Cinema
Mughal-e-Azam
मुग़ल-ए-आज़म
K. Asif · 1960
Synopsis
Under the reign of Akbar, in the sixteenth century, the crown prince Salim, the future emperor Jahangir, falls in love with Anarkali, a court dancer. The emperor, an attentive father but the sovereign of an immense empire, judges this love unworthy of his son's rank and sets out to separate the lovers; the son stands up against him, and the quarrel between filial duty and passion soon spills beyond the court.
Context
The project was born in 1944 from the play Anarkali by Imtiaz Ali Taj. The first producer, Shiraz Ali Hakim, left for Pakistan after the Partition and Chandra Mohan, cast as Akbar, died; shooting resumed in the early fifties with the money of Shapoorji Pallonji and an entirely new cast. Prithviraj Kapoor plays Akbar, Dilip Kumar Salim, Madhubala Anarkali; Kamal Amrohi was one of the dialogue writers, Naushad composed the music. The battle was shot near Jaipur with thousands of soldiers lent by the army, and several reels, including the sequence of the palace of mirrors, in colour. The film was released on 5 August 1960.
Who it is for
More than three hours in Hindustani; a sung epic in which the music counts as much as the plot.
Prizes and reception
Box-office record in India on its release, which it held for fifteen years; one national award and three Filmfare Awards; cited among the best Hindi films.
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