The untold saga of one of the greatest personalities will soon be on your TV screen through Zee TV’s Buddha. Amidst fanfare B K Modi launched his dream of 24 years, to tell the world the tale of Buddha through this show, to be produced by Esselvision and Spice Studio. We have all read about Buddha at one point or the other, yet so much remains to be explored about this powerful, magnetic thought leader who woke up to the ‘Ultimate Truth’ under the Bodhi Tree. Talking on the show B K Modi said, “Today, youth of the world needs to be empowered and be very confident, fearless and believe in themselves. They are the future of the country and should thus rise above all the barriers of religions and traditions and nurture in them qualities of compassion, equality and to create a violence free world. And who better than Buddha to share this message in the world.” Starting 8 September (2013), the 52 episodes series will be an entertaining action drama that showcases the unexplored life of Buddha as Siddharth. The show has an international appeal with its grand scale, opulent sets and an impressive cast with renowned names like Kabir Bedi, Samir Dharmadhikari, Nigaar Khan, Deepika Upadhyay, Gungun Uprari, Siddhartha Vasudev and Amit Behl. State of the art 3D graphics has been used to re-create the look and feel of a bygone era. Well researched costumes and customized jewellery has been brought from Jodhpur, Jaipur and Patna to bring alive the majestic lifestyles of the royal family of Kapilavastu. Chairman of ZEEL and Essel Group, Subhash Chandra also added, “We are delighted to partner and present a new series which is a never before seen biopic on TV. Buddha’s teachings are perfectly suited to the challenges man is currently facing. Our worldwide network of channels will offer an instant connect to millions of people as the philosophy of Buddha is universal.” It is interesting to note that Buddha was initially supposed to be made into a film. After passing helm from legendary filmmakers like Shekar Kapur and Ashustosh Gowariker, Dr Modi finally settled for TV citing the choice as, “The scope of television today is larger than films and we wanted Buddha’s story to unfold in its entire splendor and reach out to the largest denominator of people possible. And with Zee reaching over 169 countries we knew we were in the right hand.” The show will be made in different languages to cater to worldwide audiences. Starting 8 September, discover new aspects about Prince Siddharth’s journey to enlightenment every Sunday 11 am on Zee TV.