''Ek Veer Stree Ki Kahaani – Jhansi Ki Rani'' ('Story of a brave woman – Queen of Jhansi') is an Indian historical drama based on the life of
Lakshmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi.
The series was directed by Jitendra Srivastava and written by Rajesh Saksham, Ila Dutta Bedi, Malavika Asthana, Mairaj Zaidi and Virendra Singh Patyal. It premiered on 18 August 2009 on
Zee TV
ZEE TV also known as Z TV is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched on 1 October 1992 as the oldest privately owned television channel in India.
History ...
with
Ulka Gupta
Ulka Gupta (born 12 April 1997) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi and Telugu films and television. She is popularly known as Manu, as she played the role of Manu (the young Rani Lakshmibai) in the Zee TV soap '' Jhansi Ki R ...
playing young Queen Lakshmi Bai.
On 8 June 2010, the story moved on several years and
Kratika Sengar portrayed the Queen from there on. The last episode aired on 19 June 2011, completing 480 episodes.
This show replaced
Maayka
''Maayka - Saath Zindagi Bhar Ka'' is an Indian television series that was aired on Zee TV from 15 January 2007 until 13 August 2009. . The series was originally produced by Classic Productions, but was taken over by Dheeraj Kumar's, Creative ...
serial time slot.
Plot
14 years old Manikarnika "Manu" lives with her father, Moropant Tambe, a
pandit
A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...
in the
Bithoor
Bithoor or Bithur is a town in Kanpur district, 25 km (15mi) by road north of the centre of Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Bithoor is situated on the right bank of the River Ganges, and is a centre of Hindu pilgrimage. Bithoor is also ...
court of Peshwa Baji Rao II and Nana Saheb. Manu is trained in the art of war by Tatya Tope. She despises the British rule of India and combats against it. Manu is a thorn in the side of Manson, a British official.
Soon, she marries the king of
Jhansi
Jhansi ( ) is a historic city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Toshan) Balwant Nagar was the old name of Jhansi. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand, on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme ...
,
Gangadhar Rao Newalkar. The court of Jhansi is headed by Raghunath Singh and Narsingh Rao. Her name changes to Lakshmi Bai, and her life changes drastically with various plots to separate and kill her and the King. At Jhansi a servant, Moti Bai, collaborates with British officer Captain Fraser but changes sides after realising her mistakes. Meanwhile, the three evil sisters-in-law of the King, Sukku, Lachchu and Jankibai also hatch various plots teaming up with the Britishers headed by Lord Dalhousie for capturing the throne of Jhansi but fail. Lakshmi Bai takes the form of Kranti Guru to combat the Britishers which everyone in the palace including the king is unaware of except some. Samar Singh initially being a dacoit turns good because of Lakshmi Bai and becomes one of her major support system in combating the Britishers. King Gangadhar and Queen Lakshmi Bai starts becoming closer understanding each other after various misunderstandings. When the British officer Marshal kills Prachi, Bajirao's little daughter, he is killed by Lakshmi Bai in revenge. When the King discovers that Kranti Guru is Queen Lakshmi Bai, he is angered while their relationship deteriorates. He agrees with a British officer that Kranti Guru will not be accused of Marshal's death if he hands over Queen's friend, Samar Singh. When Queen saves Samar, the King being furious gives her an ultimatum of either being a Queen in the palace or a rebellion leaving the palace. Lakshmibai demands him to accept both of her forms, the King not being ready for it, she leaves. She sees the British mistreating the villagers which was before a part of Jhansi. She takes an oath of not leaving the place until the villages are freed from the British and starts to live there with the name Rani without unveiling her real identity, persuades them to fight while she finds Samar Singh there and also comes across Karma who wants to kill the king for which British officer Captain Martin promises Karma the leadership of the villages if he works for them. Karma starts suspecting Lakshmibai.
Years passed but Lakshmi Bai and Gangadhar miss each other. While Gangadhar is in search of her, she hopes that her oath would be fulfilled soon and the King would accept both of her forms. Karma is saved by Lakshmibai after being betrayed by Marshal, who becomes an ally of her. Martin challenges Lakshmi Bai who was disguised as a man named Raja to fight against a mad man to retrieve the villages under Gangadhar's spectation. Her true identity is exposed to everyone. Gangadhar apologizes and accepts Lakshmi Bai, takes her back. Martin retires, and is replaced by Captains Malcom and Ross.
After several failed attempts to kill the King, Captain Nelson kills Ross and frames Samar Singh and hanged while Lakshmibai attempts a lot to prove his innocence. Rani visits Baji Rao, who is severely ill in Bithoor; he dies while Manson tries to conquer Bithoor Fort. Rani fights victoriously, and cuts off Manson's leg. She gives birth to Damodar Rao, and adopts Anand Rao. Nelson kills Damodar, Ali Bahadur kills the King and Captain Hamilton is sent to Jhansi to subdue it. Rani renames Anand Damodar and wages war against the East India Company against the backdrop of the
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...
. Hamilton pits Jhansi and the city of Orchha against each other; Orchha's queen, Ladai Sarkar, is sympathetic to the British and holds a grudge against Jhansi. Ladai Sarkar gets hold of Tatya Tope, Raghunath Singh and Ghaus Khan, captures them, and locks them up in her palace but Rani Lakshmi Bai frees them and wins the battle. The victorious Rani returns to a conquered Jhansi, which she reclaims after threatening the life of the 1st Earl of Dalhouise. Nelson frames her for the death of the king of Mot, and when Ladai Sarkar (the king's sister-in-law) captures Rani he betrays Sarkar. The queens become allies in prison, and after Rani escapes she kills Nelson.
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
sends General
Hugh Henry Rose, who helps Hamilton capture Prince Damodar, as a replacement. After Rani saves her son's life she kills Hamilton; Hugh Rose's army attacks
Jhansi Fort
Jhansi Fort or Jhansi ka Qila is a fortress situated on a large hilltop called Bangira, in Uttar Pradesh. It served as a stronghold of the Karhade Brahmin Kings in Balwant Nagar (old name of Jhansi) from the 11th through the 17th century.
* ...
, where many of her loyal followers and allies including Guass Khan, Karma, Moropant Tambe,
Jhalkaribai, Ladai Sarkar and Kashi die.
Bithoor
Bithoor or Bithur is a town in Kanpur district, 25 km (15mi) by road north of the centre of Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Bithoor is situated on the right bank of the River Ganges, and is a centre of Hindu pilgrimage. Bithoor is also ...
is conquered while Nana Saheb flees to
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
.
Before the final battle Tatya Tope brings his army for Rani Laxmibai's aid. Rani Laxmibai leaves her fort and goes to
Gwalior
Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...
along with her army. In
Gwalior
Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...
she fights her final battle where she is betrayed by the Prime Minister of Gwallior. In the final battle, Raghunath Singh in an attempt to divert the Britishers is shot dead. During the course of battle, Rani Laxmibai is severely injured when the British general repeatedly stabs her in the abdomen with a sword. Later she is shot in the stomach. She also suffers a head wound. She hands over Damodar Rao to Tatya Tope and tells him to safeguard the prince before taking on the Britishers for one final time. Moments before her death she tells a villager to burn her body so that the British will not touch it.
Cast
Main
*
Kratika Sengar as
Rani Lakshmibai
The Rani of Jhansi (born Manikarnika Tambe; 1828 or 1835 – 18 June 1858), also known as Rani Lakshmibai, was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The queen consort of the princely state of Jhansi from 1843 to 1853, s ...
