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"To depict the life of Prithviraj Chauhan was my father, Dr Ramanand Sagar's, dream," says Prem Sagar. After ten years of research, Sagar Arts Productions, which made history with the success of Ramayana and Mahabharata, is ready with its next magnum opus Dharti Ka Veer Yodha-Prithviraj Chauhan which premieres tonight on STAR Plus.

Confident of their subject, Prem Sagar says, "Can writers yarn a tale more heroic, dramatic, intriguing and passionate than the life of Prithviraj Chauhan? Initially it hits you, but soon you start living in those palaces." Take this: A prince trained by the masters in the art of warfare, killed a lion with bare hands at age of 14; fell in love with his enemy's daughter and swept her off from her father's courtroom; resisted Mohammed Ghori's invasions, conquered his enemy but forgave him; but in the end was captured by Ghori who blinded the young king. The story doesn't end there. Since, despite his blindness, Prithviraj Chauhan set out to avenge himself.

From kitchen politics to courtroom intrigues, wasn't slotting a historical saga in the prime time slot (Friday-Sunday at 9 pm) a risky proposition for the channel? "We are excited about this project. Here's a young boy who was a valiant warrior, a dutiful son, a passionate lover and a powerful king...can there be a greater role model for the youth today?" questions Shailja Kejriwal, Senior Creative Director, STAR India and adds on a lighter note, "to take the place of Kaun Banega Crorepati which had an icon like Mr Amitabh Bachchan, we needed a hero no less than Prithviraj Chauhan."

And this is as big as television has ever got. Under the supervision of art designers Omung Kumar, Mukesh Kalola and Pavitra Rajaram, 150 workers burnt midnight lamps for six months to recreate the magic of the 11th century royalty on the sets at Baroda. Even the paintings are authentic Rajasthani artwork from actual palaces. Third generation Sagars, Shakti and Amrit, who are the series' director called for a team of 30 artists from Rajasthan, Ahmedabad and Anand in Gujarat, to hand paint all the walls, ceilings, and the floor!

Stay glued to your television sets to catch the first glimpse of Prithviraj who seems all ready to sweep the TRPs in his favour!

INSET: It wasn't easy for them...

Jas Arora-King Someshwar, Prithviraj's father: "Initially I was apprehensive of playing this role, but when I realised this character is not that of a 60-year-old patriach but of a valiant king who dies young, I was game."

Milind Gunaji, King Vijaypal of Kannauj, Sanyogita's grandfather: "For the role, I had to mentally prepare myself to wear outfits weighing 20 kg in Baroda's heat. On the sets, I was saddled with the most disobedient horse!"

Rajat Tokas, young Prithviraj: "My uncle advised me, 'Rajkumar hamesha sher ki chaal chalta hai (a prince always walks like a lion)'. So I practised the fearless gait in front of the mirror. To get the right look of the character, despite studying in school, I haven't cut my hair for the past seven months now."

Angad Bedi, Prithviraj Chauhan: "For months I have worked on my physique to get a muscular frame that would suit a warrior. My naturally long hair went well with the role. I taking lessons in horse riding, sword fighting along with voice and diction lessons. For inspiration I have also been watching a lot of English warrior films."

Parivah Pranati, Sanyogita, princess of Kannauj: "My clear Hindi diction got me the role. Though the script is exhaustive, I am surfing the net and browsing history books for more details. While shooting for the promos, the horse literally took Angad and me for a ride, so I plan to take riding lessons to get comfortable with the horse!"