Naseeruddin Shah says Akbar didn't come to India to loot, praises Mughal emperor's broad-mindedness

Actor Naseeruddin Shah who is all set to pull off the role of Mughal emperor Akbar in his upcoming web series Taj: Divided by Blood recently spoke about his character and the misunderstandings people have in mind related to Mughal rule in the country.

While speaking to the leading news portal, the 72-year-old actor said it is tricky to make a project true to the genre with the nuance it deserves. He said the reason behind this is that there is no such thing as an objective history. The history is written by victors, he added. The Filmfare Award winner said what irks him, though, is the rampant misinformation about Akbar, especially that he was a ruler who wanted to start his own religion.

Shah further said Akbar has always been shown a different and bad image in the history books. His attempt to create a new ethical order is wrongly referred to as a new religion, Din-e Elahi, a term never used by Akbar, but by Abul Fazal, a historian who didn’t like Akbar much.

Read Also: Did Sona Mohapatra take a dig at Shehnaaz Gill’s education, acting?

Shah went on to say that he has checked this with authoritative historians and Akbar never attempted to establish a new religion. This is a fact that was in our history books called the Din-e Elahi. But Akbar never used the word Din-e Elahi, ever. He called it Wahdat-e Elahi, which means the oneness of the creator, he continued.

The National Award winner said his understanding of Akbar, however, was further broadened when he signed up for Taj: Divided by Blood, as he got to know a side of the Mughal emperor that he wasn’t aware of.

Shah said what sets Akbar apart from the others was his forward-thinking, his broad-mindedness, and tolerance of all faiths.

Taj – Divided by Blood also stars Aditi Rao Hydari as Anarkali, Aashim Gulati as Prince Salim, Shubham Kumar Mehra as Prince Daniyal, Taha Shah as Prince Murad, Sandhya Mridul as Queen Jodha Bai, and veteran actor Dharmendra as Sheikh Salim Christi. The series will be premiered on Zee5 on March 3.

95th Academy Awards: How nominees, winners for Oscars are selected? All you need to know

Sourav Ganguly, Ranbir Kapoor spotted playing cricket amid biopic rumours at Eden Gardens