Mughal-E-Azam
Tags: tragedy, romantic

Plot synopsis:
Emperor Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor), who does not have a male heir, undertakes a pilgrimage to a shrine to pray that his wife Jodhabai (Durga Khote) give birth to a son. Later, a maid brings the emperor news of his son's birth. Overjoyed at his prayers being answered, Akbar gives the maid his ring, and promises to grant her anything she desires.
The son, Prince Salim, grows up to be spoiled, flippant, and self-indulgent. His father sends him off to war, to teach him courage and discipline. Fourteen years later, Salim returns as a distinguished soldier (Dilip Kumar) and falls in love with court dancer Nadira, whom the emperor has renamed Anarkali (Madhubala), meaning pomegranate blossom. The relationship is discovered by the jealous Bahar (Nigar Sultana), a dancer of a higher rank, who wants the prince to love her so that she may one day become queen. Unsuccessful in winning Salim's love, she exposes his forbidden relationship with Anarkali. Salim pleads to marry Anarkali, but his father refuses, and imprisons her. Despite her treatment, Anarkali refuses to reject Salim, as Akbar demands.
Salim rebels and amasses an army to confront Akbar and rescue Anarkali. Defeated in battle, Salim is sentenced to death by his father, but is told that the sentence will be revoked if Anarkali, now in hiding, is handed over to die in his place. Anarkali gives herself up to save the prince's life, and is condemned to death by being entombed alive. Before her sentence is carried out, she begs to have a few hours with Salim as his make-believe wife. Her request is granted, as she has agreed to drug Salim so that he cannot interfere with her entombment. As Anarkali is being walled up, Akbar is reminded that he still owes her mother a favour, as it was she who brought him news of Salim's birth. Anarkali's mother pleads for her daughter's life. The emperor has a change of heart, but although he wants to release Anarkali he cannot, because of his duty to his country. He therefore arranges for her secret escape into exile with her mother, but demands that the pair are to live in obscurity, and that Salim is never to know that Anarkali is still alive.

Review: I haven't seen the black and white original of Mughal E Azam since the '80's, but I recently saw the restored revived colourised 2004 re-release for the first time and was astounded by the results.
I'm not a believer in messing around with the originals, but bearing in mind director Asif always wanted to make the whole film in colour but didn't have enough money the "final" product is amazing to see - such is technology!
It was incredibly expensive to make as it was, the restoration process must have cost a fabulous amount too.Seminal Indian epic purporting to deal with events from about 400 years ago around Prince Saleem (Dilip Kumar) falling in love with a court dancer Anarkali (Madhubala) to his father Akbar's utter opposition and eventually causing a rift leading to all out war.
But it's Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya (If I have loved someone>why should I be afraid?) sung by Anarkali (Lata) to the 2 of them in the Hall Of Mirrors that is absolutely stunning - I will have to get the original and compare, because the remaster seems to have turned this song into something even more magical and mesmerising than I remembered.
According to the legend it was supposed to have an unhappy ending - needless to say I'm glad it was altered here to a happy one after such a roller-coaster ride!A tremendous work of Art, showing the very best of Indian cinema..
From Prithviraj Kapoor's magnificent rendering of the imposing Emperor Akbar to Dalip Kumar's obvious love for the spectacular Madhubhala.
But for those that can appreciate the finer things in life -- not some cloying Hum Apke Hain Kaun or Shah Rukh Khan's obsession with bleeding and overacting in every single film -- Mughal-e-Azam fits the bill perfectly..
A true masterpiece,featuring some of the greatest actors ever to grace the Indian screen.Prithviraj Kapoor,the doyen of Indian Cinema is Akbar himself and Dilip Kumar & Madhubala both put in sterling performances There is a question as to whether the storyline was actually true but the very nature of the story indicates the level of religious tolerance that existed at the time of Akbar.Akbar's wife Rani Jodhabhai was a hindu and that was the mughal method of building bridges with their hindu subjects.The role of Akbar would really serve as a model for religious amity today.The major issue Akbar had in consenting to the marriage of dancer Anarkali(represented by Madhubala) and Prince Salim(Dilip Kumar) was the class status.After all it was the 16th century All in all,a grand spectacle which showcases Indian culture at its very best and grandest and leaves one to wonder at the relative deterioration in subsequent centuries.