Kranti Guru / Rana Bakura (2010–2011)
**
Ulka Gupta
Ulka Gupta (born 12 April 1997) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi and Telugu films and television. She is popularly known as Manu, as she played the role of Manu (the young Rani Lakshmibai) in the Zee TV soap '' Jhansi Ki R ...
as young Rani Lakshmibai / Manikarnika aka Manu / Kranti Guru (2009–2010)
*
Sameer Dharmadhikari
Sameer Dharmadhikari is an Indian film and television actor and model known for playing the role of Samrat Bindusara Maurya in ''Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat''. He played the male lead in the Marathi film '' Nirop'' that won the National Award f ...
as King
Gangadhar Rao Newalkar: Rani Laxmibai's husband
*
Amit Pachori
Amit Pachori is an Indian television and film actor. He is best known for playing Tatya Tope in '' Ek Veer Stree Ki Kahani... Jhansi Ki Rani'', Vishnu in '' Om Namah Shivay'' and Supercop Ranveer in '' SuperCops Vs Super Villains''.
Care ...
as
Tatya Tope
Tantia Tope (also spelled Tatya Tope, : ̪aːt̪ʲa ʈoːpe 16 February 1814 — 18 April 1859) was a notable commander in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Early life
Born as Ramachandra Panduranga Yewalkar to a Marathi Deshastha Brahmin fami ...
/ Kranti Guru 2: Rani Laxmibai's guru)
*
Hemant Choudhary
Hemant Choudhary is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi serials, films and web series.
Early life and career
Hemant Choudhary was born in Godda, a small town in Jharkhand and brought up in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. He completed his later ed ...
as Raghunath Singh: Commander in Chief of Jhansi
*
Shailesh Dattar as Moropant Tambe: Rani Laxmibai's father
*
Siddharth Vasudev as Samar Singh
*
Ravindra Mankani
Ravindra Laxman Mankani (; born 21 May 1956) is an Indian actor who is noted for his work in soap operas, plays and films. He first became a civil engineer and then shifted to acting. He is currently playing the lead role of Dadasaheb in Zee Yuva ...
as
Baji Rao II
Baji Rao II (10 January 1775 – 28 January 1851) was the 13th and the last Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy . He governed from 1795 to 1818. He was installed as a puppet ruler by the Maratha nobles, whose growing power prompted him to flee h ...
*
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 ...
as Narsingh Rao
* Puneet Vashist as Karma and Captain Bheem Singh
* Sanjay Swaraj as Rai Dulhajo
* Manoj Verma as Ghulam Ghaus Khan: the most skilled gunman in
Jhansi state
Jhansi was an independent princely state ruled by the Maratha (caste), Maratha Newalkar dynasty under suzerainty of British India from 1804 till 1853, when the British authorities took over the state under the terms of the Doctrine of Lapse, a ...
* Shreya Laheri as Sunder
*
Aruna Irani
Aruna Irani (born 18 August 1946) is an Indian actress, who has acted in over 500 films throughout Hindi, Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati cinema, playing mostly supporting and character roles. She received two Filmfare Awards for Best Support ...
as Vahini Sahiba
Recurring
*
Ashnoor Kaur
Ashnoor Kaur (born 3 May 2004) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi television. Kaur made her acting debut in 2009 with '' Jhansi Ki Rani''. She is best known for her portrayal of Navika Vyas Bhatnagar in '' Na Bole Tum Na Maine ...
as Prachi: Baji Rao's young daughter
* Puneet Panjwani as
Nana Sahib
Nana Saheb Peshwa II (19 May 1824 – after 1857), born Dhondu Pant, was an Indian aristocrat and fighter who led the Siege of Cawnpore (Kanpur) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the East India Company. As the adopted son of the exi ...
(2010–2011)
**
Satyajeet Dubey
Satyajeet Dubey (born 21 July 1990) is an Indian voice and film actor, working in the Hindi film industry. He started his career with Roshan Abbas' ''Always Kabhi Kabhi''.
Early life
Satyajeet Dubey was born in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India ...
/
Shaheer Sheikh
Shaheer Nawaz Sheikh (born 26 March 1984) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi television. Considered as one of the highest paid television actor in India, Sheikh is a recipient of several accolades including an ITA Award, an ...
