Mughal-E-Azam

By Taran Adarsh, November 11th, 2004 - 1100 hrs IST


How does one review a film that has already been hailed as a masterpiece by one and all? To revisit an acknowledged classic is always tricky business!

K. Asif's MUGHAL-E-AZAM, starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala, is a tribute to the imagination, uphill struggle and dedication of a genius. The popular legend may have been filmed many times on the silver screen, but none can match MUGHAL-E-AZAM. In terms of gloss as well as content.

The grandiose look, the haunting musical score, the breathtaking battle scenes, the splendid performances, the heart-rending emotions, the legendary romance between Salim and Anarkali and of course, the confrontation scenes between Akbar and Salim… MUGHAL-E-AZAM will always remain a benchmark.

This milestone in Indian cinema has now been revived in color [in the original version, only one song - 'Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya' - was in color; the remaining film was in B & W], with an upgraded, contemporary sound system [Dolby Digital].

Apart from its epic sweep, MUGHAL-E-AZAM has a delicate heart - the romance between the legendary characters is one thing you'd never forget.

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Emperor 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 worthy warrior. Salim falls in love with court dancer Anarkali [Madhubala]. Initially wary of his affections because of the difference in their positions, she soon reciprocates his love.

Akbar finds out about the affair and that creates a rift between the father and son.
MUGHAL-E-AZAM is a must for those who have seen it in B & W. Now watch it in color and experience the splendour.


MUGHAL-E-AZAM is a must for today's generation, who, perhaps, may not have watched this classic. Watch this epic and you'll realize the difference between the cinema of yore and the cinema of today.


MUGHAL-E-AZAM is a must for every moviegoer. Here's a prime example of pure, unadulterated cinema!

The Shemaroo DVD has quite some more in color than one song. Either it is colorized or
Mr. Adarsh is claiming nonsense.
No review of the technical process, not even a proper review of the new version or the
film itself.

This is not a review, I don't think Taran Adarsh has even seen either the new or the old version of the movie. He doesn't know what the hell he's is talking about as the original version had not one but two songs in color Jab pyar kiya to and Jab raat hai aise matwali.

Adarsh needs to learn how to write a movie review, looks like his article is more about pitching the new version than a movie review.

As per information from http://www.mughaleazam.com/history.htm

1957: Technicolor arrives in India.

1958: K.Asif shoots one song in color (Must be Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya)

1959: Impressed by the results, Asif reshoots three more reels in color. (Must be last 3 reels)

1960: Asif wants to reshoot the whole film in color. Distributors lose patience.
Film releases with 85% in B&W, 15% in color. Film turns out to be the biggest blockbuster of Indian Cinema.


Summary: Taran Adarsh didn't see the original version.

As per information from http://www.mughaleazam.com/history.htm

1957: Technicolor arrives in India.

1958: K.Asif shoots one song in color (Must be Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya)

1959: Impressed by the results, Asif reshoots three more reels in color. (Must be last 3 reels)

1960: Asif wants to reshoot the whole film in color. Distributors lose patience. Film releases with 85% in B&W, 15% in color.


Summary: Taran Adarsh didn't see the original version.

MUGHAL-E-AZAM (2004 RE-RELEASE)

Producer: Shapoorji Pallonji
Director: K Asif
Cast: Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Nigar Sultana, Durga Khote

RS RATING: 10/10

Background:
Part history and part fiction, Mughal-e-Azam has been the best Indian period film ever made till date. Though there can be a lot of discussion on whether Sholay was the biggest film or Mughal-e-Azam, there is no denying that this is the best costume drama ever on the Indian silver screen. The film was made in 15 per cent colour and 85 per cent black and white by K Asif. With the advent of colour, Asif wanted to remake the entire film in colour, but the distributors panicked. The film was made at a cost of 15 million rupees at that time which was a huge sum and it made double the money.

And now the film has been totally coloured and the sound digitally remastered. The movie was re-released in the UK two years ago in the Black and White version. But the coloured version is worth a look.

Synopsis:
The Emperor of Hindustan Jalaluddin Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor) wants an heir to the Mughal throne and he sets off on foot on a tough pilgrimage. (Prithviraj Kapoor had problems in his feet for years after this role). He gets a son Salim (Jalal Agha). Salim grows up to be a fine young man (Dilip Kumar) and is pampered a lot and thus becomes vulnerable towards wine and women. Akbar is aghast and in order to discipline his son sends him off on a series of conquests and extend the Mughal Empire. Salim tastes blood and wants more.

