Revisit history with the show Punyashlok Ahilyabai

Mona

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Sony’s new show Punyashlok Ahilyabai that streams on January 4 is a historical drama, telling the inspiring story of Ahilyabai, who kept the interests of her subjects close to her heart, gave importance to the environment, started a unit of armed women soldiers and built an economy by giving impetus to looms.

Though the story is about 300 years old, the life of Ahilyabai is still relevant – an ordinary little girl from a small village who became the queen. Even today she is loved and remembered for her nurturing attitude towards her subjects.

“Ahilyabai’s story is not just about a woman’s political achievements but is also about a woman’s journey on the path of self-discovery and living her potential,” says Nitin Vaidya, producer Dashmai Creations of the show.

Painstaking research went into bringing out Ahilyabai on screen, vouches its writer Shirish Latkar. “While we wanted to bring this story alive in an entertaining manner — we also wanted to keep the historical perspective right. Right from the jewellery to clothes, to events, each bit is thoroughly researched and created for this magnum opus.”

A confident Aditi Jaltare and seasoned actor Rajesh Shringarpure stepped into the winning partnership of daughter-in-law and father-in-law for the show. Bubbly Aditi shares very confidently, “The reading sessions and the workshops prepared me for the titular role.” For Rajesh, the beard grown through the lockdown became the first unconscious preparation for the role. “As an actor, playing a historical figure means a lot to me. Somewhere in my heart I always was inspired by Malhar Rao Holkar, when the opportunity came to step into his shoes, I lapped it up.”

While he polished his horse riding skills and learnt sword fighting, he gives credit to the writer for bringing out a character that’s so interesting which made the shooting engaging and fun. The show would be aired on Sony and will also be available on Sony Liv.

mona@tribunemail.com