Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story Synopsis & Summary

The romantic story behind one of the world's great architectural wonders comes to the screen in this Bollywood drama. As the emperor Shah Jahan (Kabir Bedi) is held captive by his son Aurangzeb (Arbaaz Khan), who killed his brother Dara Shikho (Vaquar Sheikh) in a battle over which sibling would assume the throne after Shah Jahan's death, he spends his final days with his daughter Jahan Ara (Manisha Koirala) recalling the great love of his life. As a young man, Shah Jahan was known as Prince Khurram (Zulfikar Syed), and he had fallen in love with Mumtaz Mahal (Sonya Jehan), a beautiful young woman whose father was the Emperor Jahangir (Arbaaz Ali). However, the emperor wanted his daughter to find a suitor who would bring him greater political advantage than Prince Khurram. Meanwhile, the prince became the focus of the meddling Empress Noor Jahan (Pooja Batra), who was eager to arrange a match between him and her daughter Laadli Begum (Kim Sharma). While Prince Khurram and Mumtaz Mahal shared a love that would not be denied, no small amount of conflict stood in their way, with battles both physical and emotional keeping the two apart. Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story was only the second directorial credit for former actor Akbar Khan; the lavish production was over three years in production and cost an estimated 15 million dollars to make. - Mark Deming, All Movie Guide