Taj-Divided By Blood review: Murder, mayhem and the Mughals dominate Taj-Divided By Blood theme. But if you were expecting to see debauchery that was promised in the first trailer of drugs, sex and alcohol, you are in for disappointment.
The period drama, written by Willaim Borthwick and Simon Fantauzzo, follows the Emperor Akbar (Naseeruddin Shah) who is all set to give up his kingdom to his most worthy son. But the mission is tough as the inner palace politics, intrigues, his sons’ ambitions and Akbar’s own pride all come in the way.
Equal shot at the kingdom
As the series begins, you see Akbar laying down a new decree to his sons Prince Salim (Aashim Gulati), Prince Murad (Taha Shah) and Prince Daniyal (Shubham Kumar Mehra) that the throne won’t automatically be inherited by the eldest. All three have an equal shot at the kingdom.
But first they must deal with a pesky relative, Akbar’s step brother Mirza Hakim (Rahul Bose). While the sons take back Kabul which was Mirza’s territory, they are paranoid and fight among one another.
The three brothers are epitome of masculinity. While the two elder ones party hard and fight harder, the youngest Daniyal is pious and has the blessings of the religious clerics. Then there are those who dislike Akbar’s sympathy towards his Hindu subjects. Akbar gets a vision and proposes a new religion – Din- i- ilahi which focuses more on humanity, equality and peace. But he fails to get support for it. Even his loyal Birbal (Subodh Bhave) is against it.
Tiresome and drawn out
The fight for the throne stretches Taj-Divided By Blood over 10 episodes. In the process the series loses the plot and grows tiresome and drawn out.
While Taj-Divided By Blood has battles, deception, betrayal and grandeur, it lacks punch. The series comes across as a lacklustre show, especially if you were expecting the grandeur of the Mughals, their opulence and beauty in films like Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Jodhaa Akbar (2008). Taj – Divided By Blood leaves a lot to be desired.
Naseer is impressive
Naseeruddin as Akbar is the most impressive as he plays the ‘old lion’. Sandhya Mridul as Jodhaa Bai and Padma Damodaran have substantial roles. Aditi as Anarkali is resigned to her fate here. Dharmendra is wasted in a blink-and-miss role as Sheikh Salim Christi. The princes who get maximum screen time after Akbar, fail to leave an impact.
Taj-Divided By Blood, directed by Ronald Scalpello, attempts to present history in a new manner, but it is an inspid effort and feels underwhelming. The desi version of Games of Thrones is quite subdued, both in scale and execution.
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