Nikkhil Advani: Shabana Azmi called me and asked me to replace her in ‘The Empire’ series

Bollywood director Nikkhil Advani recently mentioned that Shabana Azmi wished to be replaced from his recently aired series The Empire. Her request came after she met with an accident and the director said he could ‘never replace her’. The Empire is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Shabana Azmi in The Empire

Nikkhil Advani spoke about Shabana Azmi’s dedication and hard work towards her role on the show. As per a press release, he said, “A big onset moment for me, which is quite special, is where Shabana Azmi is hanging in a scene. She had to hang off a mountain and being a thorough professional, she did not allow me to use a body double for her, she hung over there for 3 hours.”

It is after this that he mentioned that the actor wished to be replaced owing to a ‘horrific accident’. The director said, “Shabana Ji had just come out of a horrific accident and when we heard about it we had to take a couple of months break. She called me up and asked me to replace her.” He also mentioned what his response to the actor was. He told her that he would wait for her to recover and play her role in the show. He said, “ I told her that I will never replace her; I told her we will wait for you and you must recover and can come back - That’s the level of commitment that has been shown in the show.”

Nikkhil Advani’s The Empire

The series is a historical fiction show starring Kunal Kapoor, Shabana Azmi and Drashti Dhami in pivotal roles. It will also feature Dino Morea, Aditya Seal and Sahher Bamba. The show is based on the series of novels by  Alex Rutherford titled Empire of the Moghul. The show revolves around a young king who is faced with several challenges as armies and enemies threaten his throne and survival. It is directed by Mitakshara Kumar and created by Nikkhil Advani. The Empire is produced by Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani under the banner of Emmay Entertainment.

Picture Credits: Shabana Azmi/Drashti Dhami fam-Instagram