Mughal-e-Azam

One of the greatest hits ever in Indian cinema is the marvelous epic drama Mughal-e-Azam (The Great Mughal). This romantic epic story evokes the time of the great Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar, the Mughal Emperor who really wants an heir to whom he can pass on his wealth and vast empire. But his son, Prince Salim, falls in love with Anarkali, a beautiful courtesan. Can love conquer all obstacles? Or does it surrender to kinghood? This stunning love story premièred in 1960, after a nine-year production struggle, with 500 days of actual shooting. The director insisted on having everything done perfectly, from a fantastic cast with legends (Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala) right down to the smallest details. Even the stained-glass windows were imported from Belgium. The budget of three million dollars was at the time – and still is – a stunning amount in Indian film history. As traditional at the time, the film was originally shot in black-and-white, with the exception of the fabulous song and dance sequences, which were shot in colour. The film became a blockbuster, but director and producer K. Asif was totally broke. He sold the rights to the Sterling Investment Corporation which, forty years later, decided to re-release a restored, digitised and coloured version of the film, converted for wide-screen and with Dolby sound. This classic of Indian cinema was destined to become a huge hit once again. (RS)

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