Naseeruddin Shah states there is misinformation about Akbar: He never used the word Din-e Elahi
File image of Naseeruddin Shah.
Naseeruddin Shah will soon be seen playing Mughal Emperor Akbar in new web series called Taj: Divided By Blood. The veteran Indian actor, while promoting his new show, recently stated that his understanding of Emperor Akbar changed after working on the show. Shah stated that a common misconception about the Emperor was that he wanted to start his own religion: Din-e-Elahi. Claiming it as ‘nonsense’, Shah stated that he had checked with historians about the facts about Akbar’s interest in starting a new religion.
In the new web series Taj: Divided by Blood, which premieres on Zee5 this week, Naseeruddin Shah plays the role of Akbar while Aditi Rao Hydaru plays courtesan Anarkali. The show also features Dharmendra, Taha Shah Badussha, Sandhya Mridul and Ashim Gulati. The story is reportedly based on true events and revolves around blood battle that ensued between Akbar’s sons for the Mughal throne. It also highlights the complex relationship Akbar shared with his eldest child, Emperor Jehangir.
Talking about the show, Naseeruddin Shah recently pointed out the misinformation about Akbar. In an interview to Indian Express the actor said, “My understanding initially was that of any student who studied history in the 50s or the early 60s, just in the wake of independence when the influence of the British was still very strong. We had Irish teachers, and English instructors. The picture drawn of Akbar was always that of a benevolent, kind-hearted, broad-minded, progressive ruler. The one fly in the ointment being his desire to start a new religion. We read about this in history books, which is absolute nonsense.”
“I have checked this with authoritative historians and Akbar never did attempt to start a new religion. This is a fact which was in our history books called the Din-e Elahi. But Akbar never used the word Din-e Elahi, ever. He called it Wahdat-e Elahi, which means the oneness of the creator. That no matter who you worship, in what form you worship him, you’re worshipping the creator. You may worship a stone, you may worship a crucifix, you may bow your head to the Kaaba, you may worship the rising sun and do what you like, but you are worshipping one and the same thing. That was his belief. This is what I found out,” he added.
The senior actor alleged that the ‘misinformation’ was related to the term--Din-e-Elahi was coined because of historian Abul Fazal who didn't like Akbar. He said it was one of the discoveries he made and later discussed it with the writers of the show. “Luckily, my objections were upheld,” he also said.
Taj is a 10-part family drama series. It is set to release on Zee5 on March 3.
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