Mughal-E-Azam (1960)

Inspired by true events, a 16th century prince falls in love with a court dancer and battles with his emperor father.

Director:

K. Asif

Writers:

K. Asif (screenplay), Aman (screenplay),

Stars:

Prithviraj Kapoor, Madhubala, Durga Khote

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Prithviraj Kapoor	...	Emperor Akbar (as Prithviraj)
Madhubala	...	Anarkali
Durga Khote	...	Maharani Jodha Bai
Nigar Sultana	...	Bahar
Ajit	...	Durjan Singh
M. Kumar	...	Sculptor (as Kumar)
Murad	...	Raja Mann Singh
Jilloo Maa	...	Anarkali's Mother (as Jillo Bai)
Vijayalaxmi
S. Nazir
Sheela Delaya	...	Suraiya, Anarkali's Sister
Surendra	...	(as Surinder)
Johnny Walker
Jalal Agha	...	Young Prince Saleem
Tabassum	...	(as Baby Tabassum)

Storyline

Set in the 16th century AD, the movie brings to life the tale of the doomed love affair between the Mughal Crown Prince Saleem and the beautiful, ill-fated court dancer, whose fervor and intensity perpetrates a war between the prince and his father the great Mughal Emperor Akbar, and threatens to bring an empire to its knees.

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Plot Keywords:

prince | mughal | love | empire | muslim | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

India

Language:

Urdu

Release Date:

1 April 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Emperor of the Mughals

Box Office

Budget:

INR 15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$60,258 (USA) (1 April 2005)

Gross:

$161,434 (USA) (6 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sterling Investment Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

173 min 185 min (2004 colorized)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (2004 re-release) Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

The heavy chains Madhubala wore in the film were authentic, not the lightweight models worn in those days. It was her greatest ordeal in the film and she was bedridden for days nursing the bruises caused by wearing those chains.

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Quotes

Prince Saleem: Are you here to forgive a traitor's fault?
Emperor Akbar: No, I am here as an unfortunate father, whom people called king, comes to see a displeased son and seek his love.
Prince Saleem: Your love woke up after ruining your son's love?
Emperor Akbar: [pleading with his son] I swear by God, I am not an enemy of love but a slave of my own principles!
Prince Saleem: And so Salim himself is a slave of his love!

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Connections

Featured in The Story of Film: An Odyssey: Episode #1.11 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat Aazmakar"
Sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum
Music composed by Naushad
Lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni

User Reviews

Timeless classic

One of Hindi cinema's best known films ever, It took nine years and enormous expense to complete this historical based in the closing years of Akbar's reign (1556-1605). So lavish were the sets of the film that people used to come from distant places to just see them.

The film narrates the story of Prince Salim's (later Jahangir 1605-1628) love for Anarkali, a singer. A love his father strongly disapproves of. But so strong is Salim's love for Anarkali that he goes to battle against his father. Akbar defeats Salim in battle and orders him to be executed.

However, according to the royal decree, the Salim can be saved from dying if Anarkali dies in his place. Anarkali, spunky woman that she is, however does her own thing by defying Akbar in his palace. The song 'Pyaar Kiya to Darna Kya' went on to become one of the most popular songs ever recorded and the Sheesh Mahal created for the song was a major attraction for the crowds.

According to legend, Akbar ordered Anarkali to be walled alive, but the film shows that unknown to Salim, Akbar spares her. A melodrama, rather loudly done, the film had a large star cast including Prithviraj Kapoor as Akbar, Dilip Kumar as Salim, Madhubala (Anarkali) and Durga Khote as Jodha Bai.Its watch worth.