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PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:19 am 
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Were movies Hand - Painted too those days??


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 4:57 pm 
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I've heard that Madhubala couldn't perform the classical dance in 'Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya'. So there was a body double who danced where heavy steps were involved, wearing a mask resembling Madhubala's face.
You will be able to make out in scenes where the shot is from a distance.


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 8:54 pm 
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Okay guys!! Enough of the unsatisfactory transfers??

Take a look at these comparative shots...

Image
Image

Image
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Well, I've retouched frames from the Eros version


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 9:27 am 
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This is a comparative chart regarding the Aspect Ratio of MEA. As you can see, shot no. 1 has the OAR as on the original version Shemaroo DVD.
No. 2 shows the cropped ratio of 1.50 which was done be the restorers. The shot is taken from the Eros version
No. 3 is what we think. Cropped to 1.78. Its not so.

Image


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PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2014 4:09 am 
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What if I told you guys that the original negative wasn't used for the colorization and restoration???

I just read that they used a negative which was a DUPE....


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 7:08 pm 
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rana wrote:
Ragz wrote:
I'm still gasping at the cut-scenes you mentioned. I wish I get to see them real soon. Let's wait till my boards end :D


I don't think its Shemaroo who ought to be blamed in this case. 'Cause according to sources, only a dupe of the negative (made in the 80s) exists. So I can imagine the shape and state of the negative. Even the colorization documentary showed how poor was the condition of the negative. I don't think those parts we discussed were available on that negative source.

But, I sincerely hope that those parts are in a condition such that they could be used for future DVD/Blu-Ray transfers.

According to the Blu-Ray forum, Shemaroo, in 2010 was working on the Blu-Ray restoration of MEA along with Pakeezah. That was after their Bagban Blu-Ray release.
Its so sad that the news was false.

MEA surely does deserve a Special Edition release with these "edited out" scenes.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 7:10 pm 
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rana wrote:
Ragz wrote:
I'm still gasping at the cut-scenes you mentioned. I wish I get to see them real soon. Let's wait till my boards end :D


I don't think its Shemaroo who ought to be blamed in this case. 'Cause according to sources, only a dupe of the negative (made in the 80s) exists. So I can imagine the shape and state of the negative. Even the colorization documentary showed how poor was the condition of the negative. I don't think those parts we discussed were available on that negative source.

But, I sincerely hope that those parts are in a condition such that they could be used for future DVD/Blu-Ray transfers.

According to the Blu-Ray forum, Shemaroo, in 2010 was working on the Blu-Ray restoration of MEA along with Pakeezah. That was after their Bagban Blu-Ray release.
Its so sad that the news was false.

MEA surely does deserve a Special Edition release with these "edited out" scenes.


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PostPosted: Thu May 07, 2015 7:37 am 
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Here's the revisited and re-mastered edition of Mughal - E - Azam that has come from Shemaroo. The artwork is really well done an gives justice to this magnum opus. I'd purchased this one two years ago. My first impression as usual was disappointing. The transfer looked really soft and out of focus. The audio has royally been messed up (perhaps they wanted to give the movie a royal treatment, obviously not in a good way). DNR artifacts are terrible and destroy the whole movie. Looks like there is a lot of edge enhancement which has murdered the sharpness totally. It is also PAL to NTSC converted.
Compared to the good old edition, it is a fucked up remaster that needs to be reverted.
It really looks like Shemaroo is going down the chain with its quality control. Oh! Also, the disc freezes since it was on silver media.

Here's some comparison from the older edition :-

Image
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The crispness, fine grain effect, detail present in the older version isn't available anymore

Image
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Edge enhancement problems are prominent in distant shots

Image
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Degraded romance

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Hmmm...

All in all, a disappointing remaster! Please use the older NTSC master and optimum authoring techniques. It could really look as good as a very good DVD if they did that.


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 1:36 am 
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http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-ne ... KJcXI.html

Mughal E Azam comes alive on stage this October

Anubhuti Matta, Hindustan Times, Mumbai | Updated: Oct 07, 2016 14:24 IST

The play is aiming to painstakingly recreate the 1960 film on stage and take it a step further, with two new songs, a 120-member cast and crew and designer Manish Malhotra’s costumes.

Remember the Sheesh Mahal, Emperor Akbar’s mirrored hall that took your breath away in the 1960 film Mughal-E-Azam? Now imagine it in real life, right in front of you – mirrors everywhere, and multiple reflections of girls swirling in colourful kurtas, executing their kathak movies in unison.

On October 21, Mughal-E-Azam, the doomed love story of Prince Salim and the courtesan Anarkali , will debut as a Broadway-style musical at the National Centre For The Performing Arts. It brings with it lavish costumes, roaring monologues, original and new songs performed live, and yes, the Sheesh Mahal.

The play, directed by Feroz Abbas Khan (who also directed the hit plays Tumhari Amrita and Mahatma vs Gandhi), is aiming to painstakingly recreate the film on stage and take it a step further. There will be six songs originally composed by Naushad, plus two new numbers created for the show. The 120 member cast and crew has been brought in from across India. And while the film’s director K Asif sourced the original costumes from Agra, Hyderabad and Surat, Khan’s play has roped in designer Manish Malhotra for the outfits, Emmy-nominated projection designer John Narun, award-winning lighting director David Lander.

The play’s ties to the film go further than what you’ll see on stage. Construction company, Shapoorji Pallonji, which produced the film 56 years ago, is co-producing the musical, along with the NCPA.

Feroz Abbas Khan’s musical features a younger, slimmer Anarkali and a much leaner Salim than their celluloid counterparts. The cast details are still under wraps, but Khan says that auditions for a part immortalised by Madhubala were not easy.

For Khan, the play is a dream 14 years in the making; 2002 is when the film was digitally colourised and released to a new generation of viewers. “It was difficult to manage resources then—money, venue, cast and crew,” he says. “But now, the audience is also ready to experience theatre in more than just a small, informal setting.”

Today’s audience prefers younger, fitter actors too. Khan’s musical features a younger, slimmer Anarkali and a much leaner Salim than their celluloid counterparts. The cast details are still under wraps, but Khan says that auditions for a part immortalised by Madhubala were not easy. “She had to be beautiful, a singer, a kathak dancer and most importantly someone who knew how to act and emote,” says Khan.

He was also clear that he didn’t want a Bollywood choreographer. “I wanted authenticity,” Khan says. He found what he wanted in choreographer Mayuri Upadhya, founder of Bengaluru’s Nritarutya Dance Collective. For Upadhya, the opportunity was too good to pass up. “Who wouldn’t want to be associated with the most successful movie of its time, with dance driving the script?” she asks. Dancers have been roped in from Gujarat and Indore and come from different gharanas and age groups.

Khan is well aware of the pressure he’s under to create a work that stands against a film that remained among the top grossers a full 15 years after its release. Does it matter that historians believe Anarkali may never have existed at all? Will viewers be moved to tears over Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya or get goosebumps from Mohe Panghat Main? “With this venture, the nation’s feelings will be at stake,” he says.

When: October 21 to November 1

Where: Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, National Centre for Performing Arts, Nariman POint

Tickets: Rs 500 to Rs 7,500

-------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.ncpamumbai.com/events-festiv ... 947&s=3318

Mughal-e-Azam
Oct 22 to Nov 1, 2016
An NCPA Production in association with Shapoorji Pallonji Production

The classic movie Mughal-e-Azam is turned into a spectacular stage musical. The timeless love story of Prince Salim and the courtesan Anarkali is the stuff of legends. For the love of this beautiful young woman, Salim rebelled and went to war against his father Emperor Akbar. With the glamour of Manish Malhotra costumes, technical expertise from Broadway and original hit songs such as ‘Pyar kiya to darna kya’ and ‘Teri mehfil mein kismet aazma kar’, the production promises to be an exhilarating experience.

Directed by Feroz Abbas Khan
Costumes: Manish Malhotra
Choreography: Mayuri Upadhya


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 10:41 pm 
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Review of this theatrical play is very inciting.

I hope, this theatre makes rounds in different cities and I get a chance to see it.

Quote:
https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/ ... -pallonjee

Entertainment
| 6 min read
Indian Theatre Comes of Age: Feroz Khan’s Stunning Mughal-E-Azam
Pallavi Prasad
October 22, 2016, 11:24 am

A hauntingly decadent chandelier looms over a dark room filled with an audience sitting in such a stupor, you’d think a spell had been cast on them. A few seconds later, hundreds let go of the breath they’ve been holding.

“Shehenshah ke in behisaab bakhshison ke badle mein yeh kaneez Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar ko apna khoon maaf karti hai,” whispers a trembling Anarkali, as the lights fade to black.
Mughal-E-Azam will run at NCPA in Mumbai starting October 22, before touring across the country. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/MughalEAzamPlay)
Mughal-E-Azam will run at NCPA in Mumbai starting October 22, before touring across the country. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/MughalEAzamPlay)

Feroz Abbas Khan’s Mughal-E-Azam’s golden premiere was held on the ageless stage of the National Center of Performing Arts in Mumbai on 21 October. It was attended by the who’s who of cinema and theatre, especially from back in the day when K Asif’s Mughal-E-Azam redefined cinematography.

