Korivassilya Xena

My husband and I have seen Lagaan three times. It is so unconsciously cheerful, optimistic as well as colorful that it really takes one's mind off the unpleasantness of mundane matters. It is a love story where the love is pure, a musical where the songs and dances are sheer entertainment and where the sport of cricket is shown in a new light. Also, the good guys win in the end. Very pleasant and sweet.

This series strays far from the historical truth, but then, it is not meant to be a documentary. The life of Suleyman the Magnificent and of his favorite and beloved Hurrem, the Ukrainian girl captured by Tatars who became the most powerful woman in Ottoman history, is a sweeping drama in itself. It is an epic love story interspersed with bloody battles and deadly seraglio intrigue. View this as a soap opera of outrageous proportions and enjoy life in the Sultan's harem as concocted by modern day Turkish cinematography.