Filmmaker
Nikkhil
Advani-created
series
The
Empire
will
debut
on
Disney+
Hotstar
on
August
27,
the
streamer
announced
on
Saturday.
Based
on
Alex
Rutherford’s
"Empire
of
the
Moghul:
Raiders
from
the
North",
the
show
is
directed
by
Mitakshara
Kumar,
who
has
also
co-written
it
with
writer
Bhavani
Iyer.
The
epic
period-action-drama
traces
the
saga
of
an
empire
from
the
valley
of
Ferghana
to
Samarkhand
and
beyond.
"The
king
of
Ferghana
dies
in
an
accident
and
a
young
prince
is
now
tasked
with
taking
over
the
throne.
It’s
a
time
of
great
distress
due
to
imminent
danger
from
an
evil
warlord.
"An
assassination
attempt
on
the
king
that
further
deepens
the
worries
about
the
vulnerability
of
Ferghana.
The
young
king
must
now
take
responsibility
for
an
entire
kingdom,"
the
official
synopsis
of
the
show
read.
Actor
Kunal
Kapoor,
who
is
making
his
digital
debut,
features
as
an
emperor
and
is
joined
by
an
ensemble
cast
including
Shabana
Azmi,
Drashti
Dhami,
Dino
Morea,
Aditya
Seal,
Sahher
Bambba
and
Rahul
Dev.
Advani,
who
serve
as
the
showrunner,
said
The
Empire
is
a
dream
project
that
he
has
nurtured
for
years.
He
added
that
the
show
will
provide
an
unforgettable
viewing
experience
to
the
audiences.
"The
narrative
we
are
exploring
is
something
none
of
the
makers
have
ever
attempted
in
the
history
of
Indian
entertainment
and
given
this
story
a
fictional
and
creative
bent.
"It's
overwhelming
to
see
the
trailer
receive
resounding
praises
and
we
hope
that
it
makes
for
an
unforgettable
viewing
experience," Advani,
known
for
directing
films
such
as
Kal
Ho
Na
Ho
and
D
Day,
said
in
a
statement.
Azmi
said
she
has
always
been
spellbound
by
the
"imperial
lives
from
the
pages
of
history".
"We
have
seen
and
read
many
stories
but
the
ones
that
I
love
the
most
are
where
women
play
strategic
roles;
much
like
my
character
in
'The
Empire’,
she
is
fierce,
confident
and
knows
what
she
wants.
"I
hope
the
audience
enjoys
watching
her
as
much
as
I
enjoyed
playing
her,"
the
70-year-old
actor
said.
Talking
about
his
character,
Kapoor
said
it
was
intriguing
for
him
to
play
an
emperor
in
the
series
as
the
character
has
a
lot
of
complexities.
"We
have
heard
many
stories
about
Babur
and
the
Mughals,
but
very
little
about
who
they
were,
where
they
came
from
and
how
they
came
into
India.
"In
this
fictional
take,
this
is
a
character
with
a
lot
of
complexities,
and
that
is
what
intrigued
me
as
an
actor,"
he
said.
The
eight-episode
series
has
been
shot
across
multiple
locations
in
India
and
Uzbekistan.
The
Empire
is
produced
by
Advani’s
sister
Monisha
Advani
and
Madhu
Bhojwani
under
their
banner
Emmay
Entertainment.