(2009–2010): young
Nana Sahib
Nana Saheb Peshwa II (19 May 1824 – after 1857), born Dhondu Pant, was an Indian aristocrat and fighter who led the Siege of Cawnpore (Kanpur) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the East India Company. As the adopted son of the exi ...
*
Aarav Chowdhary as
Mangal Pandey
Mangal Pandey (died 8 April 1857) was an Indian soldier who played a key role in the events that led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which resulted in the dissolution of the East India Company and the beginning of the British Raj through the ...
*
Shagun Ajmani
Garima Ajmani, now called Shagun Ajmani, is an Indian television actress and model. She made her television debut on Sahara One's show Zaara (TV series) where she played the role of Shirin. She is best known for playing Shabnam, a negative role ...
as Moti Bai
*
Jaya Bhattacharya
Jaya Bhattacharya (born 1 July 1978) is an Indian television actress. She is known for playing antagonistic roles in TV serials, widely known for playing Payal in Ekta Kapoor's soap opera ''Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi''. She also played the ...
as
Sakhu Bai
*
Amita Nangia
Amita Nangia (also known as Ameeta Nangia) is a TV actress in Bollywood. Her initial popularity was from her role as Sheena in the very famous TV serial '' Tara'', in Season 2 broadcast on Zee TV in 1993. She has acted in Bollywood Horror mov ...
as
Lachcho Bai
* Sunila Karambelkar as
Jankibai
Janki Bhosale (née Gujar) (1675 – 2 March 1700 CE) was queen consort of the Maratha Kingdom as the first wife of Rajaram I. She was the daughter of Prataprao Gujar, the 3rd Senapati of the Maratha Kingdom.
Jankibai was the daughter of Pratapr ...
* Priyam Ambalia as Anand Rao / Damodar Rao
* Tanya Malji as young Indu
*
Surbhi Tiwari
Surbhi Tiwari (born 19 October 1980) is an Indian television actress. She is known for TV shows like ''Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii'', '' Shagun'', ''Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan
''Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan'' (; ''A Lovely Bond'') is an Ind ...
as Maina Bai
*
Ishita Vyas as
Jhalkaribai / Rana Bankura
*
Tarun Khanna as Ali Bahadur
* Sharhaan Singh as Krishna Rao
* Vishnu Sharma as Vadrayan
* Trishikha Tiwari as Vaaishali
* Dev Khubnani as Dhrupad
*
Pranitaa Pandit
''Kavach ... Kaali Shaktiyon Se'' also known as ''Kavach... Mahashivrati'' (English: ''Shield'') is a supernatural horror drama television series that aired on Colors TV. Produced by Balaji Telefilms, it is based on the story of Savitri and Saty ...
as Juhi
*
Soni Singh
Soni Singh is an Indian television actress. She has appeared in comedy show '' Comedy Nights with Kapil''. She was one of the contestants on in the reality show '' Bigg Boss 8'' but got eliminated after 5 weeks. She also played one of the main ...
as Vishkanya
* Minal Kapoor as Mandira
*
Eva Grover
Eva Grover (born Kareena Grover) is an Indian actress who has played supportive roles in numerous Hindi films and soap operas.
Personal life
Eva Grover was married to Hyder Ali Khan, who is step-brother of Aamir Khan
Mohammed Aamir H ...
as Bhagirathi Tambe
*
Benaf Dadachandji
Benaf Dadachandji is an Indian actress, working in Hindi television. She is known for her role as Radhika "Baby" Thakkar, a physically disabled young girl, in the TV series ''Baa Bahoo Aur Baby''.
Early life and career
Born in Mumbai, she ...
as Ganga
*
Ashwini Kalsekar
Ashwini Kalsekar is an Indian actress who works predominantly in the Marathi and Hindi television and film industry.
