Dino Morea defends The Empire against criticism, says it isn't history, ‘it’s just a lot of fiction'

Actor Dino Morea, who recently featured in The Empire, has responded after the series faced flak for ‘glorifying’ Mughals. Dino said that the story for the show has been 'fictionalised'. 

In The Empire, which released on Disney+ Hotstar last month, Dino Morea essayed the role of the antagonist Muhammad Shaybani Khan. Though Dino's performance was praised, a section of social media users criticised the show.

In an interview with Free Press Journal, Dino Morea said, “If you read the book, you will understand that there is a lot of fiction mixed with history to dramatise the narrative and make it more fun to read. Likewise, we have fictionalised our story as well, so viewers remain engaged with the story. Yes, it tells the story of the Mughal era, but we are not glorifying anybody. It’s not history; it’s just a lot of fiction.”

Dino also spoke about being typecast and doing another negative role, if offered. "As an actor, I’m not really worried about being typecast. I feel it doesn’t happen anymore. Every character has its unique trajectory, and I try to do my best for every role I take up. So, yes, if offered another negative role, I will take it. I feel certain negative characters, or the ones with grey shades, provide more scope for acting. These characters help you excel. And such interesting characters allure me,” he said.

After the release of the show, Dino had denied being influenced by Ranveer Singh's character Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat. Speaking with Bollywood Bubble, Dino had said, “If you compare me to someone who has done a fantastic job then chalo theek hai (then it's okay). I’m okay with it. Because Ranveer has done a fantastic job as Khilji. I have not been influenced by what he did as Khilji. I have tried to introduce my madness through Shaybani Khan."

The Empire, an eight-episode long streaming series, is based on the novel Empire of the Moghul by Alex Rutherford. Directed by Mitakshara Kumar, The Empire also features Kunal Kapoor as Babur, Shabana Azmi as Aisan Daulat Begum, Drashti Dhami as Khanzada Begum and Aditya Seal as Humayun.