Prithviraj Chauhan to hit television

Prithviraj Chauhan to hit

Spin legend Bishen Singh Bedi and his wife could barely control their emotion as their son Angad strode majestically into New Delhi's Oberoi hotel on Tuesday. He was dressed for his lead role in the television series on the 12th century Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan. "Our good wishes are with him and we hope he succeeds as he is putting in a lot of hard work in an unknown field," Bedi told rediff.com. "When I was offered this role a year ago," said Angad, "I discussed it with my family before agreeing to do it. It means a lot of hard work of course, but I am sure I will succeed." The young man initially wanted to play cricket like his dad, but his efforts on that front didn't pay off. Angad as Prithviraj Chauhan and Parivah as Rani Sanyogita during a press conference to launch the serial Dharti Ka Veer Yodha - Prithviraj Chauhan in New Delhi on Tuesday

Text: Onkar Singh
Photographs: Sondeep Shankar/Saab Pictures
Design: Uday Kuckian

Prithviraj Chauhan ascended to the throne when he was just 13. He was fascinated by the beauty of Sanyogita, the daughter of the king of Kannauj, and whisked her away from her swayamwar, an act of derring-do celebrated through the ages.

In the 12th century, when Hindustan came under attack from Arab and Turkish invaders, Prithviraj Chauhan rose to power as the Rajput kings united under him to fight off an invasion by Mohammad Ghori. Commending the efforts of the late Ramanand Sagar?s family -- the people behind the serial -- Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat asked them to consider making serials on other powerful personalities in Indian history like Rana Pratap and Chhattrapati Shivaji.

It will trace the life of the great king from birth to death," Prem Sagar told rediff.com. "The scale of the show is immense as it captures not just the nuances of his love for Sanyogita but the ferocity of his battles with Mohammad Ghori as well. It is being directed by the young duo of Shakti and Amrit Sagar."

A lot of hard work has gone into designing the costumes for each character. Credit for this goes to Nisha Sagar and Neerushaa, both of whom spent months doing research, visiting places associated with Prithviraj Chauhan and reading books on the era.

"We divided our work into two parts," said Nisha Sagar, "I was doing the costumes for the main characters. I spent hours, sometimes days, going into details of each costume. I looked for pearls and precious stones. We have a huge budget for costumes." Angad Bedi takes a moment away from the cast to get a picture taken with his mother, sister and father, Bishen Singh Bedi. In the lower picture, Angad is seen with his grandmother

Although the other stars were also present, it was Angad Bedi who held the attention of the media.

"I am tall and have the additional advantage of a tough body," he said with a smile, as he hugged his grandmother and planted a kiss on her forehead. Dharti Ka Veer Yodha - Prithviraj Chauhan hits Star Plus on May 12
9 pm, Friday to Sunday