The Empire: A digital magnum opus on Disney+Hotstar

The Empire, which stars Kunal Kapoor, Shabani Azmi, Dino Morea and Drashti Dhami, is an upcoming epic period drama that touches upon the stories of a warrior, an adventurer, a survivor, and a king. Directed by Mitakshara Kumar and jointly produced by Nikkhil Advani, Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani under their banner Emmay Entertainment, the show will be released on Disney+Hotstar.

A virtual press conference was held for launching the show, which was attended by Kapoor and Azmi. Kapoor said that the Hotstar Specials’ show was the perfect platform for him for his digital debut. All excited about the experience, he said that the show will be a visual spectacle for the audience in India. Talking about filming during the pandemic, he said, “Shooting for the battle scenes during the last couple of years, in the middle of a pandemic was difficult, but it has come out really well. I am looking forward to the reaction of the audience.”

Azmi considers this series as an opportunity for her to portray a historical character. She described her character as feisty, educated and a king maker, which is usually portrayed by men. According to her, it was this part that made her thrilled. Talking about the makers of the show, she was all praise for Nikkhil and Mitakshara and added that the latter has a great eye for detail.

On the rise in popularity on various digital platforms and OTT services, she noted that they are consumed in different ways by people who also have the option to switch it off if the show doesn’t appeal to them. She said, “As an actor, it was that challenge which attracted me. OTT will bring with it the possibilities of getting more challenging roles, characters which don’t depend on gender or age, but only on stories. As long as content is the king, it will always be a huge advantage for actors.”