Zee5 Series Taj- Divided By Blood will showcase the untold and unheard realities from the Mughal era.
While history books in school taught us about Akbar the Great, and his successor Jahangir, it’s not known to many that Akbar had three sons.
Playing the middle child, Murad, Taha Shah Badussha unleashes the beast within, to play the menacing, power-hungry prince. Taha had to undergo an extensive training regime for the role that was physically and mentally gruelling.
Talking about his physical training for playing Murad, Taha Shah Badussha reveals he had to learn how to imbibe the mannerisms and body language of a warrior-prince, and ace horse-riding and weaponry skills.
“A few horseriding classes were arranged by the film team, but I felt that I wasn’t really touching the full potential, so I joined another horse riding school by myself. I also specifically brought down a coach from Delhi, at my own expense, and Aftab Bhai has been so incredible in teaching me to work with the stick, the sword and the axe. He also trained me in double swords, which I would practise for at least an hour or two every day,” Taha commented.
Taha also revealed that he has become good friends with the stunt director Daniel Locicero (Mission Impossible: Fallout).
“Daniel choreographed the whole fight sequence in LA, sent us the recording and then we would try and copy or imitate what he did. Over time, we also created some of our own choreography, because I’m just a big fan of action and I train in it every day, so we just thought that we can use some of my strong points.”
Adding further, Taha said, “The mental preparation was daunting too. Murad is a very dark character, ruthless, merciless and unwavering in his approach. I had to delve into my darker side, my past… to all the people who in my life have abused, insulted and made me feel insecure or unloved, and unwanted. I had to channel all that rage into this character.”
Taha Shah Badussha also took diction lessons to ace his Urdu enunciation and pronunciation. Shooting in heavy armour and costumes on grand sets has truly been a challenging yet enriching experience for the actor.
Releasing on 3rd March on ZEE5, Taj- Divided by Blood also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Dharmendra, and Aditi Rao Hyadri amongst others.
