I show how 22,000 people constructed the monument, block by block 
The younger brother of famous Bollywood actors Sanjay and Feroz Khan, Akbar Khan began his cinematic career in 1974 with a role in Anjaan Rahen (Unknown Paths). A handful of films later, he turned his attention to producing and directing, making his first feature film Haadsa (The Incident) in 1983. However, the lure of the booming television industry was too much to resist and by the mid 80s he had moved on to make two of India's longest running and critically acclaimed television drama series, The Sword Of Tipu Sultan and Akbar The Great. After a period of six years Khan is back with another epic saga. Telling the tragic tale behind the building of the word's most famous monument to love by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan for his queen Mumtaz, Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story is set to make history as the most expensive Indian film ever made.
Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story is billed as the most expensive film ever produced in the history of Indian motion pictures. How much did it cost?
Close to $15 million (75 crore rupees). It's also one of the longest in terms of production, having taken over three years to complete; two years four months for shooting the film and the rest in post-production.
Did you always visualize Taj Mahal to be made on such a grand scale?
Yes, right from the beginning. We had 22 sets in total, of which twelve sets were constructed for the first time within an actual locale rather than a studio. For example I leased out the Mehrangarh fort, a 14th-century fort in Udaipur, Rajasthan, with a belief that it would give a natural ambience to the sets inside it. Other locations included Jodhpur, Jaipur, and historical gardens of Nishat and Shalimar situated on the bank of Dal Lake. We also shot along the Samurai river in the Ladakh region, which is 14,4000 feet above sea level.
Sounds like a mammoth task. How much manpower did that require?
There was a lot of co-ordination and synchronisation involved. We were a sitting technical unit of 500 people from day one to the last day of shooting. In addition we had crowds of two to three thousand extras almost every second sequence we shot, plus a major battle sequence with a crowd of almost 20,000 people. But once I was on set I just wanted to can all the shots as I had visualised them. I loved every bit of the making of Taj Mahal, from the scorching sun and 45 degrees Celsius, to minus five degrees temperature at nights.
What motivated you to keep going?
I love the human drama associated with great historical characters and so the incidents in the chapters of history were the fodder for my energy. Audiences will see the 350-year-old Taj Mahal literally being built in my film. There is a sequence where I show how 22,000 people constructed the monument, block by block and how Mogul Emperor Shah Jehan supervised it all.
Besides the love story between the Shah Jehan and his queen Mumtaz Mahal, what else can we expect to see?
Well I haven't included elements like the chief architect's hands being chopped off because that was a myth. I think my film is more historically correct. The idea of the mirror image black marble Taj Mahal which Shah Jehan planned to build is in there. In fact that is what the subject of my next film may be about.
Why did you opt for newcomers Zulfikar Syed and Sonya Jehan for the lead roles of Prince Khurram (Shah Jehan) and Mumtaz Mahal?
I would not have taken any established actors to play their parts, not because for any other reason but wanting to have a new identity with the leads. They should look like the prince and princess of that time. The physical features of our present heroes and heroines wouldn't gel into the kind of characters included in my story. Luckily they were both very good actors.
Tell us more about Zulfikar.
I needed an actor who would look the young version of Kabir Bedi who plays the old emperor Shah Jehan that Prince Khurram grows into. He had done one small film before Taj Mahal but I knew I could transform him into the kind of character I dreamt of. Zuklfikar is my answer to India's Tom Cruise. I think he is going to be a huge heartthrob.
Casting Sonya Jehan, granddaughter of iconic Pakistani actress/singer Noor Jehan, was quite a coup. How did that come about?
Sonya was suggested by friend of mine who told me there was a beautiful girl who was studying textile design along with his daughter in London. It wasn't till later that I found out that she was Noor Jehan's granddaughter. I felt that genes do play a part and that I should give her a screen test. The moment I saw her I felt she was the right person to play Mumtaz. Sonya's mother is French and her father Muslim, but she has grown up in Pakistan so speaks fluent Urdu, which is the language used in the film.
Do you feel Bollywood audiences will be attracted to a historical like Taj Mahal at a time when contemporary films are more popular?
A lot of people are wondering if my historical film will succeed in today's day and age. Personally I feel Bollywood audiences are getting fed up of the same old contemporary movies and want to see something new. I think it will be an eye opener not just for the youth in India, but also for the younger Diaspora who have lived away from India for a couple of generations. Both urban Indians and Indians in the west have lost touch with their history and need to be reminded. The love story behind the Taj Mahal may make it more palatable.
Having put so much money, time and effort into the making of Taj Mahal, do you feel pressure for it to be a commercial or critical hit?
I personally feel that it's going to be a commercial success. It's got all the right balance of ingredients of a Bollywood blockbuster - romance, drama, action, spectacular scenes and sets, songs, dancers, battles. It's not just for the art house festivals.
What if Taj Mahal ends up being a flop like Alexander rather than a hit like Gladiator?
I would definitely be disappointed, but it wouldn't put me off doing another historical film.
Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story is released in UK cinemas on Friday, 18th November 2005.
