''Pradhanmantri'' () is an Indian television political documentary series, hosted by actor-director

Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an Indian filmmaker and actor. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award a ...

on Hindi news channel ABP News. It premiered on 13 July 2013. It aimed to bring to the audience never-seen-before facts of

Indian history According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. Quote: "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by m ...

. The weekly programme chronicles the history of India from 1947 to the present day. The TV series was hosted by the renowned film-maker, actor and host

and directed by Puneet Sharma. It was a unique attempt to present the changes in the country during the tenures of 13 prime ministers in the last 65 years. ''Pradhanmantri'' aired every Saturday at 10 pm. Raghi Papiya Joshi and Sohan Thakur are casting directors. The series aired the news telecast of death of Indira Gandhi on Doordarshan by

Salma Sultan Salma Sultan (born 16 March 1944) is an Indian television journalist and director. Having worked as a news anchor in Doordarshan from 1967 till 1997, she later went into directing television shows. Sultan had initiated a trend-wearing a signatur ...

. Initially conceptualised for 23 episodes, ''Pradhanmantri'' was extended to 26 episodes with the last episode aired on 4 January 2014. The show was earlier rumoured to be titled ''Idea of India''. ''Pradhanmantri'' has been re-telecasted in

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

ABP Ananda ABP Ananda (formerly Star Ananda) is a free to air Bengali news channel based in Kolkata, West Bengal owned by ABP Group. Founded on 1 June 2005 as Star Ananda, a joint venture between Star India and the ABP Group, the channel was renamed as ...

from 14 December 2013, hosted by Bengali actor

Dhritiman Chatterjee Dhritiman Chatterjee is an Indian actor. He began his acting career in 1970 as the protagonist of Satyajit Ray's ''Pratidwandi'' (''The Adversary''). Most of his acting work has been in India's "parallel", or independent, cinema with filmmaker ...

and re-telecasted in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

language on

ABP Majha ABP Majha is a Marathi news TV channel based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Rajiv Khandekar is the executive editor of the channel. Anandabazar Patrika News is the abbreviation for ABP News Network Pvt. Ltd. i.e. ABP Group operates a multiple Langua ...

with the name ''Sinhasan'' and hosted by Marathi actor

Vikram Gokhale Vikram Gokhale (14 November 1945 – 26 November 2022) was an Indian film, television and stage actor, noted for his roles in Marathi theatre, Hindi films and television. He was the son of the Veteran Marathi theater and film actor, Chandrak ...

from 23 November 2013. Season 2, christened as Pradhanmantri 2, premiered on ABP News on January 25, 2020. It is again being hosted by actor-director

.“Pradhanmantri Season -II" will discuss the ideas which will give India its due place in the comity of great nations.

Cast

Shekhar Kapoor Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an Indian filmmaker and actor. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award a ...

as the Narrator * Saurabh Dubey as

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

Navni Parihar Navni Parihar is an Indian film and television actress. She made her debut with the TV serial '' Mujrim Haazir'' as the main lead alongside Nutan and Utpal Dutt''.'' In the 90s, she was one of the most sought after top lead actresses of televisi ...

as Indira Gandhi * Surendra Pal as

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served ...

Shishir Sharma Shishir Sharma (born 10 January 1955) is an Indian film and television actor. He appeared in Zee TV's ''Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann'', and is known for playing the role of Jagmohan Prasad in ''Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli''. Currently, he can be s ...

Hari Singh Maharaja Sir Hari Singh (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, following his uncle's death, Singh became ...

* Anang Desai as

Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir Abdullah was the founding leader of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (later re ...

Prithvi Zutshi Prithvi or Prithvi Mata ( Sanskrit: पृथ्वी, ', also पृथिवी, ', "the Vast One") is the Sanskrit name for the earth, as well as the name of a devi (goddess) in Hinduism and some branches of Buddhism. In the Vedas, he ...

Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...

Shiv Kumar Subramaniam Shiv Kumar Subramaniam (23 December 1959 – 10 April 2022) was an Indian actor and screenwriter who is known for his role as the leading industrial tycoon I. M. Virani in the Indian television serial ''Mukti Bandhan'' on Colors channel. H ...

K. Kamaraj Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975, hinduonnet.com. 15–28 September 2001), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) ...

