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Over the years, the Indian film and television industry has seen a vast change on its own. Be it in terms of grandeur or budget, the television shows have grown in scale over the years. Now, their budgets are also being compared to big Bollywood films. But, to your surprise, there were a few television shows during the 90s and 2000s that were made on a humongous budget. Yes, you read that right. The 1990 historical drama titled The Sword of Tipu Sultan, which was based on Bhagwan Gidwani’s historical novel, was one of the most expensive Indian television shows made at the time.
The mahurat for the 52-part serial that was held at the Lalit Mahal Palace estimated to cost over Rs 4 crore and everything about the serial was done in epic proportions. Directed by Sanjay Khan and his brother Akbar Khan, the show was based on the life and rule of the medieval ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan. The Sword of Tipu Sultan starred a number of artists, including Sanjay, Deepika Chikhalia, Shahbaz Khan, Ananth Mahadevan, Mukesh Rishi, Kanwaljeet Singh, Tom Alter, Kunika, Shriram Lagoo, and Satyen Kappu.
However, it will be shocking for you that despite the grandeur, The Sword of Tipu Sultan is being remembered for a deadly accident that took place on the shooting set at Premier Studios in Mysore on February 8, 1989. Due to faulty wiring and unavailability of firefighting equipment, a devastating blaze swept through the sets killing 62 crew and cast members. This unfortunate incident eventually led to the halt of the production for a long time. The families of all the victims were given an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5000 as compensation.
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