“Sandokan — celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sandokan 1976”

I’m writing to the new generation here — to those who may have never heard of Sandokan (Kabir Bedi).

Europeans, especially Italians, may be expecting with excitement the new series based on the eternally famous novels of Emilio Salgari. They tell the story of Sandokan, an Indian prince whose whole family was murdered by the colonial powers of the British Empire, who took their land and solidified their colony in Malaysia. Sandokan is saved by a servant and grows up to be a man who wants to right the wrongs and free his land from the British.

To finance his struggle, he turns to piracy. He also needs men, but as his fame grows, people of the oppressed nations around him willingly join him. Ironically, he falls in love with an English girl of the nobility — and she returns his feelings.

All this could be just another adventure story, a work of fiction. Yet it is not merely one of those adventure tales. It claims our attention because it rises above them. It is not simply entertaining or exciting. It is not just a good story. It is much more. Sandokan never existed outside the author’s heart and mind but Monpracem is based on Kuraman island, which gives it feel of reality. The Tiger of Malaysia as it is known in Hungary was filmed on location in Malaysia with real Malay actors in the roles of his 'people'.

As Kabir Bedi said, it awakens the hero in the hearts of us all. If you watch it with an open heart and mind, you breathe together with the ones you come to love immediately — Sandokan, Marianne (Carole André), and Yanez (Philippe Leroy). Your heart beats in rhythm with their actions, and feelings surge up in your chest. The series captures all the moments we wish we could have lived. It makes us want to fight with them — for freedom, for love, for truth, and for justice.

The theme is universal, and as old as human history after the loss of the Garden of Eden and perfection blessed by God. Human oppression stretches back to the time of Nimrod, the first man who elevated himself to be a tyrannical king. Wickedness has long caused grief and loss. Deep inside each of us lies the desire to live free — to live for a purpose, to live a life shaped by good choices. We all wish to live in peace and harmony.

At some point in life, we all believed that perhaps it was possible to live in peace — and in dignity. Then we grew up and understood it was nothing but utopia to wish for, in a corrupt society led by those who fill their pockets and live high while caring nothing for us. That is why this series still resonates. It speaks to the heart — the heart that was once idealistic and full of hope. This is the everlasting draw of the story.

I don’t know what the new Sandokan of 2025 will bring. I wish a wonderful experience to all who watch it. No doubt, the new series will show Sandokan’s world to a new generation, with fresh ways of exploring the story and the technological advancements of our era. Yet I sincerely hope that, in the wake of the new show, some viewers who fall in love with the story will seek out the original 1976 miniseries and immerse themselves in it as we all did throughout Europe — and remain fans forever.

We who have grown up with the 1976 Sandokan have loved it and will forever love it. But it is time for a new generation — for our new young dreamers — to discover it for themselves.

This film will never grow old — not because we are sentimental or nostalgic, but because it brings value.

The moral values of being noble, of fighting for justice and freedom, of showing compassion to the poor and the oppressed, to the ordinary people we also are — those who are not in power but wish to live a life in serenity — these are timeless.

The beauty of the characters and their noble bearing, especially that of Sandokan and Marianne, will touch the hearts of all who care to watch it.

I have no doubt about it.