* Adi Irani as V. P. Menon *

Tej Sapru Tej Sapru (born 5 January 1955) is an Indian actor. He is the son of D. K. Sapru and Hemvati, both of whom were actors in the Hindi film industry. He has appeared in a number of Bollywood films of between the 1980s and 2010s, including ''Gupt'', ...

as Muhammad Ali Jinnah *

Amit Behl Amit Behl is an Indian theatre, television and film actor. Behl began his career in 1994 with a role in India's first daily soap opera '' Shanti''. He later went on to do almost 100 TV serials in Hindi, English, Marathi, Punjabi and Urdu. He ha ...

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourt ...

*Rio Kapadia as

Sam Manekshaw Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), widely known as Sam Manekshaw and Sam Bahadur ("Sam the Brave"), was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of ...

* Achyut Potdar as

Jayaprakash Narayan Jayaprakash Narayan (; 11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), popularly referred to as JP or ''Lok Nayak'' ( Hindi for "People's leader"), was an Indian independence activist, theorist, socialist and political leader. He is remembered for l ...

Ravi Jhankal Ravi Jhankal is an Indian television, stage and film actor, most known for working in Shyam Benegal's films, including '' Welcome to Sajjanpur'' (2008) and ''Well Done Abba'' (2010) and for the role of P. V. Narasimha Rao in '' Pradhanmantri (TV ...

as P. V. Narasimha Rao *

Mohit Chauhan Mohit Chauhan (born 11 March 1966) is an Indian playback singer, known for his work in Hindi films. He was a part of the Silk Route band. Chauhan has received two Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer and three Zee Cine Award For Bes ...

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

J. F. R. Jacob *

Harsh Chhaya Harsh Chhaya is an Indian actor. He debuted in a minor role as "Jijo" in the early 1990s Zee TV series '' Tara'', but first came into prominence in the role of Krishnakant Trivedi (KT) in mid 1990s TV series '' Hasratein'', where he portrayed ...

Sanjay Gandhi Sanjay Gandhi (14 December 1946 23 June 1980) was an Indian politician and the younger son of Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi. He was a member of parliament, Lok Sabha and the Nehru–Gandhi family. During his lifetime, he was widely expected ...

Pankaj Berry Pankaj Berry (born 8 January 1956) is an Indian film and television actor. He did his post-graduation from Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, Chandigarh where he acted in many theatre productions of the department. His first majo ...

Muhammad Mahabat Khan III Sir Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III Rasul Khanji, (Gujarati: મુહમ્મદ ખાન ત્રીજાની, Urdu: 2 August 1898 – 17 November 1959), was the last ruling Nawab of Junagadh of the princely state of Junagadh in India fro ...

Rajesh Vivek Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay (31 January 1949 – 14 January 2016) was an Indian actor. He is best known to Hindi film audiences for his role as the astrologer Guran in '' Lagaan'' (2001) and as the postmaster Nivaran in '' Swades'' (2004). He had ...

Raj Narain Raj Narain (23 November 1917 – 31 December 1986) was an Indian freedom fighter and politician. He won in a famous electoral malpractice case against the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which led to her disqualification and imposition of E ...

* Anwar Fatehan as Charan Singh *

Vinod Kapoor Vinod Kapoor is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema and TV serials. He played the role of Dushasana in the Indian TV serial ''Mahabharat'' and essayed the role of Vibhishana in the TV serial '' Vishnu Puran'' and ''Ramayan''. Early l ...

as N.K. Singh, CBI joint director *

Deepak Jethi Deepak Jethi (''Dīpaka jēṭahāya'') is an Indian actor in several Bollywood films and Indian TV series. He is also a voice-dubbing actor who dubs foreign media in Hindi. Deepak Jethi played the role of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in '' Pradha ...

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (; born Jarnail Singh Brar; 2 June 1947– 6 June 1984) was a militant leader of the Sikh organization Damdami Taksal. He was not an advocate of Khalistan. "Bhindranwale was not an outspoken supporter of Khalistan, ...

*Devaj Parikh as

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

*Ramesh Ramamoorthy as

APJ Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied ...

as Rajiv Gandhi * Suzanne Bernert as Sonia Gandhi *

Vaquar Shaikh Vaquar Shaikh (born 9 February) is an Indian television actor. He played Rashid Ahmed Khan in '' Qubool Hai'' and has appeared in serials like '' Justujoo'' and '' Pradhanmantri''. Career Vaquar had also acted in Akbar Khan's '' Taj Mahal: ...

