Shabana Azmi is a pivotal part of the series The Empire, a webseries for Hotstar produced by Nikhil Advani. The Internet is a fascinating web for Shabana. “This is the first web series(for Hotstar) that I've done. The reach of the medium is tremendous. The Empire is an adaptation of Alex Rutherfood’s historical book. It deals with Moghul history all the way from Babar to Aurangzeb.”
What fascinated Shabana was the space and attention given to the women figures from Moghul history.
She feels women have been treated with scant attention by Moghul historians. “I mean everyone knows Mumtaz Mahal because Shah Jehan built the Taj Mahal for her. But what was she really like? I play Babar’s grandmother Esan Daulat. Not much is known about her. But she was the power behind the throne. When Babar was 12, she made sure he was crowned the emperor.”
Shabana enjoys the freedom offered by the web. “One can tell a story as elaborately as one wants. Though Esan Daulat is little-known outside the domain of history books my character is done at length. I am shooting for 40 days for The Empire.”
Image source: Instagram/ nikkhiladvani/ azmishabana18