Based on Alex Rutherford’s Empire of the Moghul – Raiders of the North, created by Nikkhil Advani and directed by Mitakshara Kumar, “The Empire”is the story of a king battling against enemies, fate, family, death and even himself, in search of his kingdom, the first season of which premieres Friday, August 27, 2021, on Disney+Hotstar.
WHAT IS “THE EMPIRE”?
According to the Indianexpress, “The Empire begins with Babur as a 14-year-old boy who is still learning the ropes of being a royal. He is shown as a sensitive individual who believes in innate human goodness but doesn’t shy away from slashing throats when his ‘badshaahat’ is in danger. The eight episodes chronicle different phases of Babur’s life but it takes a while to get into the right groove. Shaibani Khan, played by Dino Morea, is portrayed as the arch-nemesis of the emperor who, at this point, doesn’t even have a kingdom, but all the arrogance that goes with it.”
The show upraised controversy, particularly among the Indian viewers with the release of the trailer with critics reviewing that it failed to harbour emotional depth and connection with the characters and poor execution of concepts of greed, ambition, love, pride and jealously, but one cannot deny, it definitely takes us back to the history of the Mughal period, of which I am sure, many of us are aware of. The notable Mughal Empire largely established its rule in the Northern part of India from 1526-1761, a reign that began from the man whose life will be showcased in the series, Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur.