Taj trailer: Naseeruddin Shah's Akbar wants 'merit' to decide Mughal emperor, Dharmendra's cameo steals the show

The trailer of the upcoming period action drama Taj – Divided by Blood was unveiled on Friday evening. The Zee5 show is a fictitious take on the civil war of succession that took place between the sons of Mughal Emperor Akbar. The large-scale, big-budget web series boasts of a huge star cast and some grand action set pieces.

The trailer opens with visuals of war and a voice over from Emperor Akbar (Naseeruddin Shah), who says that he has built this country and this empire on his blood. We see glimpses of his three sons – princes Salim (Aashim Gulati), Murad (Taha Shah Badussha), and Daniyal (Shubham Kumar Mehra). The emperor tells his sons that the succession will now be decided on ‘merit’ and not by birthright.

Jodha Bai tells her son Salim that he is fit for the crown but the young prince is more interested in wine and women. Murad, on the other hand, wants the throne and has no qualms spilling blood over it. Daniyal, meanwhile, is hiding his sexuality from the conservative elites of his father’s court, who want to install him as the next monarch. Amid this tinderbox enters Anarkali (Aditi Rao Hydari), a courtesan who is ‘owned’ by the emperor but desired by Salim. As brother turns against brother, we see Akbar’s guru Salim Chishti (Dharmendra) warn him that Mughal blood will soon be spilled.

Fans praised Dharmendra’s appearance and dialogue delivery even though the veteran actor was on screen for mere seconds. “Dharam ji at 87, still got the swag and class,” wrote one viewer. Another added, “Dharmendra ji's one dialogue > The entire trailer.” There was praise for Aditi Rao Hydari and Subodh Bhave as well.

Directed by Ronald Scalpello, Taj also stars Rahul Bose, Sandhya Mridul, Zarina Wahab, and Pankaj Saraswat in pivotal roles. The show will begin streaming on Zee5 from March 3.