Disney+ Hotstar’s historical epic series The Empire is based on Alex Rutherford’s historic fiction novel Empire Of The Moghul: Raiders From The North. It tells the story of the founder of the Mughal empire Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur (Kunal Kapoor) and his rise to power. The trailer seems to depict events that took place before the conqueror vanquished the Delhi Sultanate in 1526, laying the foundations of his dynasty in the sub-continent.
After finally seizing the prized city of Samarkhand in the early 16th century, Babur, the former ruler of Fergana, in present-day Uzbekistan, encounters a thorn in the form of the crafty and wild Shaybani Khan (Dino Morea), a descendent of Genghis Khan. The wily Khan promises not to clash with Babur, provided the latter agrees to marry off his sister Khanzada (Drashti Dhami) to him. This infuriates the warlord but Khanzada agrees to marry Shaybani for the sake of her family and Samarkhand. However, things don’t go as planned.
From the sets and costumes, the show appears majestic. But you can’t help but get reminded of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat (2018). Also, the appearance of Babur reminds you of Ranveer Singh’s Alauddin Khilji from the same film. But this doesn’t mean that the visuals aren't impressive. A lot of work seems to have gone into the production design and VFX.
The role of Babur is a challenging one but Kapoor appears equal to the task in the trailer. Morea has had an impressive second innings recently in shows such as Hostages (Season 2) and Tandav. He looks the part here too. The same can be said of Dhami. However, you don’t get to see much of Shabana Azmi, who plays Babur's mother.
Created by Nikkhil Advani and directed by Mitakshara Kumar, The Empire will be streamed on Disney+ Hotstar from 27 August.
Watch the trailer and let us know if you would be keen to watch the show: