As much is the pleasure in watching a film, so much is the pleasure in writing about it. Now, may be I need to narrow down the wide perception of the word ?pleasure?. In those days, screenplay techniques were not so sophisticated as today; script was the most entertaining segment of a film. Keeping these limitations in mind, Mughal-e-Azam, with its technical brilliance and lyrical richness, is a pleasure to watch.
K.Asif?s voice: The country India, personified, can tell umpteen great love stories; and one among them is Mughal-e-Azam.
Mughal-e-Azam is the story of selfless love between Salim (Emperor Akbar?s son) and Anarkali (a court dancer). Simultaneously, it also unfurls Akbar?s love for India (Hindustan). It is the war between two generations, two loves; each making an attempt to influence the future.
Prince Salim is the favorite of all: his mother Joda Bhai, his father Emperor Akbar and hundreds of women who die for an opportunity to serve him. But Salim is fascinated with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen: Anarkali, a court dancer. And Akbar is against a courtesan being the future empress of India (He felt it degrading the country?s pride). So he goes every extent to separate the couple; so far that, he agrees to fight a war against his own son (actually Salim challenges Akbar for Anarkali?s release from jail).
Though history does not support the climax of the film, the film is soothing enough to convey the message: Love can never be won over.
Crew: The attempt to design and decide a film of such magnitude is an utmost challenge to the makers. The lavish sets and the technical momentum involved are a treat to watch. Especially in 1960, no film could have been so appealing and the director-producer K.Asif deserves full credit for the great effort. He has taken good care to present the war scenes with aplomb. His writers have given him a rich script and this film composes of the best dialogues in the Indian cinema.
Another asset of the film is the divine music composed by maestro Naushad. Every song has been wonderfully composed; especially the Tansen-kind-of song was beautiful and its mood was in perfect sync with the on-screen flow of images. The lyrics are simply great.
Cast: To prove that nothing is perfect, this film suffers in the performance department. Dilip Kumar as Salim has delivered his most unimpressive performance in this film. He looks out of place in most scenes, though he is classy in some subtle moments. He was expressionless when riveting expressions were required. He was at ease in displaying Salim as a lover, but he failed to display him as a proud prince and warrior. Pritviraj Kapoor as Akbar was fine, but could not stop himself from going overboard. The rest of the cast did their job decently.
To prove that imperfectness too is not perfect, the best part of film lies again in the performance department. The shine of the film is the ethereal other-worldly beauty of Madhu Bala. Not only was she heavenly, but she has delivered one of the greatest on-screen performances in the Indian film panorama. I cannot imagine anyone else as Anarkali after watching her in Madhu Bala.
Black-n-White: I have watched the color version (newly released) before watching the black-n-white version. I was impressed by the sets, designs and costumes. But when I watched the older version, which was partly in color (?Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya? song), I felt the real feel of the making involved. Color makes some things easy for the film-makers, but to make such a grand-scale film in black-n-white is an absolute challenge and according to me, K. Asif was successful.
Warning: Normal viewing may not be sufficient to enjoy the film; utmost concentration is necessary.