One is sure to be mesmerized by the love affair, the Mughal Emperor and the India of that time.
Salim, played by Dilip Kumar is one of his best known acting and film.
I watched the latest 2004 re-release of this film in a theater and the experience was superb.
I had earlier watched the movie (earlier release) in television before, but the latest release in colour and Dolby digital sound adds to the experience.
Based on Classical music, the songs adds life to the film and are strongly linked with the story-line as well.
The movie shows the love and emotions through powerful poetic words (dialoges).
When one thinks of great movies they remember the classics such as gone with the wind, Ben hur etc...
but let us not forget one of the greatest cinematic triumphs of Hindi Cinema Mughal-e-Azam a film set in the times of the great Moughul Empire.
Mughal-e-Azam is indeed a colossal of a movie and its spell binding appeal and courtly grandeur has been further enhanced by the recently released color version.Dilip Kumar, the icon of Indian Cinema and its first super star as well, has rendered complete resonance to the hedonistic persona of prince Saleem.
The love travails of the myth of Anarkali have been splendidly captured on the tinsel screen through the superb portrayal by both, Madhu Bala and legendary Dilip Kumar.
Today I am very lucky and felt an honored of writing the review for the greatest epic of Indian cinema and biggest Indian film ever which has been hailed as a masterpiece.
The ostentatious look, the unforgettable music, the awesome war scenes, superb performances, the well-known romance between Salim and Anarkalis MUGHAL-E-AZAM will always remain as a point of reference.After 44 years, this masterpiece has been released after reviving it in color (the original version was 85 percent black and white and 15 percent colour), with an upgraded, contemporary sound system (Dolby Digital).The Story is about the Ruler Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor) and Queen Jodha (Durga Khote) give birth to a son, Salim, after years of prayer.Prince Salim (Dilip Kumar) grows into a commendable combatant.
Salim falls in love with court dancer Anarkali (Madhubala).
It is a must see movie for every moviegoer for its pure canvass, for its majestic framing and not just for being a colorful costume drama, for its romance, for the glorious Sheesh Mahal and also for our fake filmmakers (like karan johar, aditya chopra, nikhil advani, kunal kohli and many others like them) who cannot think beyond Manhattan and singing heroes and have light years to reach this level of film-making.
MUGHAL-E-AZAM is a must for todays generation, who, perhaps, may not have watched this classic.
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".
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.
Excellent performance by each & every character "Mughal Emperor Akbar - Zealous Prithiviraj", "Maharani Jodha Bai - Motherly Durga Khote", "Prince Salim -Bold Dilip Kumar", "Anarkali Servant Girl - Beautiful Madhubala".Carefully made & splendid effort by team to portray the communal harmony enjoyed by people of those times.
The best part is the friendship of Durjan (Ajit) and Prince Salim, he sacrifices life for the honor of Prince.Prithiviraj Kapoor gets full points for his role as a emperor who keeps his promises made to his subjects, adamant/uncompromising to lower the dignity of his empire.
Mughal-e-Azam is arguably the BIGGEST production in Indian cinema ever.
This masterpiece directed by K.Asif unleashes the Mughal era on the big screen in a simply magnificent manner.
The dialog in pure Urdu, the magical music, amazing dance sequences, unforgettable songs, and amazing performances by the entire cast and the scale and magnitude of the film...you actually start living in the Mughal era.
Prithviraj Kapoor portrays emperor Akbar with élan, Dilip Kumar as Salim lend realism to the character and stunning Madhubala pulls of the Anarkali role with effortless ease.
The film was re released in color and Dolby sound version, which again created history at the box office, confirming that pure magic never dies down.
Dear Reader, Its one of the best made movies ever, Excellent characterization starting from Anarkali (Madhubala, the best actress India has ever produced.), to Akbar, to Salim, even supporting actors characters are too good like Durjan singh, and Manaraja Mansingh.
Its one of the best and most celebrated movie of India cinema.
The music and lyrics you will keep rhyming for days after watching the movie.
The new color version of the old classic has given viewers one more chance to view the hugely celebrated movie.Given a choice its worth seeing it N-times.Simply Excellent!!!TC, prakash.
Prithviraj Kapoor is excellent in a wonderfully dramatic and appropriately theatrical performance as Emperor Akbar.
