''Siyaasat'' (English: ''Politics'') is a 2014

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n fictional drama which aired on The EPIC Channel. The series is an adaptation of the popular 2002 award-winning fictional novel ''The Twentieth Wife'' by author Indu Sundaresan. The series revolves around

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

politics, inter-personal conflicts, sabotage, grandeur, power and the love between Prince Salim (the Mughal emperor

Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...

) and Mehrunissa also known as

Nur Jahan Nur Jahan (; 31 May 1577 – 18 December 1645), born Mehr-un-Nissa was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. More decisive and proactive than her husband, Nur Jahan is considered by certain historians to have be ...

, who was Salim's twentieth and final wife. It is now available o
EPIC On

EPIC TV Epic TV is an Indian television channel that airs action, drama, comedy and narrative non-fiction and fictional programming with a focus on Indian history, folklore and epic genre. Launched by IN10 Media Network on 19 November 2014, a compan ...

's streaming platform and on

Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

as well.

Plot

Siyaasat is mainly about the journey of Mehrunissa to become

. It is based in the era of

rule where

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

is the Emperor. The show focuses on the battle between the princes to become the heir to the throne and also on Salim - Mehrunissa's love story. The other prominent aspects of the show are the politics in the

harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

between Jagat Gosaini,

Ruqaiya Sultan Begum Ruqaiya Sultan Begum (alternatively spelled Ruqayya or Ruqayyah; 1542 – January 1626) was the first wife and one of the chief consorts of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar. Ruqaiya was a first cousin of her husband and was a Mughal princess ...

and other women, the rivals of Akbar like Malik Amber,

Chand Bibi Sultana Chand Bibi (1550 – 18 April 1600) was the regent of the Bijapur Sultanate during the minority of Ibrahim Adil Shah II in 1580–1590, and the regent of the Ahmednagar Sultanate during the minority of her great nephew Bahadur S ...

and Rana Pratap and the political turmoil in Akbar's court between

Abul Fazl Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak (14 January 1551 – 22 August 1602), also known as Abul Fazl, Abu'l Fadl and Abu'l-Fadl 'Allami, was an Indian writer, historian, and politician who served as the grand vizier of the Mughal Empire from his appointment ...

Mirza Ghias Beg Mirza Ghiyas Beg (), also known by his title I'timad-ud-Daulah (), was an important official in the Mughal Empire, whose children included the generals, wives and mothers of the Mughal emperors. Born in Tehran, Mirza Ghiyas Beg belonged to a fa ...

and

Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana Khanzada Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim (17 December 1556 – 1 October 1627), popularly known as simply Rahim and titled ''Khan-i-Khanan'', was a poet who lived in India during the rule of Mughal emperor Akbar, who was Rahim's mentor. He was one o ...

Cast

Uday Tikekar Uday Tikekar (born 4 December 1960) is an Indian film and television actor. He began his career in Marathi theatre, also putting up performances in Hindi theatre. He is married to classical singer Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar, who is a 2-time Nati ...

as Emperor

Deepika Amin Deepika Amin (born Deepika Deshpande) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. She is known for her roles in the films '' Fan, Raanjhanaa and'' '' Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.'' She has also worked in the TV shows ''Farmaan'' and ''Tas ...

as Empress

, Akbar's first wife and Padshah Begum. *

Karanvir Sharma Karanvir Sharma (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi films and television productions. He is best known for his role as Shaurya Sabherwal in Star Plus's romantic drama series '' Shaurya Aur Anokhi Ki Kahani ...

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 Prince Salim (

Emperor Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal Emperor. Born as Prince Salim, he was the third and o ...

), Akbar's eldest son * Charu Shankar as Mehrunissa ( Empress Nur Jahan), wife of Ali Quli Sher Afgan and illicit lover of Prince Salim. She eventually marries her lover, the emperor Jehangir. *

Neetha Shetty Neetha Shetty is an Indian television actress. She has starred in the TV series '' Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann'' as Gauri, one of the Garodia sisters, and '' in Kahiin To Hoga'' as Dr. Archita. Career Neetha has played the role of ''Sanjana'' ...

as Maan Bai, Salim's first wife and mother of Prince Khusrau. * Shaynam Ladakhi as Mehmood, Nur Jahan's brother and Hoshiyar's lover. * Nayani Dixit as Jagat Gosaini, Salim's second wife and later Padshah Begum and the mother of Prince Khurram (future Emperor

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

). *

Jannat Zubair Rahmani Jannat Zubair Rahmani (born 29 August 2001) is an Indian actress who predominantly acts in Hindi-language television shows and films. She is best known for portraying Kashi in ''Kashi – Ab Na Rahe Tera Kagaz Kora'', Phulwa in '' Phulwa'', and ...

as Young Mehrunissa * KC Shankar as Ali Quli (Sher Afghan), a nobleman and husband of Mehrunnisa, who hates Prince Salim because the latter is Mehrunnisa's illicit lover *

Pawan Chopra Pawan Chopra is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films, television, and commercials. Filmography Films Television Web series References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chopra, Pawan 21st-century Indian male actors Indian male ...

