Review of ‘Taj: Revenge of the Series’: Mughal succession drama crumbles and shatters

A still from ‘Taj: Reign of Revenge’

last episode of Taj: Divided by bloodThe name of the film released in March was ‘All That Remains’. It was a pithy, if misleading title: As it turns out, there’s a lot more to come. The Mughal-era series was back for a second season. rule of revenge, with four episodes streaming since last month (the remaining four have now arrived on ZEE5). This is a wide range, yet its length would not be a problem if it was supported by insight. Despite succession skirmishes, 750 minutes is plenty of time to depict the social, political, administrative, religious, martial and culinary background of nearly four decades of Akbar’s rule. Nevertheless, after two mammoth seasons, I learn that he established the Din-i Ilahi and occasionally reformed taxes.

15 years have passed since Emperor Akbar.Naseeruddin Shah) banishes his rightful heir Salim (Aashim Gulati) from the Agra court. The bigoted Daniyal (Shubham Kumar Mehra) is the new heir, whose middle-class son Murad was poisoned to death in the previous season. It seems that almost no one has shaved. Salim, in a fur coat and garland of facial hair, obsessively searches for Anarkali’s (Aditi Rao Hydari) grave. He has become a gypsy bandit, raiding his father’s guards from the Aravalli hills.

Sheikh Chishti’s visit – veteran Dharmendra really tired of the fourth episode – convinces Akbar to end Salim’s exile. The prince returns, only to find himself drinking, fighting bouts, and starting new rebellions. Soon, we are back in the mire, where multiple claimants are clamoring for the Mughal throne. Female characters have a more pronounced presence this time, especially an adult Mehrunnisa (Sauraseni Maitra). There’s also a sinister, contradictory edge to the new season; Akbar reminds his regent Bairam Khan to kill him in a fit of rage, and Salim’s eldest Khusrau turns against him.

British mercenary Ron Scalpello has roped in Vibhu Puri (Hawaizaada) to direct. Change doesn’t help; Crown Looks like a dull, uninvited show. You can trace the lack of visual imagination by the way the musical scenes are staged. Puri trades in the most hackneyed of images – whirling dervishes, twirl belly dancers – juxtaposing them with oriental hums and strings that subtly dip into volume, so the characters can make believe and sway. It’s not that he fared better outside; Despite the apparent extent of the Mughal Empire, there was little variation in geography, culture or dialect.

Naseeruddin Shah exerts force to keep this wrecked vehicle on track. As Akbar, he can still raise an eyebrow or twirl his mustache with flair. However, the new season finds Badshah on his last pin, gasping for breath and wheezing as he nears the end. In Salim the Tragic Hero, Aashim Gulati works so hard that there is no room left for any other colour. After a while, his immense sadness, like everything else Crown, becomes a parody of itself. Here are moments that are so unintentionally funny that they deserve their own Instagram page. One can call it Sad Mughal memes.

Taj: Reign of Revenge is streaming on ZEE5