Taj Divided by Blood is a historical TV series created by Abhimanyu Singh, directed by Ron Scalpello, written by William Borthwick and Simon Fantauzzo and stars Dharmendra, Naseeruddin Shah, Zarina Wahab, Rahul Bose, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sandhya Mridul, Subodh Bhave, Aayaam Mehta, Pankaj Saraswat, Aashim Gulati, Taha Shah Badussha and Shubham Kumar Mehra, alongside other cast members.
The series consists of 10 episodes, each with a runtime ranging from 45-60 minutes.
Taj: Divided by Blood tells the story of Akbar and his three sons, Salim, Murad and Daniyal, and the fight between the three for the power of the throne. As fights break out among the three brothers, romantic relationships and personal issues pose bigger threats to their lives and their chance of accession to the throne.
– Taj Divided by Blood Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
Taj Divided by Blood is a fictional story surrounding Akbar and his three sons. It’s a story of power and love and watching fate play its part even when the situation seems impossible. The series, with 10 episodes, delves into some topics that are recreated for the purpose of the show and don’t seem to have much of a bearing on reality.
However, considering that this is the Mughal empire and history is often not the most truthful, you could cut it some slack and enjoy the skirmish and drama that takes place on-screen.
That is not to say that Taj Divided by Blood is the best historical show out there; far from it. By the end of 10 long episodes, I had to ask myself the point of it all, considering it ends on a cliffhanger and places a rather confusing price on the throne of the mighty Mughal Empire. I mean, we all know who comes after Akbar, and with that in mind, it does leave one confused regarding where the story could go from here.
Truth be told, there are not a lot of ways the story can unfold to reach the known destination. With this being a story filled with unnecessary violence, one can only assume. That being said, as I mentioned previously, the cliffhanger makes the series feel rather unfinished and pointless.
Coming to the story itself, Taj Divided by Blood isn’t the worst story I have seen, and honestly, the relationship between Salim and Anarkali, played by Aditi Rao Hydari, who looks absolutely gorgeous as the mysterious and in-pain royal concubine, really kept things on their toes. You look forward to watching them find happiness and purpose with each other, even if for a fleeting moment.
I also hate the fact that these historical stories often rely on women to be the driving factor behind people shedding blood. Anarkali’s entry into Salim’s life is the catalyst for all of their troubles, and the big reveal is the final nail in the coffin. Unfortunately, as the viewer, you’d be privy to the ‘big reveal’ early on in the runtime since they try to make it a bit too secretive, ultimately for us to figure it out because of that very reason.
Let’s not forget the rather uncomfortable animal deaths and torture scenes all over the place. Murad’s entire purpose in the story is to be as nasty as possible and murder anything he sees in sight. My problem, however, is with the rather horrendous VFX that we see throughout the series that makes your eyes sore. It just looks so fake that you can’t help but be ripped out of scenes. Personally, there were also a lot of scenes of Murad that could’ve been removed from the show.
I say this because it doesn’t make an impact, and, as previously stated, the series ends abruptly without any definitive conclusion. So, then you wonder what the point of these long-drawn-out scenes was in the first place. Ok, it’s definitely to pad the runtime and probably make us squirm a bit. But even then, it just ends up being anti-climactic.
It’s interesting to watch an old Akbar for a change because all of our ideas of the emperor revolve around swooning over Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 2013’s Jodhaa Akbar. I am also thankful that we don’t see anything too cringe between Akbar and his concubines, and his relationship with Jodha, played well by Sandhya Mridul, is shown to be as sweet as ever as his favourite wife.
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Aashim Gulati, Taha Shah Badussha and Shubham Kumar Mehra, playing Akbar’s three sons, are pretty great. Although Murad’s character really needed to calm down, I am unsure why they needed him to go so overboard with the bloodshed. Gulati and Mehra are delightful as Salim and Daniyal, and their brotherly bond is adorable.
Naseeruddin Shah is great as Akbar as well as he plays an emperor on the brink of letting the throne go. His confusion and displeasure towards his sons are apparent in Shah’s portrayal, but there are the remnants of a great ruler apparent in his eyes. Last but not least, Aditi Rao Hydari, in another role of a woman trapped in a sorry existence, is believable. Honestly, her eyes do most of the talking sometimes.
Summing Up: Taj Divided by Blood
If you’re in the mood for a timepass watch of muddled history and some serious drama, Taj: Divided by Blood is ok. For those who want something more out of it, it’s time to go and watch Jodhaa Akbar!
Taj: Divided by Blood is streaming on Zee5.
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This is such a biased review. Def never taking ur reviews seriously. It’s a masterpiece and def worth a watch.