The Sword of Tipu Sultan

The Sword of Tipu Sultan
DVD cover of The Sword of Tipu Sultan
Created by	Numero Uno International
Written by	Bhagwan Gidwani
Directed by	Sanjay Khan and Akbar Khan
Starring	Sanjay Khan Malvika Tiwari Maya Alagh Deepika Chikhalia Anant Mahadevan Mukesh Rishi Shahbaz Khan
Composer(s)	Naushad
Country of origin	India
No. of episodes	60
Production
Producer(s)	Sanjay Khan
Location(s)	Premiere Studio, Mysore
Cinematography	Basheer Ali
Running time	approximately 45 minutes
Release
Original network	DD National (1990-1991)
Original release	1990 – 1991

The Sword of Tipu Sultan is an Indian historical drama that was first broadcast on the DD National in 1990. Based on a novel by Bhagwan Gidwani, this drama was a portrayal of the life and times of Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler of Mysore, the series was widely praised for its casting and grandeur.

The drama faced many obstacles including a major fire that burnt down the Premier Studios, Mysore and claimed 62 lives.

The television drama was produced by the company Numero Uno International which was owned by the movie producer and director Sanjay Khan. Akbar Khan, the brother of Khan, directed the first 20 episodes of 18 months. Music was composed by legendary Naushad and was photographed by Basheer Ali.The remaining episodes were directed by Sanjay Khan, and he also played the leading role of Tipu Sultan. A total of 52 episodes were shot, some of them in the Premier Studios in Mysore, Karnataka.

The drama was based on a novel of the same name, written by the Montreal-based author Bhagwan S Gidwani. The novel was a best-seller, having sold about 200,000 copies, translated into many languages and reprinted in 44 editions. Apart from being the author, Gidwani also wrote the screenplay and script for the 60 episodes. The last few episodes were shot after the fire accident, a few years later. Other prominent actors who were chosen for this drama included Seema Kelkar, Anant Mahadevan, Mukesh Rishi, Shahbaz Khan and Deepika Chikhalia.

The drama was first telecast in Hindi on the Doordarshan channel in 1990. In 2001, it was also telecast on Star Plus. The episodes were translated into Bengali and broadcast on BTV in the early 1990s and into Tamil and broadcast on the DD Podhigai channel in 2006. In the BTV broadcast, certain portions of dialogue were censored. Outside the subcontinent, the drama was shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom during the early 1990s. Other countries included Iran, Indonesia and Mauritius. An original pack of 12 DVDs was later released.