“Mughal-e-Azam” turns 50

Dilip Kumar and Madhubala in “Mughal-e-Azam”.

It was a contrasting tale of two actors of Hindi cinema -- one a thespian who can legitimately claim to a 'been there, done that' attitude and the other a young actress aspiring to leave an indelible mark.
If on one hand August 5, 2010 marked 50 years of making of K Asif's magnum opus “Mughal-e-Azam” and saw its hero Dilip Kumar going down the memory lane and recalling his experience of the shooting, on the other hand, it was time for Sonam Kapoor to look forward to playing the role of Anarkali, a role immortalised by Madhubala in the 1960 movie.
Let's be in rewind mode first. Half a century down the timeline, Dilip Kumar remembers every minute detail of the movie. Clearly, he has not allowed his memory to gather dust over the passage of time on how the celluloid story of a love affair between 16th century Mughal Emperor Akbar's son Salim and the royal courtesan Anarkali was made.
“Mughal-e-Azam” was an altogether different experience. Asif trusted me enough to leave the delineation of Salim completely to me. The shooting in Rajasthan was most memorable. Imagine my state with my body covered by armour in the desert heat!” -- the 87-year-old actor said at a function organised in Mumbai to mark 50 years of the film.
It took nine years to make “Mughal-e-Azam” but Dilip Kumar always felt the delay was worth the wait. “Such was the all-round commitment that nobody saw the delay as tiresome. A film involving such overwhelming craftsmanship, minute detailing, massive gathering of artistes and unit hands, strenuous schedules with large units of artistes and trained animals, day and night shoots cannot be a simple affair,” said the veteran actor.
“We were acutely conscious of the hard work we would have to put in as well as the responsibility we would have to shoulder while evoking a historical period that shaped the cultural, political and social ethos of the years that followed,” he said adding it was wonderful to know that the film retains its appeal as much as it had generated when it was first released.
Dilip Kumar's wife Saira Banu was also in a reminiscent mood but for different reasons. She said if a film was being made on the love story between Salim and Anarkali, another such story was unfolding quietly as she prepared to attend the premiere of “Mughal-e-Azam.”
“For an entire week in the run up to the premiere of 'Mughal-e-Azam', I prepared myself for the event, draping my mother's saris, applying and reapplying nail varnish, wearing high heels and practicing to walk confidently in them just to be noticed and acknowledged by Dilip sahab at the event,” Saira Banu said.
However, Saira Banu had to be sorely disappointed, as Dilip Kumar did not turn up at the premiere, knowing little that “God had a splendid plan up his sleeve for me,” she recalled, alluding to the marriage between the two six years later -- in 1966.
“Many years later when the colour version of 'Mughal-e-Azam' premiered in Mumbai, I was walking with him as his wife -- this time enjoying the adulation as the crowds waved out to Dilip sahab and saying a quiet prayer of gratitude to God for making my dream come true so beautifully,” she said.
Saira Banu had her dream fulfilled, but Sonam Kapoor is waiting for her dream to come true. Sonam said that she would love to essay the role of Anarkali in a remake of “Mughal-e-Azam”.
Sonam said the 1960 film has always been her favourite and she can't see anyone else playing Anarkali, the beautiful but defiant dancer who falls in love with the Mughal crown prince Salim.
Asked who she would like to play the role of Salim, Sonam promptly named Abhishek Bachchan, her co-star in “Dilli-6”.