I found the film a greatly entertaining watch, and while I had a problem with its overlong running time, as well as some faulty sequences, such as the less convincing battle between the father and son, Mughul-E-Azam remains a meticulous piece of art, and a rightly-touted all-time classic of Indian cinema..
If you watch one Indian movie, this should be the one....
Sort of Indian cinema's 'Gone With the Wind' in its scale and impact, this huge 3 hour epic started slowly for me, feeling awkward, dated, and a little stagy.But then, I found myself unexpectedly swept up in this story of a prince defying his father for love of a woman, really enjoying it, and wanting to see how the story would turn out.Some amazing set design, and some beautiful songs, along with often really strong cinematography.2 versions of film exist.
Filmmaker Asif had wanted to make the whole film in color, but lacked the funds.
While that would normally be a film sacrilege to me, in this case it was done with loving care, at great expense, and with the intention of finishing Asif's version the way he wanted.
Maybe the early Indian color process had a slightly unreal look that let the reels that were originally in color blend just about seamlessly with the colorized reels, but in any case the whole worked wonderfully.On the other hand I recently watched the film again, this time in the original mostly black and white/2 reels in color version.
ONE of the Best Bollywood Movies with a Very Interesting Story and Great Presentation.
I loved the music, the dances, the culture, and the depiction of India during the Mughal empire.
I especially loved the purity of the language, though I couldn't understand every word because a significant portion of it was in Urdu whereas I'm Hindu.That said, this is certainly not THE best Bollywood movie ever.
From insisting on real pearls for a scene to getting the best classical dancer in India to choreograph his heroine & to getting the best vocalist (who never sang for any other movie) to provide the backdrop to the most iconic love scene in Indian film history the director K Asif created this masterpiece over a period of 12 years.
Mughal E Azam is synonymous with scale - the grandness of its sets, the loftiness of its dialogue, the brilliance of its actors, the astuteness of its photography (check out the sequence in the palace of mirrors) as well as the timelessness of its music.
If you have to watch one India Movie, this is it.
Imagine getting hold of an iPhone in the early 1990's Thats what Mughal e Azam was way ahead of its time.
Every single frame of the movie is a piece of art and a tribute to perfection in cinema.Many people have said this before that K Asif was sent on this planet to create Mughal E Azam ,that was his sole purpose of life.
Choosing a timeless story and enacting it on cinema by ensuring that every single inch of the movie frame is filled with perfection and passion is no easy feat.
Coming to the movie, the direction, acting, music, sets.....Oh boy don't get me started on the sets, imagine the sets were so lavish and close to perfection that the Heads of states from across the world visiting India would make it a point to visit the Sheeshmahal ( Glass palace) , which was depicted as Akbars palace.
Don't watch Mughal E Azam for its lavish sets, or the perfect cast, or the mesmerizing acting, or the dialogues or the songs or the dance, or the fact that people in 60's would line up weeks in advance camping outside the theater for tickets, or the period it depicts or the work of the director.............Watch it for what Cinema was meant to be, watch it as a tribute to what Cinema was created for.
Giving it a rating would be an insult to Cinema so as a humble movie goer I can only go as high as the rating would allow me to, where as the reality is Mughal E Azam is above all of it.
Mughal-E-Azam is a film which can never die or be forgotten.
Acting- Dilip Kumar as Salim leaves you speechless and so does the ethereal beauty Madhubala as Ananrkali.
A 'Perfect' casting for a film.Music- Pyar Kiya To Darna- Picturised on Madhubala, Dilip Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote, Nigar Sultana still is the grandest song ever.Mohe Panghat Pe- Picturised on Madhubala, Kumar, Kapoor, Khote is still played on Lord Krishna's Janmasthmi.Teri Mehfil Mein- Picturised on Madhubala, Nigar, Kumar is arguably the best duet till date.Other hits like Mohabbat Ki Jhooti, Humen Kash Tumse, Jab Raat Hai Aisi, Aye Mohabbat Zindabad, Bekas Pe Karam Kijiye, Khuda Nigeheban, Aye Ishq Yeh Sab Duniyawale...
THE ONLY FILM OF K.ASIF!Release Dates- 05-08-1960 (BW/ Partly Color) 12-11-2004 (Colorized)its a much watch 4 every youngster...
