Jodha Akbar to be aired in May

kta Kapoor's ambitious historical Jodha Akbar is slated to air in May on ZEE. A source says that it could either be during the IPL or just after that. Already a bank of episodes have been created with a two-month long shooting schedule in Jaipur. "They are likely to go there again soon," adds the source.

Rajat Tokas who played young Prithviraj Chauhan in the historical by the same name is donning the role of Emperor Akbar. Rajat can't contain his joy of being chosen for the role, “Having played the young Prithviraj,  I already had many of the skills required of the role. I am adept at horse-riding and talwaarbaazi. I also have had the opportunity to study the body language and demeanour required of an actor while playing royalty from an ancient era. Thankfully, I had known for a while now that I’ll be playing Akbar as I was amongst the first few actors Ekta cast for Jodha Akbar. So, I used my time to work on my physique and get into the right shape for the role.”

History has it that Akbar was looked after by Maham Anga, who was as good as his mother. And for this pivotal role Ekta chose Ashwini Kalsekar. The actress, who has several serials to her credit, shot to fame as the scheming Jigyasa of Kasam Se. “In broad terms, Maham Anga is similar to Jigyasa. However, Maham Anga has a justification to everything that she does. I am also still reading up on her but she was the one who guided Akbar,” says Ashwini who is looking forward to playing the role. The actress is not new to historicals as she had played Hirabai in Jhansi Ki Rani. “It is a work of fiction, but it is history and one has to be careful in depicting the role,” says Ashwini who is learning Urdu to get her diction right. "Urdu is a difficult but sweet language and if it isn't pronounced right, it will sound harsh," she quips. When asked what appealed to her about the character, the actress said, the fact that Maham Anga slapped her own son Adham Khan when he said something against Akbar, shook her. “It showed how much she loved Akbar, whom she had brought up like her own son. That one line moved me.  Also, Maham Anga is a strong woman and I love playing women who have innate strength,” she smiles.