Ron Scalpello is the director of the web series in Taj: Divided by Blood. The show stars Dharmendra, Naseeruddin Shah, Rahul Bose, Taha Shah Badussha and Aditi Rao Hydari in pivotal roles. The Free Press Journal caught up with Ron for an exclusive chat.
When asked that despite being a foreigner, how did he plan to make a show on the Mughal era, he replies, “I wanted to tell a big historical story. Talking about the Mughal dynasty, it is very cinematic story wise and it is a family saga. As a director, I feel lucky to be able to tell a story in a big way since it was about family conspiracies and huge battles. It is probably the largest and most important story of a family succession.”
It is important to be factually correct while making a show like this. Sharing further on the challenges he faced, Ron reveals, “When a show like this is being made, one has to be politically and historically accurate. Our research team made sure to show Agra aptly. The biggest challenge was to make an entertaining show. Essentially, it is a family drama. Although, the characters belonged to that ear but still wanted to make them look believable.”
Ron seems to be on cloud nine to work with acting veteran Naseeruddin Shah, who plays Akbar in the show. “It is an absolute privilege and honour to work with Naseeruddin Shah. He is so loved by the entire country. He has such a great body of work. His presence in the show just uplifts my vision of the biggest visionary ruler Akbar. His ability to act made Akbar even bigger,” he gushes.
Ron also loves the character of Akbar the most. He explains, “It’s a tricky question but it has to be Akbar. His grandness, personality, etc. are really something special.”
He adds, “I love history in general and Indian history in particular but never really got a chance to explore or read at length. Whenever my wife and I come to India, we love to see old palaces.”
Taj: Divided By Blood also stars Aashim Gulati, Sandhya Mridul and Zarina Wahab and began streaming on ZEE5 from March 3.
