How sad is this?

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Beautiful, moving film.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It takes immaculate skill to make a documentary about the Indian civilization without even once mentioning some of the greatest names that ever walked on this part of the world. Steering the story of India completely clear of the likes of Guru Gobind Singh, Maharana Pratap, Shivaji Marhatta, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Tipu Sultan, Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose, as if they never existed on the face of earth, takes a lot of creativity and improvisation. My compliments to Michael wood and his team for their profoundly negligent research and erudite incompetence that distorts and twists the story of India like never before. In no other version of India's story will you find the East India company, Aurangzeb and Jahangir as contenders for the most benevolent regime that Indians witnessed.

It is great to see the history of a people of the world being developed as a life experience of revisiting the places and taking in glimpses of the present and the past. History is not an abstract science; it is about what people did. Sharing what we have learned in a humble and open way, Michael Wood has shown how learning history can be a great experience.Michael Wood has kept the people perspective throughout rather than stating the facts in a dry manner like most historians do.Having lived most of my early years in various parts of India, I can appreciate how Michael has captures the essence of the cultural side so well. Great experience.I wish I could learn about others parts of the world in this style.

I started to watch this series with a fair degree of scepticism, being of Indian origin, but was hooked within the first 15 mins. The credit almost entirely goes to Michael Wood and the unending passion with which he has presented this masterpiece. It is a daunting task to be asked to cover India's vast and varied history in 6 short hours but Wood tells an intriguing and masterful tale, carefully taking into consideration all of the historical aspects and view points. I was delighted that as an Indian, there was a lot I got to learn and was pleasantly surprised at Wood's tenacity towards fact finding. Also, the history is told not so much in a chronological factual manner, but in Wood's fascinating and poetic story telling style, making it an extremely interesting and entertaining 6 parts to watch.If I had to be picky, the only criticism I would have to offer would be on the lack of attention to the splendid Mughal era. Wood does touch upon it , but only when it is dying. The great Mughal emperors like Jahangir, Akbar and Shah Jahan have played a huge role in shaping Indian history and have given to India such splendid monuments such as the Taj Mahal. But then again, it is a vast country with an over-abundance of history and tales. A must watch in my book !

This is the first series by Michael Wood that I see and I really enjoyed watching it. The history of India is certainly so rich that one could do a sixty episodes series as well. Wood has a colloquial style that makes complex subjects attractive. Here he catches the pulse of the Indian history and of the diverse civilizations that succeeded on the sub-continent and brings them to life, filming on site and interviewing people who are not only experts but also survivors, continuators and keepers of the traditions of the different religions and peoples who lived and survived in this huge country. His style is never dry, although a little bit superficial, but in the limits of time he is doing quite well. Even folks who were very little familiar with the subject end by learning some useful information and especially by having their interest open to learn more.