Chandra Shekhar Chandra Shekhar ( 17 April 1927 – 9 August 2015) was an Indian politician who served as the 8th Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with ...

Akhil Mishra Akhil Mishra (born 22 July 1965) is an Indian film and television actor who has worked in films such as ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'', '' Gandhi, My Father'' and television serials such as '' Pradhanmantri''. He was working in the serial '' D ...

Lal Bahadur Shastri Lal Bahadur Shastri (; 2 October 1904 – 11 January 1966) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of India from 1964 to 1966 and 6th Home Minister of India from 1961 to 1963. He promoted the White Re ...

* Dharmesh Tiwari as

Jaswant Singh Major Jaswant Singh (; 3 January 193827 September 2020) was an officer of the Indian Army and an Indian Cabinet Minister. He was one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and was one of India's longest serving parliamen ...

Kishori Shahane Kishori Shahane is an Indian classical and folk dancer and actress who works in the Hindi and Marathi movies and television. - She is married to Hindi filmmaker Deepak Balraj Vij. She is a producer who helped to make a film about the life of ...

Pupul Jayakar Pupul Jayakar (née Mehta; 11 September 1915 – 29 March 1997) was an Indian cultural activist and writer, best known for her work on the revival of traditional and village arts, handlooms, and handicrafts in post-independence India. Accor ...

Dinesh Kaushik Dinesh Kaushik (born 27 May 1957) is an Indian actor. He is a post graduate in Indian theatre from the Punjab University, Chandigarh. He has worked with professional theatre groups in Mumbai. He has appeared in many advertisements, television ...

Siddhartha Shankar Ray Siddhartha Shankar Ray (20 October 1920 – 6 November 2010) was an Indian lawyer, diplomat and Indian National Congress politician from West Bengal. In his political career he held a number of offices, including Union Minister of Education (1 ...

* Naresh Suri as A. A. K. Niazi * Ashwin Kaushal as

Hanwant Singh Raj Rajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Shri Hanwant Singh Rathore of Jodhpur (16 June 1923 – 26 January 1952) was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Jodhpur. He succeeded his father as Maharaja of Jodhpur on 9 June 1947 and held the title till ...

, ruler of Jaisalmer *Bhupindder Bhoopii as

Harchand Singh Longowal Sant Harchand Singh Longowal (2 January 1932 – 20 August 1985) was the President of the Akali Dal during the Punjab insurgency of the 1980s. He had signed the Punjab accord, also known as the Rajiv-Longowal Accord along with Rajiv Gandhi on 2 ...

*Onkar Nath Mishra as Swami Karpatri

Episodes

Reception

Senior

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...

leader

L. K. Advani Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...

praised ''Pradhanmantri'' on his blog and public platforms. Retired

Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Raj. Along with the Indian Administrative Service (I ...

(IPS) officer

Kiran Bedi Kiran Bedi (born 9 June 1949) is an Indian social activist, former-tennis player who became the first woman in India to join the officer ranks of the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1972 and was the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry from ...

and Sunil Shashtri (son of

) also praised the series.

Social media

The show noticed a huge engagement on social media with the #Pradhanmantri trending on Twitter for over 4 days in India on its launch. The hash-tag was promoted heavily by ABP News through a contest on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

. The lucky winners of the #Pradhanmantri contest were given K Touch A15 smartphone and a set of 19 books by Rajkamal Prakashan Private Limited on topics like Maanav Samskrithi, modern India, Lokayuth, Bhagath Singh, Prakrithi, Saahithya as gratifications. #Pradhanmantri trended for more than 56 hours, had almost 2.2 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

, and had more than 1.2 million mentions on

in 25 weeks.

Season II

''Pradhanmantri II'' (''The Prime Minister'') is an Indian television political documentary series, hosted by actor-director

on Hindi news channel ABP News. This second season premiered on 25 January 2020. The first episodes showed the integration of Kashmir into the Union of India.

Cast

* Saurabh Dubey as

* Anang Desai as

as Indira Gandhi *Shahab Khan as Y. D. Gundevia *Shekhar Kapoor as the Narrator

Episodes Season II

References

External links