, Mehrunnisa's father * Suparna Marwah as Asmat Begum, Mehrunnisa's mother * Gurpreet Saini as Prince

Murad Murad or Mourad () is an Arabic name. It is also common in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Turkish, Persian, and Berber as a male given name or surname and is commonly used throughout the Muslim world and Middle East. Etymology It is derived ...

, second son of Akbar * Mokshad Dodwani as Prince

Daniyal Daniyal () was a Palestinian village in the Ramle Subdistrict that was located 5 km east of Ramla and southeast of Lydda. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on July 10, 1948, by the Yiftach Brigade under the first phase ...

, third son of Akbar *

Bikramjeet Kanwarpal Major (rank), Major Bikramjeet Kanwarpal (29 August 1968 1 May 2021) was an Indian film and television actor. A retired army officer, Kanwarpal had played supporting roles in many films and television serials. Kanwarpal shared screen space wit ...

as Abu'l-Fazl, a beloved friend, advisor and courtier of Emperor Akbar * Nagesh Salwan as

, a courtier of Akbar and Salim who later supports prince Khusrau in his rebellion against his father Salim (Emperor Jehangir) *

Kavin Dave Kavin Dave (born 12 November 1984) is an Indian film and television actor. He works in the Indian film industry. Dave made his big screen debut in the movie '' Mumbai Meri Jaan'' in 2008. This was followed by further successful films including ...

Qutubuddin Koka Shaykh Khūbū (), better known as Quṭb ad-Dīn Khān Kokah (; 13 August 1569 – 20 May 1607) was the Mughal subahdar (provincial governor) of Bengal Subah during the reign of the emperor Jahangir. He was appointed governor of Bengal on 2 Septe ...

, courtier loyal to Salim, appointed commander-in-chief after Salim becomes Emperor *

Omkar Kapoor Omkar Kapoor is an Indian actor who works in the Bollywood film industry. He began his performing career as a child artist and worked in films like ''Judwaa'', '' Hero No.1'' and '' Judaai''. He made his Bollywood debut as a Parallel Lead actor ...

as Mahabat Khan, courtier loyal to Salim, appointed Grand Vazir (Wazir) after Salim becomes Emperor * Ravy Sharma as

Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan Abu'l-Hasan ( 1569 – 12 June 1641) entitled by the Mughal emperor Jahangir as Asaf Khan, was the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) of the fifth Mughal emperor Jahangir, a position he held from the time of death of Mirza Ghiyas Beg till the accession ...

, brother of Mehrunissa, father of Arjumand Banu Begum (

Mumtaz Mahal Mumtaz Mahal (; ; born Arjumand Banu Begum; 27 April 1593 – 17 June 1631) was the empress consort of Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1631 as the chief consort of the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, often cited as one of t ...

) * Ashraf Nagoo as Hoshiyar Khan, Mehmood's lover. *

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 Arjumand Banu Begum (

) *

Rupali Krishnarao Rupali Krishnarao (born 15 January 1983), is an Indian people, Indian Actor, actress, known for her role in ''Koyelaanchal'' (2014). References External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Krishnarao, Rupali Living people Place of birth missi ...

as Sharif un-Nissa (

Nadira Nadira is a given name common in Asian countries. It may refer to Given name * Nadira (Indian actress) (1932-2006), an Indian actress of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for her roles as a temptress * Nadira (Pakistani actress) (1968-1995), Pakista ...

), a courtesan from Lahore *Devansh Dixit as Shah Jahan

Production

The series was shot over a period of six months in

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

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 ...

, with the

Laxmi Niwas Palace Lalgarh Palace is a palace and heritage hotel in Bikaner, in the Indian state of Rajasthan, built for Sir Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (princely state), Bikaner, between 1902 and 1926. Laxmi Niwas Palace is a part of Lalgarh Palace but it ha ...

acting as a substitute for Emperor Akbar's palace in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. Costumes for the series have been designed by Pia Benegal, the daughter of director

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (14 December 1934 – 23 December 2024) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. H ...

. Charu Shankar made her Indian television debut with ''Siyaasat''. She described how she bagged the lead role, "I had read all three books in the Taj Mahal trilogy and liked them. The producers called me and said that they were trying to make a

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

-style series out of it, to which I said, "Excellent. What role do you want me for?" And that is when I got to know that it was for Mehrunissa ur Jahan's birth name I was driving at that moment and I almost banged my car out of excitement." Shankar described how she prepared for the role of Nur Jahan. "I had a month to prepare for the role before we went to Bikaner, which is where we shot the series. I happened to be doing an art history course at the National Museum at that time and I spent it at the gallery studying Mughal miniatures and trying to imagine the world that Mehrunissa lived in." The show has been shot across various scenic locales in Rajasthan and real palaces of Bikaner. Siyaasat brings alive the decadent lifestyle, architecture, art, and stories of the Mughal royalty.

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title, tt6847292, Siyaasat 2014 Indian television series debuts Indian historical television series Indian period television series Hindi-language television shows Indian drama television series Epic TV original programming Television shows based on Indian novels Works set in the Mughal Empire Cultural depictions of Akbar Television series set in the 17th century Cultural depictions of Jahangir