Aashim Gulati has been receiving praise for his role as Salim, Mughal Emperor Akbar’s son, in the period drama Taj: Divided by Blood. The actor, who did his OTT debut with Hostages, is not new to the period drama genre having done the TV show Karn Sangini before.
However, this web series, which is set against the backdrop of the Mughal dynasty, had its own set of challenges. Talking about the same in portraying a character like Salim, Aashim shares, “This is perhaps the biggest show I have done so far. This is the kind of role I was looking for a very long time, in fact, since the time I started acting. It took 12 years for me to do a show like this. It was fun to play a character like Salim. There were challenges but I also had a great responsibility while shooting for it. My concern was that I got a show like this but what if I am unable to deliver? No one threw this pressure, it was my pressure.”
“The biggest challenge was the unpredictable load of work which came due to the pandemic. First, I finished the shows which I was shooting before Taj. In the middle of this, I had to learn horse riding within four sessions. I never sat on a horse before the shoot. My session with the horse was scary. I thought I would die because of an injury. I had to learn sword fighting too, so it was a rigorous training process but my athletic physicality also helped me,” he adds.
The character of Salim was introduced in the show where he is passionately making love with the courtesans. When asked about any inhibitions, he recalls, “I am not a shy boy and today, when scenes like these happen on the sets, they happen under the guidance of an intimacy director. Not in this show, but I have worked with them on a couple of earlier projects. I did whatever my character demanded.”
Aashim feels that Taj is kind of a game changer for him as an actor. “Salim was important for me at this point in my career. I have received love on all levels, be it my performance or the way I look in the show as Salim,” he explains.
Besides Aashim, the show also features Taha Shah Badussha, Naseeruddin Shah, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sandhya Mridul and others in pivotal roles. On the work front, Aashim also has another web series titled Yaari Dosti in his kitty.
