Published By: vikramsharma

Interesting Facts about the Movie Mughal-e-Azam (Part I )

Mughal-e-Azam without a doubt is one of the most iconic movies in Indian cinema. Directed by K. Asif, the movie featured Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Madhubala in lead roles while DurgaKhote, Nigar Sultana, and Ajit were in supporting roles. Set during the time when Mughals were ruling the country with Akbar as the emperor, the movie was a love story between Prince Salim and a courtesan dancer Anarkali. Though the story is mostly fictitious, it is considered as a masterpiece in Indian Cinema. Here are some interesting facts about the movie which will intrigue you for sure.

Most Expensive Movie of That Era

The movie was released in 1965 and took around 16 years to complete as the director wanted perfection in every single frame. Its budget was 1.5 crore and it was the costliest movie of that era. 

Asif left no stone unturned while making Mughal-e- Azam and each and every shot was made with perfection. An entire set was made using mirrors for the song pyaarkiatohdarnakya and that song alone cost 10 lakhs rupees. At this budget, entire movies were made that time. He wanted Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to sing a song for the movie but he never wanted to sing a Bollywood song. K.Asif paid him 25,000 rupees for the song. In those times, famous singers like LataMangeshkar and Md. Rafi used to charge 500 rs for a song.

Madhubala's Chain and Costumes were Real

Not only the director but the artists involved in the movie were also quite dedicated to the movie and a real chain was used in the movie when Madhubala was captured.

This may sound a bit bitter for us but the chains which in Anarkali( Madhubala) was tied were real and very heavy. The pain you saw in her face was not acting but she was actually in pain while shooting the scene. She was left bedridden for days after shooting that scene. Not only the chains, but all the heavy costumes and jewelry Madhubala wore in the movie were real and heavy. Madhubala was suffering from an incurable disease while shooting for the movie and died a few months after the release of the movie.

 It Became the Biggest Blockbuster in Indian Cinema after Release

The hype for Mughal-e-Azam was very high and it became the biggest blockbuster of Bollywood ever till then.

The movie had a grand premier and the reel of the movie was brought in an elephant to depict the grandness of the movie. When it was released for the public, a crowd of 100,000 gathered outside the Maratha Mandir to buy tickets. The tickets sold in black cost up to a hundred rupees and in those times, ticket prices were mostly one rupee and fifty paise and not more than that. It remained the biggest hit of Bollywood for fifteen years till Sholay was released in 1975. It also won one National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards at the 8th Filmfare Awards.