’’ Aaj Kahenge Dil ka fasana jaan bhi lele chahey jamana
Maut wahi jo duniya dekhe, ghoot ghoot kar yun marna kya’’
Mughal-e-azam (1960)
Starring: Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Nigar Sultana, Ajit and Durga Khote.
Screenplay: K. Asif, Aman
Dialogues: Aman, Kamal Amrohi, Ehsan Rizvi, Wajahat Mirza
Cinematography: R.D. Mathur
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Music: Naushad
Produced and Directed by: K. Asif
Released in the year 1960, this movie took almost a decade to complete. This movie marks the greatest performance by Madhubala, who couldn’t do any other film after this because of her heart problem, and by Dilip Kumar, that mesmerizes the audience of all ages, and it’s apt to say from all ages since the movie. From the ornate Urdu dialouges to the stupefying beauty of ever beautiful Madhubala this epic had all the elements of film making personified on the silver screen. One needs to see the movie more than once to enjoy the luxury of exotic sets and the most gratifying romance between the rebellious Salim and oh so beautiful Nadira.
The movie is a story about a rebellion prince Salim who indulges with a battle with his father for his love Nadira. He is defeated eventually and after the last romantic appearance of Nadira with Salim, he is left unconscious and meek so that he couldn’t save her from being buried behind the walls alive. Although the classic stories throw no light on what becomes of Nadira, director K Asif brings the story to an unusual climax. In the end Nadira is left alive and the great Akbar feels defeated by her love. ’Shensha Akbar aaj ek kaneez se mukhateeb hain!’
If the movie immortalized the love of Salim and Nadira on the silver screen, if it meant the greatest performance by Madhubala ever, the movie meant the entire career for K. Asif as a director. Before Mughal-E-Azam this gifted director was able to complete only one other directorial venture Phool released in the year 1944. It was K. Asif’s dream being immoratlized!
The movie won many awards for it’s extravagent sets, the sheesh mahal, the dialouges. It was meant to be made in color but it went so over budget that the producer-director had to cut short the cost by making it in black-n-white. The last few scenes and the ever green song Pyar kiya to darna kya were picturised in color. It was indeed a very great risk on the part of a director to make such a movie but the staggering success the movie achieved was never to repeated until only Sholay! It was a huge box office success and could have successfully relaunched Madhubala but she was already diagonised of some fatal disease when the movie was completed. The only surprising thing about this movie was that it couldn’t win a filmfare for it’s music even though all of it’s songs still represent the modern day rebellion of true love against people who would not let it bloom.
I remember the stories my mother used to tell about this film. There were large posters of Salim-Nadira all over the country. It was my mother who made me see the movie. I thought it was all gana-bajana and rona dhona until I realised it was indeed a work of talent, dedication and making of an epic. The original story cannot claim so much fame as did this movie itself!
Some intresting facts:
1)Nargis, Sapru and Chandramohan were the original star cast but eventually played by Madhubala, Dilip Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor.
2) It took over a decade to complete the movie but still one cannot find any difference between the actors 10 years older till the movie got completed.
3)It lost the filmfare award for best music to Dil Apna Preet Parayi.
4) The sets were made by the arstmen hailing from almost every part of the country.
Well this movie is still screened in the theatres occasionally and must I say that this one is to be seen in theatres only. No modern day hindi movie will be able to accomplish what Mughal-E-Azam did and such a movie can never be made again.
It’s all about
’Jahenaseeb kaaton ko murjhane ka kauf nahi hota’
’Humara Hindustan koi tumhara dil nahi jo ek laundi jisper hukumat kare’
’Toh mera dil bhi aapkaa hindustan nahi jisper aap hukumat kare’
The story of love!