attention to detail has been given keeping the era in mind. In the show, the young princess will wear simple designs in kundan, gold and semi precious stones that go well with her age and attitude. Even the men of the family will wear jewellery keeping in mind their true Rajput spirit with pearls being the highlight of them all.
The characters in Meera will be essayed by a new generation of actors – Aashika Bhatia all of 9 years will be seen playing the lead of young Meera, the key characters of Veer Kunwari (Meera's mother) will be played by Gauri Harmit Kaur and Ratan Singh (Meera's dad) will be played by Kunal Bakshi respectively. Paras Arora will be seen playing Meera's cousin brother while Twara Desai will be seen playing Meera's friend Lalita.
Meera with her eternal lover- Krishna
Catch the Saga of Meera on Imagine from July 27, every Monday – Friday at 8.00 pm.
Meera's chambermaid helps to do her hair
Story, Plot:
- Meera, the great poet saint was born a princess in Khudki in Rajasthan in the early 16th century. Her father was Ratan Singh — the youngest son of Rao Dooda, the then ruler of Merta a small state in Marwar. From the time of her birth, it was predicted by Raidasji (a great saint) that Meera was meant for greater things and that her family would be known in through the decades because of her achievements.
- When Meera is about 8–9 years old she wants a Gudda (doll) whom she can marry. Saint Raidas-ji gives her Lord Krishna's idol, and Meera immediately falls in love with the Lord. Meera truly believes that the Lord is her husband.
- Soon after, her marriage is fixed with Bhoj Raj, the son of Rana Sangha of Chittor. But Meera remained, in mind, heart and soul, married to the Lord and never accepted the prince as her husband. After marriage her life was constantly engulfed in turmoil, as very few could understand her devotion and faith towards Lord Krishna. She was soft-spoken, mild-mannered, gifted, sweet and sang with a melodious voice. She was one of the foremost exponents of the Prema Bhakti (Divine Love) and an inspired poet.
- Soon Meera starts to care for Bhoj Raj but is rigid to accept him as her husband; he dies fighting in a war. After which soon Rana Sangha too dies while fighting. Thus Vikramaditya is made the new Rana (king). He desperately starts having feelings for Meera, who is somehow every time saved by her mother-in-law. She soon leaves Chittod, with a heavy heart with Lalita. She gives her Krishna idol to her mother-in-law, saying that the idol had her life since childhood. But, as fate had she returns to Merta just to know that her brother, Jaimall has died. After spending some years there she goes on pilgrimage to Dwarka and Vrindavan. She disappears within the Lord's idol, making to know that she has attained Moksha and has reached her lord, after years of service. Lalita too gives up her life by jumping into the sea, as "wherever there is Meera, there is Lalita".
- Through this show, the attempt to portray Meera's story is as that of an ordinary Rajput princess whose ultimate love and devotion to the Lord led her to question the set norms of the patriarchal society. It is a story relevant even in today's day and age as Meera embodies a woman's true love and her ultimate sacrifice to remain loyal to that love even in the face of social stigma and opposition. A story of unquestioning and pure love.
Star Cast:
- Aditi Sajwan as Meera
- Aashika Bhatia as young Meera
- Gauri Singh as Veer Kunwari: Meera's mother and Ratan Singh's wife.
- Kunal Bakshi as Ratan Singh: Meera's father.
- Paras Arora as Jaimall: Meera's cousin brother.
- Shreya Laheri as Lalita: Meera's best friend since childhood.
- Twara Desai as Lalita: Desai replaced Laheri
- Ravi Jhankal as Rao Doodaji: Meera's grandfather.
- Abhilin Pandey as Bhojraj: Meera's husband
- Zeb Khan as Vikramaditya: Bhojraj's half brother
- Arvind Rao Suriya as Saint Raidas as Meera's spiritual Guru.
- Prachee Pathak as Rani Karnavati: Bhojraj's mother and Meera's mother-in-law
- Raza Murad as Rana Sanga: Bhojraj and Vikramaditya's father
A Timeless Saga of Immortal Love Comes Alive… On Imagine in the divine Love Story of Lord Krishna’s staunchest devotee, the Princess Meerabai...
- It is a story of love in its purest form… of devotion and dedication… of melody and harmony… brought alive by televisions' most renowned storytellers. Imagine brings to life one of the country's most loved classics - the story of the legendry princess Meerabai, who renounced the luxuries of royal life and became the greatest devotee of Lord Krishna. This celestial epic is being recreated for television by Sagar Pictures for NDTV Imagine.
-
- Meera is the story of a young Rajput princess whose love and devotion to Lord Krishna made her give up everything and thus elevated her to the status of a saint. Legend has it that when young Meera was just four years of age, she found herself to be deeply drawn towards Lord Krishna. As she grew older, her desire to be with her Lord grew more intense and she resolved to be committed to him forever. Despite being forced into marriage with another man (Prince Bhoj Raj), she defied the social norms and continued to worship Lord Krishna as her lover. She went on to compose many devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna which are sung to this day with great reverence across the country. These bhajans have been regarded by scholars to be of very high literary value.
- Much has been written about Meera's life as a 'jogan' however the show will explore her life from her childhood days and the influences and events that led her to become Meerabai the 'jogan'. It will trace the trials and triumphs of this staunch Krishna bhakt, providing audiences with an insight into the life of this strong woman, who remains an inspiration to women even today.
- The characters in Meera will be essayed by a new generation of actors – Aashika Bhatia all of 9 years will be seen playing the lead of young Meera, the key characters of Veer Kunwari (Meera's mother) will be played by Gauri Harmit Kaur and Ratan Singh (Meera's dad) will be played by Kunal Bakshi respectively. Paras Arora will be seen playing Meera's cousin brother while Twara Desai will be seen playing Meera's friend Lalita.
- Announcing the launch of this tale of devotion, Shailja Kejriwal, EVP- Content, NDTV Imagine said, "It is one of the most passionate yet pure love stories of our culture. Meerabai's music and poetry adds another dimension to this fascinating tale. Our version of this timeless classic has been interpreted to cater to the taste of today's audience and we aim to tell her story in a persuasive, entertaining manner. It is truly a story that has been waiting to be told! ".
- Commenting on the show Moti Sagar, Sagar Pictures said, "Much legend has been gathered around the name of Meera and we are really happy to be able to present her story to Indian audiences through this show. The story of Meera is a classic example of love so pure that it goes beyond all artificial boundaries that human beings create. The show will project Meera's life right since childhood within a setting of authentic detailing and classic costumes."
- Catch the saga of Meera coming soon only on NDTV Imagine.
|
06-15-2009, 05:46 PM
