Taj series trailer: Naseeruddin Shah’s Akbar on a quest to find his successor

The trailer of ZEE5’s original series Taj--Divided by Blood, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Dharmendra and Aditi Rao Hydari and Rahul Bose was recently released. Inspired by true events, the series chronicles around King Akbar (played by Naseeruddin Shah) and the ensuing blood battle between his sons for the Mughal throne. The series' showrunner is William Borthwick, Simon Fantauzzo is the writer, and Ron Scalpello serves as the director.

The trailer shows the reign of Akbar, who is on a quest to find a worthy successor for his grand legacy leading to a blood battle between his sons for the throne. Aditi Rao Hydari plays Anarkali, Aashim Gulati is Prince Salim, Taha Shah Badussha is Prince Murad, Shubham Kumar Mehra is Prince Daniyal, Sandhya Mridul is Queen Jodha Bai, Zareena Wahab is Queen Salima, Padma Damodaran is Queen Ruqaiya Begum, Rahul Bose is Mirza Hakim, and Dharmendra plays Sheikh Salim Chishti.

Here is the trailer 

Talking about the show, Naseeruddin Shah said, “Taj – Divided by Blood is the 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.”

Adding to it, Aditi said, “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 were considered unparalleled. I was intimidated at first and especially because of how it’s been portrayed by the mesmerising 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.

The 10-part series will stream on ZEE5 from March 3, 2023