First Look of PrithviVallabh - Itihaas Bhi, Rahasya Bhi

ashish sharma @ashish30sharma  

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Innovative, gripping and finite that's the kind of content Sony Entertainment Television is looking to put out on their soon-to-be-launched brand, Sony Entertainment Television Originals. It will provide premium content to viewers unheard stories and unexplored subjects with fantastic production values and new grammar of storytelling on television. The first show under this brand is the magnum opus 'Prithvi Vallabh', the teaser of which will be unveiled tonight on Sony Entertainment Television immediately after 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'.

Ashish Sharma will essay the role of Prithvi Vallabh while Sonarika Bhadoriawill play Mrinal. "This show has all the ingredients; it's relatable, extremely Indian and talks about progress, growth and minimum violence and there's an interesting love story combined with action," says creator-producer Anirudh Pathak, who has been a part of many popular big-ticket shows in the past.

Talking about Sony Entertainment Television Originals, Danish Khan, EVP & Business Head of Sony Entertainment Television, said, "We wanted to create a sub-brand of Sony where we would put out premiere content. The plan is to work with some assorted, talented people and come up with shows that are finite. It's a brand which will have stories and production values that have never been seen before on Indian television." This is possible only if content is produced in advance and that's exactly what they plan to do. Says Danish, "The shows will be made like films, wherein the entire thing is completed and only then it goes on air. You write, produce and then launch it. We are targeting an absolutely premium set of audience across India. We believe in pushing the envelope and taking that step ahead, both in terms of story-telling and production values."
Even Sony, as a channel, has always tried to be experimental and unconventional in its choice of shows. He says, "Yes, we keep trying new things, Some work, some don't. But as a channel, we will always tell new stories." There couldn't have been a better show than Prithvi Vallabh to launch SET Originals, he feels. So, how did the idea develop? "I was reading about Raja Bhoj, the famous king of India and that's when I read about his chacha Prithvi Vallabh and found his story extremely compelling. Around that time, we were speaking to Anirudh Pathak, who was setting up his production house and we believed nobody could do this better than him. We just shared the idea with him and then he took over and came back to us with a complete package."


Anirudh is excited about the way the show has shaped up. What sets it apart from other historicals, he says, is the fact that it's not just another war story. "It's a war series with a difference. Here's a king who's also very creative; he is a poet... there is so much more to him. He was not really known as an invader even though he was a brave man because he didn't believe in fighting wars. So far, we have mainly seen shows where the male character is arrogant and shows attitude, but here, the girl is filled with revenge till the end, jab ki ladka pehle din se mar mitne ko tayyar hai," he says.

The show, which has a 'Baahubali'-like feel to it, is touted to have top-class special effects and production values. "I have heard people compare it to 'Baahubali', but I would rather not get into those comparisons. We want to set our own standards and are working towards that," he says confidently.
While making a historical, is there a worry of a section of people raising eyebrows about the facts? Anirudh replies, "History has many characters that we have not heard too much about and there is not much information on them either. During our research, we managed to find a little about Prithvi Vallabh. Our show is set in the ancient era; he belonged to the Malwa dynasty. So, yes, there will be a lot of fiction as well and we say so in our tagline Itihaas Bhi Rahasya Bhi. Game Of Thrones mein sahitya aur history ko blend kiya hai. History is not that much, it's more mystery and fiction. So, history is more to give the show a realistic touch."

Both Danish and Anirudh believe that Prithvi Vallabh will appeal to viewers on various levels, as it has all the ingredients of a must-watch romance, music, dance and action.

WRITER'S GALAXY @writergalaxy