Akbar never attempted to start new religion: Naseeruddin Shah

Renowned actor Naseeruddin Shah recently claimed that after signing up for the upcoming show Taj: Divided By Blood, his perspective on Mughal emperor Akbar changed. 

He discussed some myths about Akbar, such as the belief that he was a ruler who wanted to establish his own religion, Din-e-Elahi. The actor said he checked with historians about the claim and called it 'nonsense.'

Naseeruddin plays the role of Akbar in "Taj". The show also stars Aditi Rao Hydari, Dharmendra, Taha Shah Badussha, Sandhya Mridul, and Shubham Kumar Mehra in pivotal roles. 

The film is said to be based on true events and revolves around Akbar and the blood feud between his sons for the Mughal throne.

Speaking of the show, Naseeruddin Shah recently pointed out some misconceptions about Akbar. 

"We had Irish teachers as well as English instructors. Akbar was always portrayed as a benevolent, kind-hearted, broad-minded, progressive ruler. The one thorn on his side is his desire to establish a new religion. This is nonsense that we read about in our history books," said the actor. 

"I confirmed this with credible historians, and Akbar never attempted to establish a new religion. He named his ideology Wahdat-e Elahi, which means the creator's oneness. That whoever you worship and in whatever form you worship him, you are worshiping the creator. You can worship a stone, a crucifix, the Kaaba, the rising sun, or anything else you want, but you are all worshiping the same thing. That was his conviction. "This is what I discovered," he added.

The senior actor also stated that the source of such "misinformation" was the term "Din-e-Elahi," which was coined by historian Abul Fazal, who disliked Akbar. He said it was one of the discoveries he made and later discussed it with the writers of the show. "Fortunately, my objections were upheld," he added.

"Taj" is a ten-part family drama. It will be available on Zee5 on March 3. Naseeruddin Shah was recently seen in "Kuttey" with Arjun Kapoor and Tabu.