Actor Sandhya Mridul, who will essay the role of Queen Jodha Bai in Taj - Divided by Blood, has spoken about her role in the web series. At the trailer launch of the ZEE5 show, the actor said that the role was a departure from the stereotypical roles she had been receiving for years. Sandhya said that, unlike her Taj co-star Aditi Rao Hydari, she doesn't 'get calls for royal roles'.
In the show, Aditi Rao Hydari will essay the role of the iconic character of Anarkali and she says that it's a blessing to play a part that was earlier essayed by Madhubala in the 1960 movie Mughal-E-Azam.
As quoted by the news agency PTI, Sandhya said, "The minute I wore the clothes, I felt royal because unlike Aditi I don't get calls for royal roles. I am always the cop, agent and 'daku (dacoit)' and all of those things. It was nice to play royalty, it was a nice experience.”
Aditi also spoke about her role, "(Rather than) being afraid or worried of any kind of comparisons, I look at it as an inspiration that she played Anarkali so beautifully. I took it as a blessing to play this beautiful character but in a different way because I had a different director. We are in 2023 and we are making a different kind of a story, it is a similar subject though. If people want to compare, they will and I will deal with it with complete humility because I know what Madhubali ji's performance has been and how incredibly beautiful she was as a performer."
Taj - Divided by Blood will follow the succession drama that played out in the hallowed chambers of the Mughal empire. The historical series also features Naseeruddin Shah as King Akbar, Aashim Gulati as Prince Salim, and Dharmendra as Sheikh Salim Chishti. The 10-episode series also stars Taha Shah, Shubham Kumar Mehra, Zarna Wahab, Sauraseni Maitra, and Rahul Bose. It will start streaming on Zee5 on March 3.
