Panipat: All about Sanjay Dutt's character Ahmad Shah Abdali

The upcoming movie Panipat will star Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles. The movie will be based on the historical event of the Third Battle of Panipat, which was a brutal and major battle fought between the Marathas and the Afghani army. The role of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the king of the Afghani forces, will be played by Sanjay Dutt. Here is all you need to know about the historical significance of Ahmad Shah Abdali and the battle that he fought at Panipat. 

The King from Afghanistan

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Ahmad Shah Abdali, also known as Ahmad Shah Durrani, is believed to have been born sometime around 1722 in the city of Herat. Ahmad Shah Abdali's father was Mohammad Zaman Khan, the leader of the Abdali tribe as well as the governor of Herat at that time. Ahmad Shah's family was constantly at war with other clans in the region due to political differences. When he was young, Ahmad Shah's tribe under the banner of Zulfiqar had surrendered to Nader Shah, a powerful Persian ruler. While the Abdali tribe did mount a rebellion against him but failed to stop his power grab. Ahmad Shah was made a political prisoner due to these events. 

However, Ahmad Shah Abdali was soon released and was enlisted by the conqueror, Nader Shah. Popular history often states that Nader Shah saw the talent in  Ahmad Shah, which was the reason why he was enlisted. Whatever the case may be, Ahmad Shah soon rose in the ranks Nader Shah's army and administration. It is stated that  Ahmad Shah Abdali was extremely loyal to his King and that Nader Shah himself declared Ahmad as his heir in the case of his death. 

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Nader Shah was soon assassinated by his own guards in 1747. After Nader's death, Ahmad Shah consolidated his power and became the next King of the Afghans. After his rise to power, Ahmad Shah began his quest to conquer the Indian subcontinent. During his expansion campaign, he faced harsh resistance from the Marathas, who to stall the Afghani expansion had strengthened their military forces. 

This enmity between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali is what led to the Third Battle of Panipat. The movie Panipat will depict the battle that occurred between Ahmad Shah Abdali's Afghani forces and the Maratha army, who were under the command of  Sadashiv Rao Bhau. The movie is set to release on December 6, 2019. 

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