Naseeruddin Shah on playing Akbar in Taj-Divided by Blood: I was initially hesitant

In a media interview, Naseeruddin Shah who will soon be seen in the upcoming web series Taj-Divided by Blood revealed the reason behind taking up the role of Akbar in the series and what prompts him to say yes to the characters he plays on screen.

Talking about his character of Akbar, Shah said, “I have to say I was initially hesitant because of the indestructible image of Akbar created by K. Asif and Prithviraj Kapoor sahab, but on reading the script I felt this was a part that suited an actor like me and I could do justice to it. It's very flattering to play great historical figures like Ghalib and Akbar. It's also challenging because there is no exact record of how these people looked or behaved so one has to use one's imagination and read a bit about those times which is very interesting.”

“At this stage of my career, I look for projects that stretch me as an actor and which I will have fun doing. I want to participate in projects which I can contribute to in whatever capacity, the length of the role is of no consequence,” Shah revealed.

Taj- Divided by Blood also stars Dharmendra, Aditi Rao Hydari, Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab, Sandhya Mridul and Ashim Gulati. The show will be streaming on Zee5 from March 3 onwards.