Naseeruddin Shah: Knock down Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Qutub Minar if the Mughals were so demonic – Times of India

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, who is essaying the role of king Akbar in the new web series Taj – Divided by Blood, shared his views on the constant vilification of the Mughals by the people. He said that the Mughals didn’t come here to loot India but to make their home. He further added that if the Mughals were so demonic then those who oppose should knock down the historical monuments such as Taj Mahal, Red Fort and Qutub Minar.
Speaking about people having a wrong perception of the Mughals, Naseeruddin said, “It amuses me because it is so utterly ridiculous. I mean, people can’t tell the difference between Akbar and a murderous invader like Nader Shah or Babar’s great-grandfather Taimur. These were people who came here to loot. The Mughals didn’t come here to loot. They came here to make this their home and that’s what they did. Who can deny their contribution?”

Naseeruddin said that though the Mughals have been glorified at the expense of our country’s indigenous traditions, there is no need to villainize them either.

“If everything they did was horrible, then knock down the Taj Mahal, knock down the Red Fort, knock down Qutub Minar. Why do we consider the Red Fort sacred, it was built by a Mughal. We need not glorify them, but there is no need to vilify them either,” he told The Indian Express.

He also said that there is no room for debate for an intellectual conversation since there is a lack of understanding of the country’s history.