The stage is set for the ultimate showdown between Naseeruddin Shah’s Akbar and Aashim Gulati’s Prince Salim as the latter challenges his father for the coveted peacock throne in the Taj: Reign of Revenge Part 2 trailer, dropped on May 23.

The two-minute-35-second trailer chronicles how Salim is refusing to bow down to Mughal Emperor Akbar, who is yet to make up his mind on who will be his successor. Even as Salim launches an all-out attack to assume control of the Mughal empire, his younger brother Daniyal (Shubham Kumar Mehra) has his eyes set on the throne. And Salim’s sons are in no mood to concede their claim of becoming Akbar’s heir. Salim has failed both as a father and a son, one of them angrily rebukes him.

Salim finds a supporter in Mehrunissa (Sauraseni Maitra), who dreams of becoming the empress one day. Although the prince harbours feelings of love for her, his ex-flame Anarkali (Aditi Rao Hydari) continues to appear in his dreams, egging him on to fight for the throne.

While the focus in the trailer remains on the David vs Goliath-style clash between Akbar and Salim, the backroom plotting and conspiracies by the courtiers and the emperor’s wives brew on the sidelines. Akbar’s estranged brother Mirza Hakim (Rahul Bose) also makes a brief appearance in the trailer. With his eyes set on taking over the reins of the empire, Hakim is plotting to finish both Akbar and Salim off.

We also see Dharmendra in a special appearance as Shaikh Salim Chishti. “The bloodshed will commence now,” he says, predicting a bloody civil war over succession after Akbar’s death.