She has primarily worked with Sriram Raghavan, Rohit Shetty, Ram Gopal Varma and Ekta Kapoor. After playing a cop in the popu ...
as Heera Bai
*
Achint Kaur
Achint Kaur is an actress in Indian television and cinema, particularly recognized for her roles as and in Ekta Kapoor's soap operas, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, respectively, both of which were broadcast on Sta ...
as Larai Sarkar of Orchha
*
Ulka Gupta
Ulka Gupta (born 12 April 1997) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi and Telugu films and television. She is popularly known as Manu, as she played the role of Manu (the young Rani Lakshmibai) in the Zee TV soap '' Jhansi Ki R ...
as Kaali: The daughter of Bandhu, a tribal. (2011)
*
Sudhanshu Pandey
Sudhanshu Pandey is an Indian model, film and television actor, singer, writer and producer. He has appeared in many Hindi films and some few Tamil films.
Career
After a successful modelling career, he made the television debut with ''Beta'', ...
as Kunwar Yuvraj: The Prince of Modh
*
Madhurima Tuli
Madhurima Tuli (born 19 August 1986) is an Indian actress and model. Her works in Hindi television include the fiction dramas '' Kasturi'', '' Parichay'', '' Kumkum Bhagya'', '' Chandrakanta'' and '' Qayamat Ki Raat'' and the reality shows '' ...
as Gayatri
*
Jayajirao Scindia
Jayajirao Scindia Order of the Bath, GCB, Order of the Star of India, GCSI, Order of the Indian Empire, CIE (19 January 1834 – 20 June 1886) of the Scindia dynasty of Maratha Confederacy was the last independent ruling Maharaja of Gwalior Sta ...
of
Gwalior
Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...
* Shefali Gupta as Naari Sena Chief
* Raja Bahadur of Gwalior
*
Dinkar Rao
Raja Sir Dinkar Rao Rajwade (20 December 18199 January 1896) was an Indian court official, born in Devrukh, Ratnagiri district of Bombay Presidency. He was the son of Raghunath Rao by his first wife. He was a Chitpavan Brahmin.
Dinkar Rao ...
of Gwalior
Englishmen
*
Alexx O'Nell
Alexander Leonard O'Neill (born 26 July 1980) is an American actor and musician who works in Indian films. He is best known for his roles in the films '' L2: Empuraan'', '' Ae Watan Mere Watan'', '' Khufiya'', '' Golondaaj'', '' Roohi'', '' Aarya ...
as Major Robert W. Ellis
* Ben Kaplan as
John Lang
* Gary Richardson as
The Earl of Dalhousie
* Thomas Munro as
Hugh Henry Rose
* David Steele as Captain Mac
*
Edward Sonnenblick
Edward Sonnenblick (born 27 June 1980) is an American actor known for his works in Indian cinema and television. He has starred in works such as ''Firangi'' (2017), ''Veere Di Wedding'' (2018), '' Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi'' (2019), '' Kesa ...
as Captain James Manson/Captain John W. Nelson
* Ramona Sav as Rose Nelson
* David Steele as Gall
* Maurice Caves as British Officer
*
Vikas Verma
Vikas Verma (born 24 September 1987) is an Indian actor and model who mainly works in Hindi films. His notable works include '' Raabta'' (2017), '' Mom'' (2017 film), '' Judwaa 2'' (2017) and '' Coolie No. 1'' (2020). Verma began his career ...
as Marshall/Captain Robert Hamilton
* Ganpat Roa as Captain Malcolm
* Sam Brown as Captain Raus
* Simon Fraser as Captain Fraser
* Glen David Short as Commissioner Wilson
* Robin Pratt as Sir Moreland (Commissioner of Kanpur)
*
Suzanne Bernert
Suzanne Bernert (born 26 September 1982) is a German actress based in India who works in Indian film and television industries in various languages. She is the first foreign actress to feature in major roles in Hindi television industry.
Berner ...
as Mistress Moreland
Production
Development
In 2007, during the 150th year of
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...
,
Zee TV
ZEE TV also known as Z TV is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched on 1 October 1992 as the oldest privately owned television channel in India.
History ...
started conceptualizing the life of
Rani Lakshmi Bai into a series while they roped Mairaj Zaidi as one of the writers who was already exploring on her since ten years.
