"Finally, it feels like good days are here,” begins Dino Morea, who considers The Empire a new lease of life that he has been awaiting for a decade. The actor plays Shaybani Khan, the nemesis to Kunal Kapoor’s Babur, in the Disney+ Hotstar offering. Morea, who likens the character to a ferocious panther, says he prepped hard to slip into the part, giving him kohl-lined eyes and a ruthless air. “Shaybani has animalistic traits. He is cunning and agile. When I read the episodes, I knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime. I worked extensively to imbibe the stealthiness of the part. He is a guy whose next move can’t be predicted; I gave him a madness of his own,” he says.

The character’s fierceness has reminded many of Ranveer Singh’s portrayal of Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat (2018). “At least I am compared to the very best. Ranveer pulled off that character with such finesse. The comparison is a compliment,” laughs Morea.