Mughal-e-Azam

Directed by K. Asif (Karimuddin Asif)
Produced by Shapoorji Pallonji
Written by Aman
Kamal Amrohi
K. Asif
Wajahat Mirza
Ehsan Rizvi
Starring Prithviraj Kapoor
Dilip Kumar
Madhubala
Durga Khote
Music by Naushad Ali
Cinematography R. D. Mathur
Editing by Dharamvir
Studio Sterling Investment Corporation
Release date(s) 5 August 1960
Running time 197 minutes
Country India
Language
Urdu
Hindi
Budget INR1.05 – 1.5 crores
Box office INR5.5 crores
Mughal-e-Azam (The Emperor of the Mughals) is a 1960 Indian period epic film directed by K. Asif (Karimuddin Asif) and produced by Shapoorji Pallonji. The film stars Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala and Durga Khote in the lead roles. The film loosely follows an episode in the life of the Mughal Prince Salim (who went on to become Emperor Jahangir) who falls in love with a court dancer Anarkali. The affair is disapproved of by his father, Emperor Akbar, and envied by a senior dancer who wishes to be a queen. Both Salim and Anarkali refuse to part with each other, leading to a war between father and son which the latter loses. Salim's life is spared in exchange for Anarkali's, who is eventually exiled.

The development of Mughal-e-Azam began in 1944, when Asif read a play which was set during the reign of Emperor Akbar (1556-1605). Production of the film was plagued with communal tensions and financial uncertainty, almost to the point of bankruptcy. Prior to the film's principal photography, which began in the early 1950s, the film lost a financier and underwent a complete change in the cast. Upon completion, Mughal-e-Azam became the most expensive Indian film, to the extent that the filming of a single sequence cost more than the entire budget of a typical film. The soundtrack, heavily inspired from Indian classical and folk music, contains 12 songs, voiced by playback singers such as Lata Mangeshkar and classical music artist Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. It is often cited as one of the best soundtracks in Bollywood history.

Mughal-e-Azam had the widest cinematic release for an Indian film at that time, and ticket sales often featured day-long queues of angry patrons. Upon its release on 5 August 1960, the film broke box office records in India, becoming the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time, a distinction it held for 15 years. The film won accolades including one National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. A colour version of the film was released in November 2004 and was also a commercial success.

Today, Mughal-e-Azam is widely considered a classic, and is often recognised as a milestone in Indian cinema. Contemporary and modern critics have praised the film, commenting on its cinematic grandeur and attention to detail. Film scholars have commented about its effective portrayal of themes that have endured in Indian cinema, while also noting that it was not completely accurate in its presentation of period history. A poll conducted in 2013 by British Asian weekly newspaper Eastern Eye rated it as the greatest Bollywood film of all time.