Aditya Seal on 'The Empire': The show makes people realise there’s more to me

Aditya Seal in The Empire

The Empire transported the audience to the Mughal era, showing them the rise of Babur, played by Kunal Kapoor. While the ever-dependable Shabana Azmi walked away with the lion's share of praise, all eyes are now on Aditya Seal, who played Humayun in the Disney+ Hotstar series. The actor will presumably headline the next edition, which will be based on Alex Rutherford's second book in Empire of the Moghul series, Brothers at War.

Seal has effortlessly switched from his role as urbane chocolate boy in Student of the Year 2 to donning a period character. "I did not approach Humayun as the successor to the throne. The show sees him in his younger years, and he is still naive. He eventually becomes more aware of the responsibility on his shoulders. I treated him as a young boy," he says, pointing out how the fight sequence at the market place displays his naiveté.

Also Read: Kunal Kapoor on 'The Empire': Babur in the show may be different from how he was

In the week since the Nikkhil Advani-backed series dropped online, Seal says he has been bombarded with messages. He considers the show his long-awaited breakthrough. "I have never worked on a period project. I slowly understood the magnitude of the show. The grandeur on set was so consuming that as an actor, you get into the zone. Working with Nikkhil has been inspiring. The show makes people realise that there's a lot more to me. That action sequence is based on prep. I am a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo. I need to keep showing my range gradually."

But, the series' last few episodes aren't without faults. The show has been criticised for casting 22-year-old Sahher Bambba as the on-screen mother to 33-year-old Seal. The actor admits he had his share of concerns. "But Mitakshara [Kumar, director] said it's not a [cause for] worry as I wouldn't stand next to her in too many scenes. The scenes in which I am with her, the ageing of her character does show," he defends, before quipping, "To be honest, my mother can pass off as my sister."

Also Read: The Empire-building that once was?