He has become a great warrior now. When he returns home after his victory, he sees a ‘live’ statue Nadira. He falls for the charm of this commoner with mystic beauty. Naira then performs a brilliant dance number after which Akbar bestows the title of Anarkali on her and confers her post of the court dancer on her.

This move also allows Salim to come closer to Anarkali. They slowly but steadily come closer to each other. The love between a commoner and a royal is sacrilege and that allows another woman of royal blood Bahar (Nigar Sultana) to create confusion and terror. Bahar complains about the proximity between Salim and Anarkali and also squeals about the nocturnal rendezvous that take place between the couple.

Akbar barges into Salim’s room and Anarkali faints in the young prince’s arms… She is thrown into the dungeon. She is freed and she proclaims rebellious love through the song Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya…

Salim refuses to let go of Anarkali and is forced into war with his father which he loses. Now an angry Akbar who cannot kill his son orders the execution of Anarkali… Does she die? She didn’t in the black and white version… Will this film have another colour? Go; watch Mughal-E-Azam.

Critique:
The best part of the film is the coloured version. This is the first time in the world that a movie has been coloured completely after it was released in black and white. An attempt like this has happened on television before. Believe me, the effects are mind-boggling. The film looks real. The colouring along with the subject is also so fresh and lively that the film can pass of as a fresh one even today. One hopes that there are more people drawn to see this film by word of mouth. Never before has a masterpiece been made like this.

The dialogues in the film are history. Who can forget Prithviraj Kapoor in his baritone with a rasping breath stating, “Hum apnay bete ke dil kee dhadkan ke liye Hindustan kee taqdeer badal nahin sakte?” Equally the lover’s line “Woh mohabbat jo darti who mohabbat nahin… ayyashi hai, gunaah hai” is part of folklore now.

Durga Khote as Salim’s mother and Akbar’s wife Jodhabai also delivers a powerhouse performance. Prithviraj Kapoor is magnificent and no one can repeat his act ever in history. Dilip Kumar is very subdued and holds his won as a prince. He has no songs in the film keeping in mind his royalty.

Madhubala as Nadira/Anarkali is the prize catch. She travels through her role like a dream. She is what one could describe as a fitting answer to the famed Mona Lisa painting. She is the real mystery, a mystique which can or could never be unraveled.

Sadly, this was K Asif’s second film. He never made anything after his. His earlier film was called Phool in 1944. Mughal e Azam was started in 1944 with Nargis as Anarkali, Chandramohan as Akbar and Sapru as Salim. But the financer went to Pakistan in 1947 during Partition and the film was shelved. The film was restarted in 1951 with a fresh cast and competed in 1960.

Tabla maestro Zakir Husain was slated to do the role of young Salim - a role which was eventually done by Jalal Agha. RD Mathur’s cinematography, especially in the war scenes with 8000 infantry, 4000 horses and 2000 camels and in the coloured Sheesh Mahal shot is commendable. It fetched him a Filmfare Award. Maestro Naushad’s music coupled with Shakeel Badayuni’s melancholic and sometimes thundering lyrics rocks. It breathes melody; something that music directors don’t even understand today.

There is nothing wrong with this film at all. There has been so much attention paid to detail. Akbar’s Hindu wife Jodhabai’s clothes resemble the Rajput era and design while the rest of the cast have the Mughal look.
There is so much attention to detail. 50 tailors, painters and craftsmen worked on the film for ten months to get it ready.

Conclusion:
It was a good idea to colour the film and not make a coloured one like in the case of Devdas. Mughal-E-Azam can never be remade. A film called Anarkali was made in 1953 with Bina Rai and Pradeep Kumar, but it released seven years before this one. No one has dared to make this film again, and no one will or should. The ticket cost Rs 1.50 when the film was first released at the Maratha Mandir theatre in then Bombay. The tickets were sold in the black market for an astounding Rs 100 then. People came in from Pakistan to watch the movie as well. Today the cost of the ordinary ticket is over Rs 100. Imagine what would happen if the film picks up by word of mouth? What would be the cost of the ticket in black then?

Reviewed by: Qamar Zaman

I know of at least two songs shot in color. Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya and the Sheesh Mahal song where Madhubala trick drink Dilip Kumar near the end of the film.

Mr Adarsh's statement is not true.

I have not seen the film! restored version!! But I am dying to watch!!

But let me TELL YOU! RESTORED AUDIO SOUND TRACK!! is simply UNBELIEVABLE!! OUT OF THIS WORLD!! WOW!!

