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Samvidhaan
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| Samvidhaan | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Created by | Rajya Sabha TV |
| Written by | Shama Zaidi and Atul Tiwari |
| Directed by | Shyam Benegal |
| Starring | Sachin Khedekar Dalip Tahilramani Suzanne Bernert Divya Dutta Rajit Kapur Tom Alter Neeraj Kabi Rahul Singh |
| Narrated by | Swara Bhaskar |
| Original languages | Hindi English |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Producer | For Rajya Sabha TV by Shyam Benegal Sahyadri Films |
| Cinematography | Akashdeep Pandey |
| Running time | 52 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube |
| Release | 2 March – 4 May 2014 |
Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India is a ten-part television mini-series based on the making of the Constitution of India, directed by Shyam Benegal. The show premiered on 2 March 2014 on Rajya Sabha TV, with an episode scheduled to air every Sunday morning.[1][2][3] The series can be viewed on YouTube on Rajya Sabha TV's channel.
Making
[edit]Shama Zaidi and Atul Tiwari are writers of the series.[4][5][6] Zaidi said that it took her six months to write the script. The material came from debates, committee meetings and biographies of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. Many of the famous speeches of India's freedom fighters figure in the series.[7] Swara Bhaskar has hosted and narrated the show.[8][9][10][11] The series was shot in Film City, Mumbai and recreates the debates that took place before the drafting of the Constitution of India. Dayal Nihalani is the associate director of the mini-series. For the series, a replica of the Central Hall of Parliament during the time of the Constituent Assembly was set up.[7]
The first look of Samvidhaan was unveiled on 24 September 2013.[12] The first look was officially launched on 20 February 2014, the pen-ultimate day of 15th Lok Sabha by President Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament House, New Delhi.[13][14] Music is composed by Shantanu Moitra.
Episodes
[edit]| Episode No. | Episode Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | The First Step: Cabinet Mission To Objectives Resolution |
| 2 | Independence: A Divided Legacy |
| 3 | Independent India: Righting Fundamental Wrongs with Fundamental Rights |
| 4 | People's Rights, Principles of Governance and Duties |
| 5 | Strengthening The Weak: Minority, Women and Backward Rights |
| 6 | Whose Land Is It?: Land Reforms And Acquisition |
| 7 | Link Language: Hindi Or Hindustani? |
| 8 | Federalism: Linking The States And The Centre |
| 9 | Three Pillars: Executive, Legislature, Judiciary |
| 10 | From Preamble to the Final Draft and beyond |
Cast
[edit]- Rakesh Pandey as Sachchidananda Sinha
- Sachin Khedekar as Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar[6]
- Dalip Tahil as Jawaharlal Nehru
- Utkarsh Majumdar as Vallabhbhai Patel
- Tom Alter as Abul Kalam Azad
- Neeraj Kabi[15] as Mahatma Gandhi
- Kaizaad Kotwal as Frank Anthony
- Ivan Rodrigues as P. Subbarayan
- Shyam Kishore as Lakshmi Narayan Sahu
- Devendra Sharma as Raibahadur Shyam Nandan Sahai
- Ila Arun as Hansa Mehta
- Amit Behl as C. Rajagopalachari
- K. K. Raina as K. M. Munshi
- Rajendra Gupta as Rajendra Prasad
- Aanjjan Srivastav as Bal Krishna Sharma Naveen
- Mohit Chauhan as Brajeshwar Prasad
- Suzanne Bernert as a journalist
- Narendra Jha as Muhammed Ali Jinnah
- Divya Dutta[16] as Purnima Banerjee
- Rajeshwari Sachdev as Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
- Rajit Kapur as Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer
- Harish Patel as M. A. Ayyangar
- Imran Hasnee as Nawab of Bhopal Hamidullah Khan
- Kenneth Desai as Syama Prasad Mookerjee
- Atul Tiwari as Govind Ballabh Pant
- Deepika Amin as Renuka Ray
- Shiv Kumar Subramaniam as N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar
- Rahul Singh as J. B. Kripalani
- Paresh Ganatra as K. T. Shah
- Kanupriya Shankar Pandit as Sucheta Kriplani
- Akash Khurana as Rohini Kumar Chaudhuri
- Ravi Jhankal as Seth Govind Das
- Salim Ghouse as V. I. Munuswamy Pillai
- Saurabh Dubey (actor) as Mahavir Tyagi
- Vijay Kashyap as B. Pocker Sahib Bahadur
- Amit Singh Thakur as Liaquat Ali
- Himani Shivpuri as Begum Aizaz Rasul
- Lalit Mohan Tiwari as Shibban Lal Saxena
- Natarajan Balkrishna as K. Hanumanthaiah
- Denzil Smith as the Auctioneer
- Anil Rastogi as Calcutta MP N. Ahmed[17]
- Narendra Sachar as Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
Screening
[edit]The series was telecasted on Rajya Sabha TV from 2 March 2014 at 10 AM (with repeats at 1PM & 10PM) every Sunday.[18][19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Samvidhaan: Shyam Benegal's TV series on Indian constitution". Ibnlive.in.com. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "Shyam Benegal: Samvidhaan not just for present generation | NDTV Movies.com". Movies.ndtv.com. 10 January 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ Bose, Pramita (29 January 2014). "Benegal's magic all set to mesmerise audience on TV". The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ Vyavahare, Renuka. "Making Samvidhaan wasn't easy: Shyam Benegal". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ Singh, Renu. "My dream is to write a film on Lucknow: Atul Tiwari". The Times of India.