Originally the track of
Ulka Gupta
Ulka Gupta (born 12 April 1997) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi and Telugu films and television. She is popularly known as Manu, as she played the role of Manu (the young Rani Lakshmibai) in the Zee TV soap '' Jhansi Ki R ...
as young Queen Lakshmi Bai was planned for about 150 episodes but was extended till 207 episodes with good response for her.
On 26 January 2011, Zee TV aired a special episode titled ''Salute at 8'' where Queen Lakshmi Bai battles saves her son
Anand Rao and her father Moropant Tambe from the
Britishers
This glossary of names for the British include nicknames and terms, including affectionate ones, neutral ones, and derogatory ones to describe British people, Irish People and more specifically English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish peopl ...
while actors from other series of the channel then were shown paying tribute to Jhansi Rani by singing the National anthem.
Filming
The series is filmed at various historical locations and sets created in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...
and
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
which includes
Karjat
Karjat (Pronunciation: əɾd͡zət̪ is a city administered under a Municipal Council in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It forms a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and is located approximately from both Mumbai and Pune
...
,
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
in Maharashtra;
Maheshwar
Maheshwar is a town, near Khargone city in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh state, in central India. It is located on State Highway-38 ( Khargone city- Barwaha- Bandheri Highway),13.5 km east of National Highway 3 (Agra-Mumbai highway ...
,
Indore
Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...
in Madhya Pradesh; Aamgaon,
Silvasa
Silvassa is a city and the headquarters of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli district in Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in western India. It is today the largest city in the union territory. The city was chosen as one of t ...
in Gujarat;
Jaipur
Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
,
Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan and few others.
Cancellation and future
The series ended on 19 June 2011 completing 480 episodes. In 2019, the production house
Contiole Entertainment rebooted the series as ''
Khoob Ladi Mardaani…Jhansi Ki Rani'' for
Colors TV
Colors TV is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. Its programming consists of Soap opera, family dramas, Comedy, comedies, fantasy shows, youth-oriented Rea ...
which aired from 11 February to 12 July 2019 completing 110 episodes.
Dubbed versions
It was also dubbed in
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
and was supposed to air on
Zee Kannada
Zee Kannada is an Indian Kannada pay television general entertainment channel that was launched in the year 2006 and owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It is also being as the first mainstream satellite channel in Kannada.
History
Zee Kan ...
from 16 May 2011, but due to opposition against airing dubbed serials in
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
, the series was dropped. On
Indian Independence day
Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947. On this day the Indian Independence Act 1947 came into effect, transferri ...
in the same year, some portions of the series were used as clips and was shown during the narration on story of Rani Lakshmi Bai in a one-hour special program titled ''Veeranari Jhansi Rani'' which lead to the ransacking of Zee Kannada office by the protesters for including some dubbed clips from the series for which Zee Kannada defended, “We aired a one-houred programme based on Jhansi Ki Rani. We used the Hindi footages wherever required and had hired a well-known Kannada presenter to give commentary on it. We have not dubbed the Hindi serial and all the characters in the programme spoke in Hindi and we used Kannada subtitles to convey the message to Kannada audience. Because it was Independence Day, we aired the program on the great historical figure of the first Indian freedom struggle."
Reception
Historical accuracy
The drama was praised for the historical accuracy of the dresses and ornaments worn by the characters. However, doubts were raised on the authenticity of ''"Ek Veer Stree Ki Kahani... Jhansi Ki Rani"'' by some historians.
Jhansi
Jhansi ( ) is a historic city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Toshan) Balwant Nagar was the old name of Jhansi. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand, on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme ...
-based historian Professor Jawaharlal Kanchan protested that the drama is playing with history and providing incorrect information to young minds.
The bone of contention for Prof Kanchan is an episode which shows Rani Laxmi Bai wounded by enemy soldiers while on a visit to a hilltop temple in Jhansi. "And despite being hurt she visits the temple. But there is no historical evidence of such an incident and neither is there any such hilltop temple in Jhansi," he points out. Dr A. K. Pandey, director, State Museum, Jhansi states, "makers of the serial should understand that they cannot distort historical facts just for the sake of TRPs."