All the songs, are indeed emotion pumping and perfect for the scene it plays for.Direction, screenplay and the restoration into color - everything is so majestic, you will want to watch it again and again, provided you were successful in creating that ancient, old mindset required for this movie.K Asif's classic cinema delivers more than it proposes and is for sure a treat to your eyes, emotion quotient and the way of thinking!
A very finely made epic with a all-star cast,great screenplay,music,songs and direction.Some of the dialogue is immortal.I have heard it said that Dilip Kumar was outstanding but i find his performance dull and uninteresting.The stars are Madhubala and Prithviraj.If ever i wanted someone to play Akbar it would be Prithviraj.Madhubala was in her prime in this movie.The scene where she tears off her jewelery after drugging Dilip is so good and so well filmed that it becomes the whole love story itself.The dialogue is beautiful.Ajit,Murad and Durga Khotay also excel themselves.The oddity is the pale-faced Dilip.It happens that expect in Tarana,he always seems subdued whenever he is paired with Madhubala.Mughal-e-Azam is a classic but historically it is based on a myth and has no resemblance to the truth about Akbar and Jahangir..
My reliance on English subtitles may have a lot to do with my under-appreciation of this one, but I found it the toughest sledding so far in my progress through a good list of the top Indian movies of all time.
I also imagine there are subtexts about the history of India that I can't pick up.That said --this is a big historical melodrama about the tragic romance between Salim, son and heir of the Moghul ruler Akbar, and a slave girl called Anarkali.
There is a respectable implicit psychodynamic element to the story -- as a child, Salim was seen by his father as spoiled, so he was sent off into wars for ten or 20 years, ripped out of his cozy life and away from his mother -- which can kind of "explain" his later willingness to risk absolutely everything for the love of the beautiful slave girl.For me this was the kind of Bollywood movie parodied in "Bollywood Calling," though it is much better--but every line delivered is stentorian or worse, the characters are really one-dimensional (mother is motherly, Salim is passionate and self-willed, father is virtually unyielding, slave girl is alluring and vulnerable), there are many scenes of the slave girl in chains, etc.
There's a good amount of spectacle--big armies, big terrifically-costumed armies on horseback and of course elephants, and some very satisfying palace dance performances, most notably in the last third of the movie which is in color..
Mughal-e-Azam may represent history both of India and of film but, as in any good tale, the tensions within and between the characters surprised me by being fresh and immediate.
I was a little skeptical beforehand about the colorization--but this is done lovingly as an art in itself and fully supportive of the cinematographic effects of the original filming.
In the meantime, the scenes of the movie play out in my mind as I wonder about fate, justice, and--of course--human love.
A work of Art - Ben Hur of Indian Cinema.
Mughal-e-Azam is the culmination of a dream, of a man possessed to make this movie - K Asif.
He used 8 cameras simultaneously, for filming the battle scenes, which are surprisingly realistic for a 1950s Bollywood movie.
Dilip Kumar and Madhubala's performances and their on-screen chemistry are great.
Especially if you consider the fact that they had a break-up in real life, and Dilip Kumar appeared as a witness against Madhubala in a court case!Performances by Prithviraj Kapoor and Durga Khote might appear a bit too dramatic and overdone.
(I am not sure if translations and sub-titles could do proper justice to them)Western audiences would find this film a bit long, and then it has that compulsory ingredient of any bollywood movie - the songs.
(Which are good if you understand the language and the poetry) This is not to say that film doesn't have its flaws - to show Akbar as a compassionate king and to have a "happy ending" Asif changed the popular legend by letting Anarkali escape through the false bottom of the wall that opens out into a tunnel unknown to Salim.
A classic movie of all times..
It shows the love story of the mughal emperor Akbar's son Salim with the singer/maid Anarkali.
The war scene is filmed very well keeping in mind the kind of special effects available at that time.
This movie is must watch for all Indian classic movie lovers..
Albeit some performances and dialogs are melodramatic, over-the-top- especially the ones with the mother, Queen Jodha Bai, yet one must understand the requirement of the time, as well as the archetypes that were (and are) close to the heart of the audiences.
Finally- the fabulous on screen chemistry of Dilip Kumar and Madhubala.
With his nuanced acting and the slightest inflection in tone conveying volumes- Dilip Kumar is simply arresting and with her naughty, flirtatious first dance as Radha, Madhubala conveys the passionate Anarkali.