Urdu`s journey over centuries to be shown on television

New Delhi: `Dastan-E-Urdu`, a 13-episode miniseries will bring on television for the first time evolution of Urdu over centuries and will aim to break misconceptions about the language among the youth.The show, which will be aired weekly from July 27, will depict the history of the language, how at one point of time, Hindi and Urdu were considered one and what led to that disintegration. It is produced by filmmaker and Urdu activist Kamna Prasad and directed by Aparna Srivastava Reddy. "Today`s generation has myths about Urdu and we want to bring clarity to that. They think it is a foreign language and just got adapted in India but that`s not true. It`s an Indian language and its history starts from India," Prasad said. The show aims to captures all nuances and aspects of Urdu`s poetic opulence and its universal appeal, by interviewing Urdu experts like eminent lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar, Pt Gulzar Dehlvi and Professor Mushirul Hasan, among others. "I already knew many of them personally as we keep meeting at Mushairas I organize, in fact Javed Akhtar attends every Mushaira I hold and they are all experts in the field of Urdu, so I spoke with them at length about its history and relevance in today`s scenario," said Prasad, who has also done the research work for the show. The producer says series was initially planned to be aired on DD Urdu. "We first planned for Urdu-loving audience but Doordarshan decided that it should be aired on DD National as the language has national importance and it deserves to reach a wide audience," Prasad said. The makers are confident that the show will strike a chord with the people as they feel the language is gaining popularity among the youth, courtesy Pakistani dramas being aired on Television. "People love these Urdu dramas and are a fan of them. They will want to know the past of Urdu and how it evolved over the years," said Parvez Alam, who has interviewed a lot of experts on the show. Prasad, who will also feature in the show as a narrator, will be seen speaking Urdu on show and also using Urdu poetry as a way of expression. "The show is Urdu`s story in Urdu itself but we have not used heavy words because we want people to understand and connect with it. But it will be simple, colloquial Urdu which is understandable and will add depth to the series," said Srivastava. Prasad feels 13-episode duration is extremely short to show everything about Urdu and she may come with seasons, depending on the success of `Dastan-E-Urdu`.