Mughal-E-Azam (1960)

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, Dilip Kumar

Top Rated Indian Movies #31 | 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Prithviraj Kapoor	...	Emperor Akbar (as Prithviraj)
Madhubala	...	Anarkali
Dilip Kumar	...	Prince Saleem
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

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:

love | emperor | prince | mughal | dancer | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

India

Language:

Urdu

Release Date:

5 August 1960 (India)

Also Known As:

The Emperor of the Mughals

Box Office

Budget:

INR 15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$60,258, 3 April 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$161,434, 8 May 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sterling Investment Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

197 min (1960) 184 min (2004 colorized)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (2004 re-release) Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

'Mughal-e-Azam' (1957) was a trilingual - with all scenes shot thrice in Hindi, Tamil and English. When the Tamil one flopped miserably, the English language one was aborted.

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Quotes

[Salim is on his way to be sealed in a brick wall]
Prince Saleem: Do you see any fear in your son's face?
Empress Jodha Bai: Absolutely not, I have trust in my blood. I came to congratulate you - a true Rajput prince may even have death as his bride.
[she places a garland Bahar gives her on his neck. Bahar's face is tear-stained]

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Crazy Credits

2004: The End Credits play the song 'Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya' and its 1960 end credits are adjacent to the 2004 (Technicians) credits.

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Alternate Versions

The original version is in B/W and only one song 'Pyar kiya to darna kya...' was shot in color as most of the film (by the time color technology was available) was complete. This was at the end of almost 10 years that the film was being completed. However, the year 2004 re-release is re-mastered from the original B/W version to Color with Dolby Digital sound and some visual enhancements.

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Connections

Referenced in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

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Soundtracks

Mohabbat Ki Jhooti Kahani Pe Roye
Sung by Lata Mangeshkar
Music composed by Naushad
Lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni

User Reviews

Timeless Classic.

K. Asif was the Indian "Cecille B. Demille" (who was known as CB, in the industry)conceived and executed his vision on a grand Scale. There will only be one "Ben-Hur", one "Lawrence of Arabia", one "Sound of Music", one "Sangam", one "Gadar-Ek Prem Katha" and only one "Mughal-E-Azam". The grand scale is evident in the lyrical poetry set into music by music maestro Naushad, which laid the rich tapestry for this Magnum Opus. Prithviraj Kapoor, was the doyen, who started Prithvi theaters and was the patriarc of the Kapoor Clan, which included The older Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, and Sashi Kapoor. The most talented was Raj kapoor, who was the "Barnum" of the Indian Cinema. He made countless movies and everyone of them a masterpiece, but the best was "Sangam" (1963). Baritone voiced Prithviraj Kapoor, was in the same genre as Charlston Heston,Laurence Olivier and Richard Burton, an actor's actor; a style that was unique and patented. After I watched the movie after three decades, few things stood out-the ornate settings for the Madhubala's (Born as Mumtaz Begum, was married to singer/actor Kishore Kumar, and died at age of 36, from a congenital heart problem), dance sequence, the rich music, the beauty of the yesteryear actresses and the devotion of the directors to make a statement-not just a movie. For current tastes and standards("Dabaang" "Three Idiots" "Housefull 2" produced by the Bollywood suvvar scum maggots,) the movie is a drag, but for the masses in the bygone years that starved for class and elegance, this was a treat. I was not too impressed with Dilip Kumar, as young Prince, most of the time he looked distant and lost. Suffice to say he matured to be good actor ("Ram aur Shyam") in the later years. The two that carried the mantle were Kapoor and Madhubala.