Reactions from orthodox viewers
Certain reactions from orthodox Indian viewers and historians were negative. The director of the State Museum (Dr A. K. Pandey) at
Jhansi
Jhansi ( ) is a historic city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Toshan) Balwant Nagar was the old name of Jhansi. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand, on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme ...
states, "Rani Lakshmi Bai is like a goddess to us and seeing her story presented in a distorted manner is painful. Showing intimate bedroom scenes of Jhansi Ki Rani is also unacceptable." Dharmesh Shah, the director of the drama defends it by pointing out, "The British ruled that
any kingdom without an heir would be annexed by the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
. So Rani Laxmi Bai wanted an heir, because of which we were required to show those intimate scenes. There is no need of creating a hullabaloo."
Critics
Drawing reference to
Vrindhavan Lal Verma's novel ''Jhansi Ki Rani'', ''
Dainik Bhaskar
''Dainik Bhaskar '' () is a Hindi-language daily newspaper in India which is owned by the Dainik Bhaskar Group. According to the World Association of Newspapers, it ranked fourth in the world by circulation in 2016 and per the Indian Audit ...
'' stated that the relationship between King
Gangadhar Rao
Gangadhar Rao Newalkar (1797 – 21 November 1853) was the 5th Raja of Jhansi situated in northern India (formerly a vassal kingdom of Maratha Empire however, the British East India Company became its overlord in 1804 during the Second Anglo M ...
and Mothi Bai in the series was not portrayed correctly.
''
Deccan Herald
''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by businessman K. N. Guruswamy and launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printers Mysore, a privately hel ...
'' stated, "Be it swordsmanship, horse-riding or just mastering the dialect, the beauty is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that she plays the legendary freedom fighter with dignity and elan.
Ratings
Since its inception, the series was well received and was often seen in weekly list of top 10 watched Hindi GECs in its run time. The series opened with a rating of 4.09 TVR in its debut week (week 34 of 2009) becoming seventh most watched Hindi GEC. In week 8 of 2010, it was at tenth position with 3.9 TVR. In weeks sixteen to eighteen of 2010, it maintained its position in one of the top Hindi GEC programs with 4.2 TVR. In week ending 26 June 2010 and the previous week, it garnered 3.5 and 3.4 TVR. As in October 2010, it was at eighth position in top ten Hindi GECs ranging between 2.7 and 3.2 TVR. In week 4 of 2011, it garnered 4.46 TVR occupying fourth position. In week 9, it dropped to tenth position with 3.58 TVR.
Awards
;2010
Zee Gold Awards
The Gold Awards is an annual awards show that honours the best performers in the Hindi-language television industry.
The awards are presented in various areas of excellence, such as popular programming, including music programmes, news, ente ...
* Best Videography (Fiction) - Deepak Pandey
* Best Art Direction - Sandesh Gondhalekar
* Best Editing
* Performer of the Year -
Ulka Gupta
Ulka Gupta (born 12 April 1997) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi and Telugu films and television. She is popularly known as Manu, as she played the role of Manu (the young Rani Lakshmibai) in the Zee TV soap '' Jhansi Ki R ...
;2010
FICCI Award
* Best Entertainer of the Year
*
Ulka Gupta
Ulka Gupta (born 12 April 1997) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi and Telugu films and television. She is popularly known as Manu, as she played the role of Manu (the young Rani Lakshmibai) in the Zee TV soap '' Jhansi Ki R ...
*
Best Dialogue Writer Awards For Historical Drama
See also
*
The Revolt of 1857
*
1857 Kranti (TV series)
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, tt1685078
2009 Indian television series debuts
2011 Indian television series endings
Historical television series
Indian historical television series
Zee TV original programming
Cultural depictions of Rani Laxmibai
Television series set during the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Television series set in the 19th century