When PM Rajiv Gandhi asked Shyam Benegal to create India’s third epic, following Ramayana and Mahabharata, which eventually became Bharat Ek Khoj

Legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who passed away on Monday at the age of 90, left behind a remarkable body of work. However, among his many achievements, one of the most celebrated is not a feature film but a television series that chronicles India’s history. The 53-episode historical drama Bharat Ek Khoj was based on the book The Discovery of India (1946), penned by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. While Benegal held a deep appreciation for the book, having read it multiple times since childhood, did you know that the idea for the show originated from a request made by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Nehru’s grandson? Yes, you heard that right. Interestingly, Rajiv Gandhi’s request was for Benegal to create a work that would serve as India’s third great epic.

In a conversation with the state-owned broadcaster Doordarshan — which commissioned the series — that aired many years ago, Benegal explained how the idea came about and why he chose The Discovery of India as its foundation. “When discussions on this were happening, the idea was to make three major epic serials. Rajiv Gandhi saab felt that it would probably be an excellent idea to — just like how there are two of our foundational epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata — make a third thing which actually deals with the history of India. I immediately said I wanted to do it and I had only one idea in mind, The Discovery of India. It not only has the history of India but also the confluence of many cultures in the country and the explanation to the concept of ‘unity in diversity’,” he said.

Also Read | What Shyam Benegal said about making one of the most difficult films of his career

Shyam Benegal also reflected on the themes of Jawaharlal Nehru’s book: “Secondly, he saw history while being incarcerated in Ahmednagar Jail (the Ahmednagar Fort was used as a prison during the British Raj). But in this mind, the thought was that ‘we would anyway become independent; then, what is the kind of nation that we are going to create?’ If you look at Hindustan, there’s so much diversity and the unity that emerges from it has to be the nature of the country. This was the exciting part, not only would I get to tell the history of India, but also the evolution of this history that eventually leads to a point where it all comes together.”

Also Read | Filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s best works

Spanning 53 episodes, Bharat Ek Khoj, created by Benegal, traced 5,000 years of Indian history from its ancient beginnings to the attainment of independence in 1947. Featuring a stellar ensemble cast, including Roshan Seth, Om Puri, Tom Alter, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Naseeruddin Shah, Lucky Ali, Seema Kelkar, Mita Vashisht, Pallavi Joshi and Anjan Srivastav, the series aired between November 1988 and November 1989.

Why should you buy our Subscription?

You want to be the smartest in the room.

You want access to our award-winning journalism.

You don’t want to be misled and misinformed.

Choose your subscription package