This Holiday season, every one, treat yourself and your loved ones to an ORIGINAL COPY OF MUGHL E AZAM CD! imho, you will do favour to yourself!!

May be give some buisness to dvdunlimited too!!rather than going with old crappy big wigs etailers!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I am so happy MASTER himself Naushad Sahab was there to see MAGIC being recreated!!
Uttam Singh and his team has simply done!! Wonders!!

2004 Award for BEST MUSIC...NAUSHAD for MUGHL e AZAM

BEST SINGER..LATA MANGESHKAR for MUGHL E AZAM

BEST RESORATION MASTER COMPOSER..UTTAM SINGH!!

i think its possible to remake this film again why not if hollywood can do so with GLADITOR .TROY ALEXANDER i think bollywood could too although it would take a loaded producer to do so what say BARAT SHAH !!!

I listened to the re-recorded tracks at musicindiaonline.com and the voices sound a little disjoined, and it seems they've even re-recorded the chorus singing. That said, it doesn't sound horrible, just a little weird. Maybe someday HMV will issue a CD of the original recording remastered, but I won't hold my breath.

Dragun, I did listen to ripped mp3s on these sites too, there was nothing spectacular!!

You have to listen to orig CD recording to see..there are some added elements but nothing seems forced or out of the tune or rhythum..you have to listen to get idea what I mean!

Chorus are redone!! but again, it brings more dynamics!! e.g In PKTDK song, chup na sake ga ishq hamara, charoun taraf hai unka nazara!! brings so much ambience that you feel in SHEESH MAHAL urself!

Alap, before this song, was never heard before!!

Singing voices are exactly the same as they were before!! Just milieu changed!! and that was the only way to make it appealing, by taking old tawa(record feeling out of it) So, all DDD in true essence has been implied!!

Go buy a CD lol, then listen to it, not on a boom box or ur computer pc monitor speakers!! On good car or home audio system!!
It is not multi channel, but stereo sound has perfect seperation.

Bottom line: JOB WELL DONE!!

I would like to see MADHUMATI remastered same way, or all NAUSHAD masterpieces, while he is alive!!

So, he can supervise to keep spirit!!

Was Naya Daur..Naushad's too?

O. P. Nayyar

I will probably get the CD, as it is pretty cheap and what have I to lose?



This was the verse that I was thinking of, since I've heard that song many times. IIRC the original voices were a bit more high pitched. But the overall orchestrations themselves are very beautiful and it is cool to hear the subtleties that couldn't be heard before. Whether they were there or were written for this release, I don't know. It is apparent that care was taken during the recording. I was afraid it would sound like those Revival tapes with inappropriate synthesized sounds popping up everywhere, but it seems to be 100% original instruments.

I think MEA came in second to VZ in the BO reports I've read.

Who do you believe about BO performance of MEA re-release:

Initially, MEA initial was reported as average; 50-60%.

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http://www.boxofficeindia.com

Mughal E Azam seems a winner second time around aswell.The film is steady all over,Delhi/UP saw a nice pop up to 75% in collections on Monday but they were back to 60% on Tuesday . Approx Print count-125 including FH

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http://www.indiafm.com/scoop/04/nov/191 ... ndex.shtml

Mughal-e-Azam opens to a very strong response

By IndiaFM News Bureau, November 19th, 2004 - 1500 hrs IST

The renovated fully colored version of Mughal-e-Azam that re-released last week seems to have opened to a very strong audiences response. While Veer-Zaara opened to 100% collection (as expected), distributors claim that Mughal-e-Azam has fetched a very rich opening of more than 95% collections and has left the other releases much behind . The film has found an audience not just in the yesteryear generation but even the present generation youth have loved this magnanimous interpretation of love on the silver screen.

The Mumbai distributor adds that so encouraging has been the response to the film that around 10 more prints of the film will be added and even the number of shows in cinema halls will be increased from two to four. And with no new releases this week the going just seems to be great for Mughal-e-Azam.

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http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2004/nov/17box.htm

Mughal-e-Azam

Cast: Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala.
Director: K Asif.
Number of weeks: New.
BO Verdict: Average opening, but is expected to have a steady run.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... urpg-3.cms

MUGHAL-E-AZAM

Cast: Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala.

Pluses: Everything.

Minuses: None.

Verdict: Average

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Watching is believing!LOL.

Yup, it is no way like those bad vintage remastered sounds!! It has been done in such an authentic manner that really amzed me!