'Taj: Reign of Revenge' review: Of conspiracies, power hunger, revenge

The first part of season two of Taj, with the tagline Reign of Revenge, was released on Friday on the streaming platform ZEE5. The first season, Taj: Divided By Blood, was well received by viewers. It left a strong base for the sequel, but is the second installment worth a watch? Well, it is! The sequel is anything but disappointing and worthy of binge-watching.

The show takes a 15-year-long leap with Akbar (Naseeruddin Shah) tracking his way back to Sheikh Salim Chisti (Dharmendra) to know about the Mughal sultanate's future. He suggests Akbar accept all his mistakes and bring back Salim, the true heir to the throne. Meanwhile, Salim has turned into a rebel against Akbar and is also seeking revenge for Anarkali's death from Shah Daniyaal.

With over 50 years of experience, Shah has proved again why he is a seasoned actor. The plight of a father and the worry of an emperor to find his successor has rightly been expressed by him. Whether it's his dialogue delivery or expressions, none could have portrayed Akbar's vulnerability better than Shah. Dharmendra as Chisti is another brilliant casting call by the team.

Aashim Gulati and Shubham Kumar Mehra, as Salim and Daniyaal, respectively, have reprised their characters. For Gulati, playing Salim has rightly proved to be a career-defining decision, while Mehra as Daniyaal also succeeded with his debut. The two actors are impressive in their characters: Gulati as a hurt, love-seeking, and angry Salim, and Mehra as insecure Daniyaal who is hungry for the throne.

The second season saw the introduction of new characters, such as Mehr un Nisa (Sauraseni Mitra) and Ali Quli (Rouhallah Quazim). Both the actors played their characters well, especially Quazim. But Mitra lacked grit in certain key roles, while Quli's character hasn't been explored much. The makers also eliminated Aditi Rao Hydari, though she does make an appearance in both parts of the sequel.

The first season saw the princes going out to war and fighting with each other as well. All the bloodshed shown in the first season goes missing in the second. The sequel has more drama to offer, which reflects the changing dynamics of family relations. Though it does have a few action scenes here and there, it barely grabs any attention.

Although the first part of the second season is out, the second part will premiere on May 26 and will likely have four more episodes. While season one was directed by Ron Scalpello, Vibhu Puri joined as the director for the sequel. Co-produced by Abhimanyu Singh and Roopali Singh, the series also features Sandhya Mridul, Zarina Wahab, Padma Damodaran, and Rahul Bose, among others.

The sequel has been split into two parts. It ends on a cliffhanger, with Daniyaal plotting another attack that may break Salim emotionally yet again. Although the second installment starts at a slow pace, it picks up on the story pretty fast. The season seemed at par with its prequel, making it worth a watch. It gets 3 out of 5 stars from us.