- ^ a b "'Samvidhaan' not just for present generation: Shyam Benegal". The Times of India. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ a b "The making of the making of the Constitution". The Telegraph. 20 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ "Swara Bhaskar anchors Shyam Benegal's Samvidhaan". The Times of India. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ Swara Bhaskar and Shyam Benegal on sets of Samvidhaan Archived 2014-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Anchoring 'Samvidhan' makes Swara proud to be Indian". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ Tahseen, Ismat. "Samvidhaan shot within the Parliament of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "Samvidhaan: Shyam Benegal's TV series on Indian constitution". Mumbai Mirror. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "Hon'ble President Pranab Mukherjee to launch serial Samvidhaan". Indiatvnews.com. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ To be felicitated by Prime Minister was a cherished moment: Divya Dutta
- ^ Sangeetha Devi Dundoo (3 August 2013). "The monk and the producer". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "Felicitation by PM makes Divya Dutta happy". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "Anil Rastogi in TV's Samvidhaan". Amar Ujala. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ Bhopatkar, Tejashree. "Suzanne Bernert & Narendra Jha in Samvidhaan". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "I am a great supporter of gay rights: Shyam Benegal". The Times of India. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
External links
[edit]Samvidhaan
View on GrokipediaProduction
Conception and Sponsorship
The conception of Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India stemmed from an initiative by Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha from 2007 to 2017, who urged Rajya Sabha Television (RSTV) to document the historical debates and events surrounding the drafting of India's Constitution between 1946 and 1949.[6] This proposal aimed to recreate the Constituent Assembly's proceedings for contemporary audiences, highlighting the diverse ideologies and compromises that shaped the document adopted on November 26, 1949.[6] RSTV commissioned Shyam Benegal, a National Film Award-winning director known for films like Bharat Ek Khoj (1988), to direct the ten-episode series, leveraging his background in state-sponsored parallel cinema and his prior tenure as a nominated Rajya Sabha member until 2012.[6] Benegal's Sahyadri Films handled production in collaboration with RSTV, with principal photography commencing around 2013 to authentically recreate assembly sessions using period sets at Film City, Mumbai.[1] Sponsorship was provided entirely by Rajya Sabha TV, the parliamentary channel funded through government allocations, under CEO Gurdeep Singh Sappal, ensuring an ad-free, educational focus rather than commercial viability; private broadcasters later expressed interest in acquiring rights post-production.[6][7] This public funding model aligned with RSTV's mandate to promote civic awareness, avoiding external influences that might alter the series' fidelity to archival records of the Constituent Assembly debates.[6]Direction and Filmmaking Process
Shyam Benegal served as the director of Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India, a ten-part miniseries that dramatized the Constituent Assembly's proceedings from 1946 to 1949. Commissioned by Rajya Sabha Television and produced under executive producer Gurdeep Singh Sappal, the project marked Benegal's return to historical television narrative, building on his earlier works such as Bharat Ek Khoj. At age 79 during production, Benegal emphasized authenticity, instructing actors to portray historical figures without caricature while drawing from extensive research into assembly records.[4][8] The script, co-authored by Atul Tiwari and Shama Zaidi, incorporated verbatim excerpts from Constituent Assembly debates to condense three years of deliberations into roughly ten hours of runtime. Filming occurred primarily in 2013, with about 75% of scenes shot inside a recreated Constituent Assembly hall to capture the deliberative atmosphere. Production involved detailed attention to period accuracy, including researched costumes, prosthetics, makeup, and props for over 100 actors depicting assembly members. Associate director Dayal Nihalani supported Benegal in overseeing these elements.[4][2] To adhere to tight deadlines, the crew employed a fast-paced shooting schedule, wrapping principal photography by October 2013. Post-production editing was handled by Aseem Bajaj, ensuring the series maintained a documentary-drama balance focused on key debates and figures. Benegal's direction prioritized educational fidelity over dramatic embellishment, aiming to educate viewers on constitutional processes through structured reenactments rather than invented narratives.[9][4]Content Overview
Episode Structure and Themes
Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India comprises ten episodes, each roughly one hour in duration, designed to chronologically trace key phases of the Constituent Assembly's deliberations from December 1946 to November 1949 while focusing on select flashpoint debates rather than exhaustive coverage of all 166 sessions.[4] [1] The structure emphasizes dramatic reenactments of assembly proceedings interspersed with narrated historical context, expert commentary from constitutional scholars, and archival footage to illustrate the evolution of constitutional provisions.[1] This episodic format condenses three years of debates into targeted explorations, prioritizing contentious issues that shaped the final document adopted on November 26, 1949.[4] Central themes revolve around the challenges of forging national unity amid post-partition fragmentation, exemplified in the inaugural episode's depiction of partition's aftermath and the imperative for a unifying legal framework.[2] Subsequent episodes dissect structural dilemmas, such as the second installment's examination of federal versus unitary governance, highlighting clashes between advocates for strong central control—like those influenced by princely state integrations—and proponents of provincial autonomy to accommodate India's linguistic and cultural diversity.[10] Recurrent motifs include reconciling individual rights with collective security, as seen in debates over fundamental rights initiated shortly after independence, and balancing directive principles of state policy with enforceable guarantees.[11] The series underscores institutional design tensions, with dedicated segments on delineating powers among the legislature, executive, and judiciary—core pillars debated in later episodes—to prevent overreach while ensuring effective governance in a nascent republic.[12] Protective measures for vulnerable groups form another thematic pillar, including episodes on safeguards for minorities, women, and scheduled castes, reflecting Ambedkar's advocacy against entrenched hierarchies and the assembly's negotiations over reservations and anti-discrimination clauses.[13] Overarching narratives emphasize pragmatic compromise amid ideological divides—spanning Congress centrists, socialists, communists, and Hindu traditionalists—prioritizing empirical accommodation of India's plural realities over ideological purity, as evidenced in discussions on emergency provisions and linguistic policies.[1] [14]Dramatized Historical Events
The series dramatizes the Constituent Assembly's inaugural session on December 9, 1946, following the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, which proposed the framework for India's transition to self-governance and constitution-making.[15] This event sets the stage for the assembly's role in framing the Constitution amid pre-independence tensions.[16] A pivotal dramatized moment is Jawaharlal Nehru's presentation of the Objectives Resolution on December 13, 1946, articulating the Constitution's core aims of sovereignty, democracy, justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity, despite opposition from Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League.[15] The resolution's adoption is portrayed as a foundational step defining India's republican ethos.[1] Subsequent episodes recreate the partition of India in August 1947 and its divided legacy, including Mahatma Gandhi's desperate negotiations to prevent bifurcation and the violence that ensued, alongside the assembly's reconfiguration to 296 members with representation from Hindus (155), Scheduled Castes (30), Muslims (73, though many absent post-partition), and other groups.[15] The introduction of the national tricolor flag during these sessions symbolizes emerging national unity.[15] Debates on fundamental rights form a core dramatized sequence, depicted in sessions addressing historical wrongs through protections for speech, equality, and personal liberty, while rejecting demands for a right to bear arms.[15] The series illustrates the February 1947 advisory committee's sub-group on rights, emphasizing empirical balancing of individual freedoms against state authority.[15] Later portrayals cover protections for minorities, women, and backward classes, recreating arguments in the drafting committee chaired by B.R. Ambedkar from August 29, 1947, onward, including safeguards against discrimination and affirmative measures.[17] Specialized episodes highlight these, such as "Strengthening the Weak: Minority, Women and Backward Rights," drawing on assembly records to show causal trade-offs in securing consensus.[1] The narrative culminates in the Constitution's adoption on November 26, 1949, after three years of deliberations spanning over 11 sessions and 165 sittings.[2]Casting and Performances
Principal Roles and Actors
The docudrama series Samvidhaan employed an ensemble cast of over 150 actors to portray the members of the Constituent Assembly and other pivotal figures in the drafting of India's Constitution, with principal roles assigned to central architects of the document.[2] Sachin Khedekar took on the role of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the chairman of the Drafting Committee, appearing in multiple episodes to depict his advocacy for social justice provisions and leadership in resolving debates on fundamental rights and reservations.[18] [19] Dalip Tahil portrayed Jawaharlal Nehru, emphasizing the first Prime Minister's influence on secularism and economic directives during assembly deliberations.[20] [19] Utkarsh Majumdar played Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, highlighting his pragmatic stance on integration and minority rights.[20] Rajendra Gupta embodied Rajendra Prasad, the President of the Constituent Assembly, who oversaw the proceedings and final adoption on November 26, 1949.[19]| Historical Figure | Actor | Key Depiction |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. B.R. Ambedkar | Sachin Khedekar | Drafting Committee Chairman; focus on equality clauses and Scheduled Castes protections.[18] [19] |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | Dalip Tahil | Prime Minister; advocacy for directive principles and unified nationhood.[20] [19] |
| Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | Utkarsh Majumdar | Home Minister; role in princely state integration and federal structure.[20] |
| Rajendra Prasad | Rajendra Gupta | Assembly President; facilitation of debates and adoption process.[19] |
| K.M. Munshi | K.K. Raina | Cultural and linguistic rights proponent.[19] |
| Abul Kalam Azad | Tom Alter | Education Minister; contributions to minority safeguards.[20] |
