Actor Naseeruddin Shah Addresses Demonization Of Mughal Era In India

Because of the country’s lack of open discourse, actor Naseeruddin Shah claims that those who consistently disagree with him will never see his point of view. Hatred and misinformation thrive in the absence of reason and accurate historical knowledge; this may explain why some Indians are quick to blame modern problems on the Mughal Empire, which Shah finds amusing rather than vexing.

In recent years, ministers in the current administration have been on a crusade to demonize the Mughal era. Attempts to rewrite history include renaming the historic Mughal Gardens at the Rashtrapati Bhavan “Amrit Udyan” and renaming 40 villages “Mughal-era” names.

In ZEE5’s original series Taj – Divided by Blood, Shah plays King Akbar during a time of polarization. The show is being marketed as a “revelatory tale about the inner workings and succession drama” that took place in the Mughal court chambers.

Shah told indianexpress.com, “It amuses me, because it is so utterly ridiculous.” when asked how he feels about a country that blames the Mughals for everything wrong with it. People mistake Akbar for a murderous invader like Nader Shah or even Babar’s great grandfather Taimur.

The Mughals did not invade to plunder, but their motivations were clearly different. They chose this location because they wanted to call it home. Who can deny the value they added?

Anyone who believes the Mughals were the epitome of evil, according to the war hero, demonstrates their ignorance of the country’s history. Perhaps the Mughals have been overly glorified in the name of history at the expense of India’s indigenous culture, but Shah contends that their era should not be dismissed as disastrous simply because of this.

There must be others like them. Unfortunately, most school history classes focused on the Mughals or the British. We knew about the Mughal emperors, Lord Hardy, and Lord Cornwallis, but we didn’t know much about the Gupta or Mauryan dynasties, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Ajanta caves, or the northeast. We didn’t get to read any of history because it was written by Englishmen or Anglophiles, which I find deeply unfair.

It is true that the Mughals are being glorified at the expense of local culture. Perhaps, but there’s no reason to cast them in a negative light.

If the Mughal empire was so evil, why didn’t those who opposed it “knock down” the monuments it had erected? If everything they did was so bad, the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, and Qutub Minar should all be demolished. Despite the fact that it was built by a Mughal, the Red Fort is regarded as a holy site by Muslims. Although we should not adorn them with a halo of adoration, we should also not smear their good names.

Shah responded emphatically “no, absolutely not” when asked if he thought the current state of discourse allowed for intellectual conversation.

To make fun of Tipu Sultan! A hero who gave his life in order to drive out the English. “Do you want Tipu Sultan or the Ram Temple?” (It is now being asked.) What exactly is the reasoning here? I don’t think it’s worth arguing because I’ll never understand their point of view and they’ll never understand mine, he continued.

“In the Assembly elections in Karnataka, people need to choose between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who built the Ram Temple at Ayodhya and developed Kashi, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, and those who glorify Tipu Sultan,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in January at a BJP workers’ convention in Bengaluru.

Contiloe Digital’s Taj – Divided by Blood will star Dharmendra as Sheikh Salim Christi and chronicle King Akbar’s reign as he searches for a worthy successor.

The show dramatizes the subsequent generations’ rise and fall, highlighting the great dynasty’s passion for the arts, poetry, and architecture, as well as their remarkably cold-blooded decisions in the pursuit of power with regard to their own family.

The ensemble cast includes Queen Jodha Bai (Sandhya Mridul), Queen Salima (Zareena Wahab), Prince Daniyal (Shubham Kumar Mehra), Prince Salim (Aashim Gulati), Prince Murad (Taha Shah), Prince Daniyal (Rahul Bose), and Mirza Hakim (Mehr un Nisa).

William Borthwick created and runs Taj, with Simon Fantauzzo writing the script and Ronald Scalpello directing. Taj: Divided by Blood will be available on ZEE5 on March 3.

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