Mughal-E-Azam: Lesser known facts

K. Asif 's magnum opus has gained a cult status over the years. Considered to be one of the most iconic and landmark films in the history of Hindi cinema, Mughal-E-Azam set the standards high. Starring Dilip Kumar, Madhubala and Prithviraj Kapoor, this epic is known for its direction, music, sets, costumes and also for the lead pair: Madhubala and Dilip Kumar. Sweeping all major awards, Mughal -E-Azam revolves around the story of Mughal Emperor Salim and his love for a court dancer - Anarkali and how their romance angers Salim's father Akbar. While this story is a popular one that was depicted with grandeur on the silver screen, here are some lesser known facts about the film.

According to an Imdb report, K Asif first considered Chandra Mohan, D.K. Sapru, and Nargis for the roles of Akbar, Salim and Anarkali before finalising on Dilip Kumar and Madhubala. Mughal-E-Azam was one of the only two films that Asif completed directing, the other one being Phool (1945). He left behind two unfinished productions: Sasta Khoon Mahenga Paani and Love and God. K Asif spared no expense when it came to his film. According to a report on Imdb.com, tailors were brought from Delhi to stitch the costumes, specialists from Surat-Khambayat were employed for the embroidery, Hyderabad goldsmiths made the jewellery, Kohalpur craftsmen designed the crowns, Rajasthan ironsmiths crafted the weapons, and the elaborate footwear was ordered from Agra.

Reportedly, Dilip Kumar was not the first choice for K Asif's magnum opus but the actor is said to have been convinced by the film's producer. The role of Anarkali was also allegedly offered to Suraiya but later went to Madhubala. It is said that the latter was suffering from a congenital heart disease at that time but continued shooting for the film. Prithiviraj Kapoor, who essayed the role of Emperor Akbar, took 19 retakes to get one scene right and he was even asked by the director to regain the weight he had lost to play Akbar's role. According to a report on Webcitation.org, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain was quoted saying that he was considered for the role of the young Salim in the film which eventually went to Jala Agha.

The film's conception began in 1944 but it took many years before the film was actually shot. It went through a series of changes. Firstly, the financier had backed out. Secondly, the cast went through several changes and the cost of production for one song was reportedly more than the entire budget of other films that were made at that time. It finally released in 1960 and is said to have broken all records at the box office. According to a report on En.wikipedia.org, the film had the widest release in India, something unprecedented before and people would queue up all day just to buy tickets. Further to reports, it became the highest grossing Bollywood film of that time, a position it retained consistently for 15 consecutive years.

The song Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya was filmed in Technicolor and K Asif wanted the entire film to be re-shot in technicolour. But due to the impatience of distributors, K Asif released Mughal-e-Azam partially coloured. This song in itself was iconic. Shot at Sheesh Mahal, it cost Rs. 10 million at a time when a film would be made for less than a million, as per a report on Imdb.com. Not only that, it is also alleged that it was written and re-written 105 times by the lyricist, Shakeel Badayuni, before music director Naushad could approve of it. It is also alleged that when Asif approached Naushad, he gave him a briefcase full of money to compose memorable music. This seemed to anger the latter who threw the money. It was only when Naushad's wife intervened and played peacemaker did Naushad agree to come on board. In those days, as there was no way to provide a reverberating sound for songs, playback singer Lata Mangeshkar had to sing the song in a studio bathroom.

For the iconic battle scene between Salim and Akbar in the film, 2000 camels, 4000 horses and 8000 troops were used and some soldiers from the Indian Army were borrowed too. Lord Krishna' statue in the film was made of pure gold. The film is said to have been shot three times, to get the lip movements correctly for the for Hindi, Tamil and English dialogues.

Madhubala's heavy jewellery in the film is said to have weighed a lot and would often leave the actress bruised and bedridden for days. According to a report on Movies.ndtv.com, the tickets were dockets that contained trivia and photographs of the film. The Tamil version of Mughal-E-Azam did not do well and the English version was subsequently scrapped. Director Asif wanted Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali to give the voice for Tansen in the film. When the latter refused, Aisf offered to pay him his price. When Ghulam Ali quoted Rs 25,000, Asif immediately agreed and the legend sang Prem Jogan Ban Ke and Shubh Din Aayo Raj Dulara.

In spite of being nominated for a Filmfare Award under the best actress category, Madhubala did not walk away with the award. In fact, it was given to Bina Rai for Ghunghat. What was shocking and rather surprising was that Dilip Kumar and Prthiviraj Kapoor were not even nominated for their performance. Even Naushad was nominated for a Filmfare under the music category but he lost out to Shanker Jaikishen for Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai. Art director A. K. Sayyad recreated the replica of the Sheesh Mahal and it took him two years to build it from scratch.

Another reason why the film piqued interest was because of Dilip Kumar and Madhubala's love story. The duo were engaged but called it off due to some differences. In his autobiography, the veteran was quoted saying that the director was trying to mend the situation for Madhubala when things soured between them. The iconic feather scene between the two has its own story. In his autobiography, Kumar further stated that the two were not even talking to each other while shooting that scene but worked as two professional artists. He recalled the late actress as someone who was vivacious and who could draw the star out of his shyness and reticence effortlessly.