Released in collaboration with Zee5, Contiloe’s Taj: Divided by Blood has become the most-watched series on the OTT platform with close to 250+ million-minute views. According to the latest Ormax Media report, the series is one of the top five most popular OTT Originals on the week – beating one of the best TV shows in recent times – The Last of Us. The VFX company Illusion Reality Studioz has worked on the show.
The show is highly detail-oriented and complex. From intricate lighting and shadows to crafting photorealistic textures of iconic structures, the VFX team ensured seamless visual rendition for the digital screens. With advanced technology and technical artistic creativity, the show has redefined the viewing experience for the audiences.
Illusion Reality Studioz CEO Nitin Dadoo said, “The animation and VFX industry is rapid and the progression is huge. When we want to tell bigger stories of time travel, sci-fi, robots and superhumans, we want to tell the story differently and VFX is a strong tool to deliver that. Taj: Divided by Blood was challenging and exciting at the same time because we had to showcase a certain time period. When we speak about the show, the grandeur, war and culture is what we pictured. To recreate all of this we needed research and advanced technology and creators. We are glad that we were able to match and enhance the director’s vision to make the show a huge success.”
One of the most intriguing scenes in the show is a full-scale war. It was captured with the use of cutting-edge technology. From recreating the majestic Bala Hissar Fort (Kabul) to the Sheesh Mahal, and even the burning war, the Illusion team produced a level of realism. Live characters along with a huge army, elephants, cavalry, infantry, cannons, arms and ammunition were placed in CGI setups. The grandeur of the historic theme was showcased with all the minute details.
Taj director Ron Scalpello said, “It was extremely important to stage this spectacular story on a cinematic canvas, with high in-camera action and performances while working with Illusion Reality Studioz on pre-visualisations and storyboards to ensure that grand Mughal Empire was fully realised. Their superb and inspired team enhanced my vision for the project with imaginative use of all post elements and they were equally ambitious with large battle sequences, set extensions and crowd reproductions throughout. Taj: Divided By Blood has the grande, cinematic scale it demanded thanks to Illusion Reality Studioz.”
The 10-episode series is described as a revelatory tale about the inner workings and the succession drama that played out in the hallowed chambers of the Mughal empire. The ensemble cast includes Aditi Rao Hydari as Anarkali, Naseeruddin Shah as Emperor Akbar, Aashim Gulati as Prince Salim, Taha Shah as Prince Murad, Shubham Kumar Mehra as Prince Daniyal, Sandhya Mridul as Queen Jodha Bai, Zareena Wahab as Queen Salima, Sauraseni Maitra as Mehr un Nisa and Rahul Bose as Mirza Hakim.
