MUMBAI :   Actor Taha Shah Badussha has trained extensively for playing the historical character Murad, emperor Akbar's second son, in the upcoming web series 'Taj-Divided by Blood'. From taking horse riding classes to learning fencing, the actor did it all to get perfection.

About how he prepared himself physically and mentally to play the ruthless, clever, and power-hungry prince, he said: "I went through extensive physical as well as mental preparation for 'Taj- Divided by Blood'. Playing a royal entity entails learning a whole lot of skills physically, from riding a horse to acing weaponry, as well as imbibing the mannerisms and body language of a prince and a warrior at the same time. It was definitely a few challenging months."

"I started off with a few horse riding classes which were arranged by the film team. But I felt that I wasn't really touching the potential of acing the skill, so I joined another horse riding school by myself. I would eventually take two horse riding schools by myself, and I would go there at about 6:30-7:00 in the morning every day for almost a month and a half. After that, I would also go to the other classes that were conducted by the film team for us in the evening. Amidst that, there would also be my own physical training, but specifically for the show, I trained in sword fighting and axe fighting. I specifically brought down a coach from Delhi, at my own expense, and Aftab Bhai has been so incredible in teaching me to work with the stick, the sword, and the axe," he added.

The actor, who is known for his roles in the films like 'Luv Ka The End', 'Gippi', 'Baar Baar Dekho, 'Ranchi Diaries', and also did web series such as 'Bullets', 'Bekaboo2', among others, said that he got injured a number of times during the training, however, the final result was fulfilling and satisfying.

"In addition to teaching me the tricks of the axe, how to flip it and turn it around, my trainer also trained me in double swords, which I would practice for at least an hour or two every day. A result of this has been the many many cuts on my hands, because of rotating them and swinging them around. Overall, my journey includes a lot of blisters, some blood, and a lot of sweat," he concluded.

Set in the 16th century, the show is all about Mughal emperor Akbar and the war of transfer of power among his 3 sons, Salim, Murad, and Daniyal.

'Taj-Divided by Blood' also features Dharmendra, Aditi Rao Hyadri, Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab, Sandhya Mridul, and Aashim Gulati. It will be released on March 3 on Zee 5.

SOURCE -IANS