Channel 4 produced this £8 million star-studded romance in 19th century Raj India which told of an earnest, dependable young British army officer, Ash Pelham-Martyn (Ben Cross), in service with the elite Corps of Guards.
Because of his Indian upbringing, Ash found himself torn between the British and Indian cultures, and his forbidden love for former childhood playmate Princess Anjuli (Amy Irving) added to the torment.
On a wider stage, political intrigue and civil unrest led to battles galore, with the series combining real and fictional characters – most notably in depicting the disastrous aftermath of the 1879 Treaty of Gandamak in which the members of the Kabul mission were massacred due to the intransigence of Sir Pierre Cavagnari.
Cavagnari is played here fairly convincingly by John Gielgud despite being forty years too old for the role.
The series was adapted by Julian Bond from a novel by M.M Kaye and attracted criticism for the politically incorrect casting (as Indians) of such disparate international actors as Christopher Lee (British), Rossano Brazzi (Italian), Omar Sharif (Egyptian) and, in the crucial role of Princess Anjuli, the blue-eyed American actress Amy Irving.
The strangeness of this decision is particularly noticeable in the many scenes she shares with Sneh Gupta, who plays Anjuli’s half-sister. It led Salman Rushdie to excoriate the production, calling it a “‘blackface minstrel-show”‘ and “‘the purest bilge”‘.
Ashton “Ash” Pelham-Martyn
Ben Cross Princess Anjuli
Amy Irving Kaka-Ji Rao
Christopher Lee Koda Dad
Omar Sharif Major Sir Louis Cavagnari
John Gielgud Lt. Wally Hamilton
Benedict Taylor The Rana of Bhithor
Rossano Brazzi Biju Ram
Saeed Jaffrey Major Jenkins (Commandant)
Robert Hardy Princess Shushila
Sneh Gupta Belinda Harlowe
Felicity Dean George Garforth
Rupert Everett Mrs Viccary
Jennifer Kendal Prince Jhoti
Shayur Mehta Mulraj
Parikshat Sahni The General
Peter Arne Mrs Chiverton
Caterina Boratto Crimpley
Michael Cochrane Squadron Commander
John Forbes-Robertson Kelly
Clive Francis Wigram Battye
Rupert Frazer Commissioner
William Gaunt Gul Baz
Tanveer Ghani Porson
Constantine Gregory Zarin
Art Malik Podmore-Smythe
Michael Malnick Mrs Harlowe
Mary Peach Chiverton
Anthony Sharp Raikes
Jeremy Sinden Ponsonby
James Snell Diwan
Goga Kapoor Gobind Dass
Vinod Nagpal Prince Nandu
Ravi Behl Prince Lalji
Master Ravi Geeta
Rama Vij Unpora Bai
Bharati Devi Manilal
Bhushan Tiwari Promila Devi
Praveen Paul Sita
Jonie Sethi Awal Shah
Ajit Singh Afzal
Tej Sapru Mr Singh
Soltan Lalani Dilasah Khan
Jay Devi
On a wider stage, political intrigue and civil unrest led to battles galore, with the series combining real and fictional characters – most notably in depicting the disastrous aftermath of the 1879 Treaty of Gandamak in which the members of the Kabul mission were massacred due to the intransigence of Sir Pierre Cavagnari.
Ashton “Ash” Pelham-Martyn 