Produced by the original producers of the movie in 1960, Shaporjee-Pallonji, the broadway-style musical saw decadent costumes by Manish Malhotra, a soulful Mayuri Upadhya breathing fresh life into kathak and lighting and projecting design by award-winning David Lander and Emmy-nominated John Narun respectively, which made all of the difference.
The Women Steal the Show

It would be wrong to say Feroz Khan’s play is a re-adaptation of Mughal-E-Azam. It is a tribute, as heartfelt and honest as a tribute can be, to a timeless movie in the history of Indian cinema.

What everyone thought was a challenge– to dramatise Mughal-E-Azam–has revealed itself to have no interest in challenging the movie at all. Each ada of Anarkali (Priyanka Barwe), each tear of Jodha (Sonal Jha) and each mischievous giggle of Suraiya (Palvi Jaiswal) is a gorgeous celebration of the movie, brought alive with the same painstaking detail which consumed K Asif for nearly a decade while making the movie.
Sonal Jha as Jodha Bai steals the spotlight with her effortless portrayal of a conflicted queen, wife and mother.

The casting is spot on; it really couldn’t be more right, with dictions of Urdu so perfect, you could see Javed Akhtar beaming in the crowd. Ashima Mahajan as Bahar and Barwe as Anarkali perform hair-raising song after song, live, complete with the classical technicalities championed by no less than Lata Mangeshkar and Shamshad Begum. During Barwe’s performance of Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya, she truly became Anarkali– not Madhubala, but her own Anarkali– with that open challenge in full court we have come to know so well.

Sonal Jha stands out in her portrayal of Maharani Jodha Bai from amongst the cast, though seemingly more demure than Durga Khote in the movie. Her realistic interpretation of the dilemma between being a queen, a wife and a mother throws the limelight sharply at her, despite the character not having what can be called the protagonist roles in the story.
Female actors easily make this show, excellently executing live singing of technically complex songs. (Photo courtesy: NCPA)
Female actors easily make this show, excellently executing live singing of technically complex songs. (Photo courtesy: NCPA)

Women easily make this play, with Nissar Khan not quite being able to tap into the rage of King Akbar in scenes with Anarkali and Salim, or even Jodha for that matter. For instance, in a scene when she refuses to give him his sword before he goes to war, as is ritual, Sonal Jha clearly leads the scene, with Nissar Khan almost waiting for a response after removing sindoor from her forehead. Sunil Palwal as Salim looks the part, definitely: tall, dark, handsome, with a deep voice. But, it takes him time to settle into the part. When he comes home from war for the first time, his dialogues seem a little dry, a little too focussed on delivery. However, by the time he falls in love with Anarkali, Palwal shifts with ease between anger and aashiq.

Another supporting character deserving of a shout out was Palvi Jaiswal in the role of the mischievous Suraiya: thank you for standing up to Durjan just as we hoped you would.
The Little Things

It’s the little things that make the play: when Anarkali dressed in a beautiful white and red anarkali suit begins sining Jab Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya in front of Akbar, Jodha and Salim, the dancers surrounding her are all dressed in black anarkali suits with golden embroideries, similar to a seated Akbar’s angrakha. As the first chorus ends, the dancers join in continuous kathak chakkars to the rising crescendo of their ghungroos. By the end of the song, when the charm somewhat breaks, we see a rebellious Anarkali surrounded by her dancers, all in white and red now, almost signifying the transformative power of love.

Manish Malhotra has proved that no other could have executed this project. Every lehenga of every scene– from the court dancers’ to Jodha Bai’s– was pure extravagance. He outdoes himself with Anarkali’s final costume on her one day of being Queen: a white anarkali suit, completely bejewelled to reflect the lights of the stage.

It’s the little things: the details in each lehenga-choli and the shades of purple and blues in the jaali-work.

While Anarkali and Bahar were cast to be classical singers and actors, primarily, choreography director Mayuri Upadhya manages to give the effect of a full courtroom with hundreds of dancers with just 30. These 30 dancers, selected from the best classical dance gharanas from across the country, really bring the court of King Akbar to life on stage with their seamless formations and tireless chakkars, as Anarkali or Bahar belt out live performances.

The biggest challenge the play faced, though, was having very limited space and no choice of selective camera angles– luxuries cinema affords us.This is where the set design, lighting and projection design become essential.

Artistic projections of Akbar’s courtroom made to blend into movable pillars with intricate jaali-work which change into a purple background with a full moon, to blend in with a projection of a gazebo in the distance is just one instance of the smart use of the stage the play makes. It seemed impossible until the moment, but Sheesh Mahal is almost identically replicated artistically with mirrors hanging to reflect stage lights into diamonds floating in the air. The pillars of Akbar’s court seem to go on forever, just as Anarkali’s prison seems to be darkest of them all, with her lying hapless in one corner in a fading, yellow spotlight.

They play tackles the obstacles of space with smart set and projection design.

