For Hyderabad-based theatre veteran Mohammad Ali Baig, everything seems guided by fate. His first major play, Taramati: The Legend of an Artist, explored the life of the legendary courtesan Taramati and her bond with Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah, the 7th ruler of the Golconda Sultanate. Years later, his first feature film as director, Chand Tara, returns to the same world. Even its trailer premiere at the Cannes Film Festival feels oddly destined to him. “My first international theatre festival was in France. Now my first international film festival is also in France,” says Baig, who has also acted in Tamil and Telugu films and shows such as Sardar, Aruvi, and Aha Naa Pellanta.
In Chand Tara, Baig also steps into the role of Shah himself, alongside actors Ranjana Srivastav, Mohan Agashe, Anupam Kher, and Masood Akhtar. The film is far from a conventional royal romance. Baig describes the relationship between Shah and Taramati as “a soulful relationship”, shaped through art, music, and intellectual companionship, something he was keen to capture on screen. The fascination began years ago at the Taramati Baradari. “Taramati was not Shah’s queen, begum, or mistress,” Baig says. “So why was a monument built for her?” The question lingered long enough to inspire plays and, eventually, a film.
For Chand Tara, Baig and his team immersed themselves in the textures of the Qutb Shahi era, researching ragas, instruments, textiles, dyes, and jewellery unique to the Deccan courts
What sets Chand Tara apart is its attention to details. Baig and his team immersed themselves in the textures of the Qutb Shahi era, researching ragas, instruments, textiles, dyes, and jewellery unique to the Deccan courts. He is also quick to point out how Indian cinema often flattens Muslim royal history into one visual template. “People think every Muslim court looked the same. But the South is different from the North.” Persian, Urdu, Telugu, and Dakhani influences intersect in Chand Tara.
Such sensibility also extends into music. It revives Piya baaj piyala, a nazm written by Shah. For Baig, poetry forms the emotional spine of the film. “The whole era was poetic and lyrical,” he says. “It’s not about conquest or spectacle. It’s about art, longing, and two people recognising each other through art.”