Taj – Divided by Blood’ of ZEE5: The depiction of the succession story of the Mughals

‘Taj – Divided by Blood’. Inspired by true events, the period drama stars Naseeruddin Shah, Dharmendra, Aditi Rao Hydari, Aashim Gulati, Taha Shah Badussha, and Shubham Kumar Mehra in the lead is streaming on ZEE5 Global, the world’s largest streaming platform for South Asian content. It chronicles the story of King Akbar (played by Naseeruddin Shah) and the ensuing blood battle between his sons for the Mughal throne. The 10-part succession and family drama series is now streaming on ZEE5 Global.

‘Taj – Divided by Blood’ encapsulates the reign of King Akbar who is on a quest to find a worthy successor for his grand legacy. The series dramatizes the rise and fall of the generations that follow, showcasing the beauty and brutality of this great dynasty, their passion for arts, poetry, and architecture, but at the same time their remarkably cold-blooded decisions with regard to their own family, in the quest for power.

Produced by Contiloe Digital along with William Borthwick as the showrunner, Simon Fantauzzo as the writer, and Ron Scalpello as the director, ‘Taj – Divided by Blood’ stars Naseeruddin Shah as King Akbar, Aditi Rao Hydari as Anarkali, Aashim Gulati as Prince Salim, Taha Shah Badussha as Prince Murad, Shubham Kumar Mehra as Prince Daniyal, Sandhya Mridul as Queen Jodha Bai, Zareena Wahab as Queen Salima, Queen Ruqaiya Begum as Padma Damodaran, Rahul Bose as Mirza Hakim and Dharmendra as Sheikh Salim Chishti. The series also stars Subodh Bhave, Aayam Mehta, Deepraj Rana, Shivani Tanksale, Pankaj Saraswat, Digambar Prasad, and Zachary Coffin in supporting roles.

Renowned actor Naseeruddin Shah said about his role and “TAJ – Divided by Blood”, it is a story of war, succession, and power set against the backdrop of the Mughal empire. The show unveils the inner workings that played out in the hallowed chambers of King Akbar’s empire. While many have recreated Mughal history, Taj – Divided by Blood has taken an unexplored and unchartered take on it, hence making it compelling for old and new viewers. A brilliant team from across the globe has brought this series to life and from whatever I have seen so far, I can tell that it is going to be one of the most riveting series of the year”.

Aditi Rao Hydari who is playing the role of Anarkali said that “I have always enjoyed history; there are always great stories, many of which are outside of our textbooks. When I was asked to play Anarkali I was afraid as much as I was excited. Anarkali is an iconic character, her beauty, and grace was considered unparalleled and enchanting beyond one’s imagination. I was intimidated at first and especially because of how it’s been portrayed by the mesmerizing Madhubala in Mughal-e-azam. What made me take a leap was a meeting with the director Ron Scalpello and the writers William and Simon. Anarkali has been written very uniquely and so it felt like a new challenge to take on. It has been a privilege and responsibility to play Anarkali and I hope that I have done justice to it”.

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Director Ron Scalpello added that “I have been an avid follower of Indian History hence when I got the opportunity to put forth a series on the Mughal empire, I was ecstatic. Since there have been so many versions of the Mughal history, I did have to research a lot to unravel the unknown facets of these historical figures and that is where our show stands out as in Taj – Divided by Blood, you will get to see these historical figures as humans with ambitions, desires, greed and flaws which is rather an unseen side of the empire. Also, the theme of war and succession is global hence I am sure that the series will appeal to a global audience”.

Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global said, “ZEE5 has always been committed to bringing its viewers across countries the biggest and most resonant stories from South Asia. “Taj – Divided by Blood” is one of our most defining projects yet and offers our viewers a peek into one of India’s most fascinating eras, the Mughal period. A visual spectacle, the show features some of South Asian entertainment’s biggest stars as they bring to life this magnum opus.”

Taj – Divided by Blood is now streaming exclusively on ZEE5 Global in the Middle East, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and select other global markets.