Very few faults can be found with Feroz Khan’s Mughal-E-Azam. Barring the excessive use of corners of the stage, sometimes blocking monologues completely from those on the sides of the auditorium and perhaps, how slowly everyone walks off the stage after a scene finishes, the play has managed to do what the movie did for cinema: set new standards of quality and scale in every aspect of a theatre production.

While the dialogues, the songs and the story, vetted by time to be thundering successes and classics, guaranteed a good show to some extent, they also came with a caveat: the burden of expectation. The play lifts the burden gracefully, succeeding in giving the audience it’s own, new set of timeless memories from when they watched Mughal-E-Azam the first time, that balmy evening of 21 October 2016.



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PostPosted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 6:58 am 
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This is amazing. I wish I could be there. I hope some one make a HD video tape and post it online;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 4:55 am 
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It would be amazing to be able to see this! Hoping some snippets / clips become available.


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 3:42 pm 
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A version of the song "Khuda Nigehbaan Ho Tumhara" with an extra verse. Could this suggest that this once belonged to the film, but was taken out/lost along with a couple of other scenes discussed previously.


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 2:36 am 
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Ragz wrote:

A version of the song "Khuda Nigehbaan Ho Tumhara" with an extra verse. Could this suggest that this once belonged to the film, but was taken out/lost along with a couple of other scenes discussed previously.


Since its release, I don't think all of Mughal-e-Azam was ever screened in theaters. If one song or scene was added to attract repeat audience, another one was cut. Most famously, Zindabaad song was not included in the initial release but was added a few months later.

So, can't say 'lost footage'. It's just picking which version. And, later with the death of K. Asif, perhaps no one (owners/ right holders) knows of all the content that's available in their vaults.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2023 5:45 pm 
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For the attention of ranaji, muz and a few others

I came across a comment online in a Google Group, which was from a highly informed film enthusiast. This individual frequently posts comments on vintage Hindi classic YouTube videos and consistently provides accurate technical insights about these films. The Google Group, however, is now abandoned and defunct, representing a bygone era of social media.

Quote:
I saw the film when it was released at Parkash Talkies, Amritsar (was located opposite to the Railway Station) I have failrly good recollection of events then and following weeks, until the screening moved to 3rd - tier theater, located at out-skirts of the city.

A: FIRST RELEASE
=============
Only 2 songs were in color - Pyar Kiya to darna kya and Yeh Dil Ki Lagi Kam Kya Hogi (but not the preceeding song: Khida Nighehban Ho Tumhara)

The climax was in B & W, with a different ending (It was implied that Anarkali was put to death)

I have a hazy re-collection, that the Qawwali - Teri Mehfil Mein was also in color, but can not vouch it with 100% certainty

B: After about 10 or 15 weeks of Run, song: 'Khuda Nigehban Ho Tumara' was replaced with a color version plus the climax was re-shot in color. In this version, Akbar guides Anarkali and her mother to a tunnels - 'Jo Onhen Mughal Sultanat Ki Sarhadon Ke Paar Le Gayi' Anarkali walks like a zombie.

C: Near the tail-end of films run, 2 songs were added. They are:
- Ae Ishq Yeh Sab Duniya Wale and
- Hamen Kaash Tum Se Mohabbat Na Hoti
both in B&W

MY OBSERVATIONS (may or may not be accurate)
=============================================
Like most other films of that era, a large number of prints were sent to middle-eastern counties for local screening and un-official shipping to Pakistan. They prints were probably of all 3 versions

When Home Video Cassette came up, most of the releases in USA were made from prints which were collected in distributors in middle-east (The first video conversion and duplicating facility was set-up by Esquire Co. of Hong Kong in Santa Cruz Free Trade Zone - ie: Bombay Airport area. The products were for export only)

Many years later, when DVD sales picked up, then a complete version (around 22 reels) was released on DVD, wherein 3 songs and and the Climax are in color plus 2 add-on songs (para C:) were retained

Note on color film:
==================

Irrespective of where the film is being shot - ie: studio or on-location, the negatives, i.e.: the film which was shot, is processed right away, and then played (ofcourse, without the sound). The event is called: 'VIEW THE RUSHES' This is to ensure that the 'shot / shots' came out o.k. and there is no need to re-shoot them. The crew can move to next location / shot. In addition, one eliminates the risk of negative getting damaged by exposure to light.

From early 50's FilmCentre aka Film Centre had set up a lab to process color negatives. 2-3 years later, they got the ability to print negatives on color stock - initailly on Gevacolor and later Eastman Color stock. From mid-50s few films were released, wherein 1 or 2 songs were in color eg: SHIRIN FARHAD - the Asha's song, which was enacted by Ameeta The final print of high - profile films were made by Technicolor Lab in London (AAN, JHANAK JHANAK, Mother India, NAVRANG, MUGHAL-E-AZAM, GUNGA JUMNA and few others)


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