Talking about his never-before-seen avatar, Dino said, “The look for the show is something director Mitakshara & I worked on. We needed Shaibani Khan to be deadly, and from the feedback, I’ve been getting, I think we have succeeded. Everyone who has seen the trailer so far has loved Shaibani Khan’s look. Comments like savagely sexy to delicious – quite interesting I’d say.” Fans are in awe of Dino’s look, with many of them finding its resemblance to Khilji, played by Ranveer Singh in ‘Padmaavat’.

Being compared to Ranveer Singh’s character, Dino said, “Khilji is obviously a compliment, Ranveer looked & played that part beautifully.” Director Mitakshara talked about her vision for Dino’s character, “I feel animals are a great reference point for behaviourism. Their instincts are bang on. And so, I told Dino that he should study a Panther. Regal and subtle, patiently waiting for its prey and they attack without warning. And Dino understood that so well. He has done a great job and justice to the character.”

The series marks the directorial debut of Mitakshara Kumar who has also co-written this epic saga with Bhavani Iyer with Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani of Emmay Entertainment as producers.

Created in conjunction with National Award-winning filmmaker Nikkhil Advani of Emmay Entertainment, the series, which traces the origins of a dynasty, promises a magnificent visual spectacle mounted on a grand scale. Starring Dino, Kunal Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Drashti Dhami, and others, ‘The Empire’ releases on August 27 on OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar.