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.

Mughal-e-Azam

By Gaurav Malani, Nov 04th, 2004 - 1000 hrs IST



Mughal-e-Azam, the name itself spells magnificence, splendor and dignity. K.Asif's blockbuster extravaganza starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala was a visual treat. And not just visual, the film had a fervent musical charm too. Musician Naushad's tunes on Shakeel Badayuni's lyrics are immortal. On the eve of the re-release of the renovated version of the film after 44 years, lets take a trip down the memory lane revisiting the music of the film.

The album opens with the evergreen Lata Mangeshkar solo track Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya . In this extended LP version, the track opens on the backdrop of violin chords and is followed by rich classical alaap rendition (a rarity these days) by some unaccredited singers, creating a palatial aura. After around two minutes of this classical rendition, Lata's voice seeps in as a prologue to the track. Shakeel Badayuni's lucid and logical lyrics are still remembered and if the legend behind the song is to be believed, it goes that the song was written around 105 times before Naushad finally favored the writer Shakeel with an approval. Another interesting story behind this track is that music director Naushad asked Lata Mangeshkar to sing the song in a bathroom of the Rajkamal Studio. That is because in those days, during sound recoding and mixing, there was no electronic effect to provide for reverberation of sound. So the bathroom walls were used for natural echo-effect. And such was the grandeur of this song that it was specially shot in color format in the otherwise black-and-white film.

Mohe Panghat Pe Nandlal that opens with mesmerizing string notes is another musical gem and has a bhajan shade to it. Shakeel's lyrics enunciate the naughty pranks of Lord Krishna as a child. Lata is just perfect in getting the pronunciation nuances of this song correct. One can also figure out a distinct difference in Lata's vocals as compared to her recent renditions in the sense that her yesteryear songs were considerably and pleasingly much lower on the sharp treble notes.

Three tracks with strong emotive flavor follow soon. The most popular of them all – Mohobbat Ki Jhooti Kahani has a touching tune while Humey Kaash Tumse Mohobbat Na Hoti is a slow-sad-short number that makes for a good solitude listening. Bekas Pe Karam Kijiye has the distinct violin overtones of the bygone era.

Next comes a lively qawalli Teri Mehfil Main Kismat Aazmakar , the first and only track of this album where Shamshad Begum lends her voice. Lata Mangeshkar too features in the track, which actually is a jugalbandi (one-upmanship) between the two lead singers. A crisp contrast in terms of both the vocals and the lyrics can be savored in this qawalli . Shamshad Begum's rustic rendition acts as a perfect counterpoint to Lata Mangeshkar's honey-soaked vocals. Also Shakeel Badayuni's lyrics that alternate from being in support of love to acting against it, do full justice to both players of the qawalli . And despite Naushad's standard qawalli musical arrangements, the song has a vivacious foot-tapping feel to it. This is probably one of the best-composed female qawalli's of Hindi cinema.

The joyful mood continues with Ye Dil Ki Lagi by Lata, a happy-go-lucky song about the pleasant experiences of love. Naushad creates a sparkling texture with the blend of wind and string instruments. Mohammad Rafi makes an appearance in Aye Mohobbat Zindabad that is about the triumph and glory of love. It was for the first (and possibly the last time) in the history of Indian cinema that one hundred chorus singers were used in a song. How they were arranged to sit along with musicians is in itself an interesting story.

The concluding tracks by Lata – Ae Ishq Yeh Duniyawale and Khuda Nigehban Ho are more situational numbers with good melody but to an extent are overshadowed by the intensity of the earlier numbers.

Mughal-e-Azam essentially has classical shades where you get to hear authentic original instruments. No synthesized music over here! The music may perhaps have a restricted appeal (confined till the yesteryear music lovers). Present generation music lovers, who haven't tasted such music before, may be apprehensive. But an open mind trail is strongly recommended.

The music of Mughal-e-Azam may not be contemporary, but undeniably, its appeal is eternal.
Tell us what do you think of

Mughal-E-Azam´ Song Missing , Scenes Edited
By: Planet Bollywood Special Correspondant
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While many have reviewed ´Mughal-E-Azam´ , no one has bothered to point out an important aspect in the new colorised version . One just wonders if some of the reviews were written even without seeing the colorised version !

Here is our note of caution for the more discerning audience . Some important scenes and the hit song ´Mohabbat ki jhooti kahani pe roye´ have been edited out from the coloured prints .

Why , some may demand their money back and exhibitors would be well advised to bring the fact of re-editing to the viewers´ notice before the show and since it is an old film and distributors should actually think in terms of reducing the admission rates , once the initial euphoria dies down . For , the high multiplex rates may not be something which a 1960s film can bear .

I read somewhere that theatrical version will be shorter and home video will be longer version. (Perhaps 3 hrs 17 min present theatrical version, I read somewhere??)

How long is the present theatrical version??

At the time of initial release, MEA theatrical version was close to 4 hrs and that too was not the longest version. Ae Mohabbat Zindabaad was added later.

Rarely was MEA screened theatrically in full version. How long was the full version and how long is the current shemaroo DVD or any other video version??

Shemaroo DVD is 192 minutes.

Box Office Collections

By Taran Adarsh, November 20th 2004 - 0930 hrs IST


Mughal-E-Azam - 1st week

Mumbai - 46,05,688
Ahmedabad - 15,51,013
Rajkot - 1,47,600
Jamnagar - 4,01,730
Delhi - 15,29,533
Noida - 3,66,465
Kaushambi - 2,39,455
Gurgaon - 2,54,200
Ghaziabad - 1,19,756
Lucknow - 7,24,102
Agra - 1,75,000
Meerut - 2,70,000 [6 dy.]
Bareilly - 1,09,696
Moradabad - 1,80,000
Aligarh - 2,45,432
Dehradun - 69,112
Kolkata - 9,72,121
Nagpur - 2,32,423
Akola - 1,22,073 [6 dy.]
Yavatmal - 41,200
Bhopal - 1,72,000
Aurangabad - 1,88,897
Chennai - 1,20,726
(Average per print: 2,46,888)

Veer-Zaara - 1st week

Mumbai - 2,30,71,746
Ahmedabad - 1,19,42,472
Baroda - 23,23,462
Surat - 13,08,350
Himmatnagar - 3,44,360
Vapi - 5,36,887
Rajkot - 11,98,624
Jamnagar - 8,95,220
Bhavnagar - 10,43,490
Bhuj - 3,13,199
Gandhidham - 7,37,720
Adipur - 3,29,270
Mahuva - 1,40,413
Pune - 33,55,281
Nasik - 11,01,878
Delhi - 1,54,69,169
Noida - 20,50,995
Kaushambi - 9,81,369
Gurgaon - 26,53,559
Ghaziabad - 21,88,776
Lucknow - 26,49,024
Agra - 12,17,476
Meerut - 6,17,583
Bareilly - 3,63,766
Moradabad - 2,65,000
Aligarh - 7,59,525
Mathura - 2,29,000
Dehradun - 4,74,912
Saharanpur - 3,46,245
Bulandshehar - 1,25,000
Khurja - 47,000
Kolkata - 84,43,057
Nagpur - 12,43,326
Akola - 3,04,628
Yavatmal - 1,39,045
Rajnandgaon - 95,000 [6 dy.]
Bhopal - 3,12,164
Jaipur - 39,06,043
Jodhpur - 13,26,918
Sri Ganganagar - 3,37,468
Kota - 13,59,560
Bikaner - 4,91,612
Ajmer - 7,04,315
Udaipur - 4,44,607
Bhilwara - 3,65,366
Aurangabad - 3,50,566
Chennai - 21,76,474
(Average per print: 6,85,948)

Aitraaz - 1st week

Mumbai - 1,50,49,996 [incl. Thane].
Ahmedabad - 46,31,356
Anand - 7,93,655
Rajkot - 2,81,000
Jamnagar - 1,57,612
Delhi - 75,60,829
Noida - 5,56,428
Kaushambi - 3,41,741
Gurgaon - 9,21,896
Ghaziabad - 5,92,835
Lucknow - 11,15,216
Agra - 4,58,363
Meerut - 6,32,553
Bareilly - 1,80,573
Moradabad - 2,30,000
Aligarh - 2,68,288
Mathura - 1,30,000
Dehradun - 2,08,830
Modinagar - 53,463
Bulandshehar - 43,390
Khurja - 85,186
Kolkata - 22,00,860
Nagpur - 1,46,709
Akola - 2,00,570 [6 dy.]
Yavatmal - 48,395
Chennai - 8,79,385 [8 dy.]
(Average per print: 3,66,690)

Naach - 1st week

Mumbai - 60,83,843 [incl. Thane].
Ahmedabad - 13,19,018
Delhi - 19,70,415
Noida - 2,15,857
Kaushambi - 97,684
Gurgaon - 2,54,000
Ghaziabad - 1,99,378
Lucknow - 3,13,074
Agra - 1,65,875
Meerut - 91,977
Bareilly - 42,763
Moradabad - 55,000
Aligarh - 64,115
Mathura - 45,000
Dehradun - 61,745
Kolkata - 8,45,045
Nagpur - 1,02,188
Akola - 60,435 [6 dy.]
Yavatmal - 29,000
Bhopal - 30,000
Chennai - 6,53,810
(Average per print: 1,44,321)


**imho, after initial hoopla is over!! VZ will slack, for no repeat value! while mughl e azam will go steady!

A documentary on the making of MEA

By IndiaFM News Bureau, November 20th, 2004 - 1200 hrs IST



Download Mughal-E-Azam wallpapers


Jayesh Seth, a photographer by profession was so mesmerized by the epic film Mughal-e-Azam that he planned to make a documentary film on the making of Mughal-e-Azam. Titled Ek Aitihasik Karishma, it's a one-hour documentary and has been telecast on ETC and Zee Cinema channels.

The documentary has sound bytes from industry people like Shammi Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Ashok Mehta. Also the film's musician Naushad and director K.Asif's wife share interesting facts about the film and it's making.

Earlier this year, a documentary film Chale Chalo on the making of Lagaan was released as a theatrical film. But what makes Ek Aitihasik Karishma different from Chale Chalo is that the latter was shot during the shooting of the film while the former was made much after the original film was released.


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http://www.indiafm.com/scoop/04/nov/241 ... ndex.shtml

Mughal-e-Azam premiere at Royal Albert Hall

The new colored version of Mughal-e-Azam is literally going places. A grand premiere for the film will be held at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London very soon. Akbar Asif, son of director K Asif who is based in London is personally administering the event. Prolific personalities from the film industry and corporate world are expected to attend the event.

This is the first Hindi film to be premiered at the Royal Albert Hall.

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Any connection bet Mughaleazmi Asif and zulmi Asif??
Both are based in London.

yeah u guess right it me i'm the one who's got enough dosh to hire out the grand ROYAAAL ALBERT HALL ...i was orignally planning on showing this masterpiece at the IMAX at the SOUTH BANK but some damn cartoon beaten me to it !!!!

asif miyan, can u keep it till Christmas, So, I can come and watch it too..lol? send me complimentory balcony tickets bro

... and can I have your autograph?