text: mughal - e - azam mughal - e - azam ( the emperor of the mughals ) is a 1960 indian epic historical drama film directed by k. asif and produced by shapoorji pallonji . starring prithviraj kapoor , dilip kumar , madhubala , and durga khote , it follows the love affair between mughal prince salim ( who went on to become emperor jahangir ) and anarkali , a court dancer . salim 's father , emperor akbar , disapproves of the relationship , which leads to a war between father and son . the development of mughal - e - azam began in 1944 , when asif read a play set in the reign of emperor akbar ( 1556 – 1605 ) . production was plagued by delays and financial uncertainty . before its principal photography began in the early 1950s the project had lost a financier and undergone a complete change of cast . mughal - e - azam cost more to produce than any previous indian motion picture ; the budget for a single song sequence exceeded that typical for an entire film of the period . the soundtrack , inspired by indian classical and folk music , comprises 12 songs voiced by playback singers including lata mangeshkar and classical singer bade ghulam ali khan . it is often cited as one of the finest soundtracks in bollywood cinematic history . mughal - e - azam had the widest release of any indian film up to that time and patrons often queued all day for tickets . released on 5 august 1960 it broke box office records in india , and became the highest - grossing bollywood film of all time , a distinction it held for 15 years . the accolades awarded to the film include one national film award and three filmfare awards . mughal - e - azam was the first black - and - white hindi film to be digitally coloured , and the first in any language to be given a theatrical re - release . the colour version , released in november 2004 , was a commercial success . the film is widely considered a milestone of its genre , earning praise from critics for its grandeur and attention to detail . film scholars have welcomed its portrayal of enduring themes , but question its historical accuracy . plot emperor akbar ( prithviraj kapoor ) , who does not have a male heir , undertakes a pilgrimage to a shrine to pray that his wife jodhabai ( durga khote ) give birth to a son . later , a maid brings the emperor news of his son 's birth . overjoyed at his prayers being answered akbar gives the maid his ring , and promises to grant her anything she desires . the son , prince salim , grows up to be spoiled , flippant , and self - indulgent . his father sends him off to war , to teach him courage and discipline . fourteen years later salim returns as a distinguished soldier ( dilip kumar ) and falls in love with court - dancer nadira , whom the emperor has renamed anarkali ( madhubala ) , meaning pomegranate blossom . the relationship is discovered by the jealous bahar ( sultana ) , a dancer of a higher rank , who wants the prince to love her so that she may one day become queen . unsuccessful in winning salim 's love , she exposes his forbidden relationship with anarkali . salim pleads to marry anarkali , but his father refuses , and imprisons her . despite her treatment , anarkali refuses to reject salim , as akbar demands . salim rebels and amasses an army to confront akbar and rescue anarkali . defeated in battle , salim is sentenced to death by his father , but is told that the sentence will be revoked if anarkali , now in hiding , is handed over to die in his place . anarkali gives herself up to save the prince 's life , and is condemned to death by being entombed alive . before her sentence is carried out , she begs to have a few hours with salim as his make - believe wife . her request is granted , as she has agreed to drug salim so that he cannot interfere with her entombment . as anarkali is being walled up , akbar is reminded that he still owes her mother a favour , as it was she who brought him news of salim 's birth . anarkali 's mother pleads for her daughter 's life . the emperor has a change of opinion , but although he wants to release anarkali he cannot , because of his duty to his country . he therefore arranges for her secret escape into exile with her mother , but demands that the pair are to live in obscurity , and that salim is never to know that anarkali is still alive . cast prithviraj kapoor as emperor akbar dilip kumar as salim madhubala as nadira ( anarkali ) durga khote as jodhabai , salim 's mother sultana as bahar , a court dancer ajit as singh murad as raja man singh m. kumar as , the royal sculptor sheila as , anarkali 's sister bai as anarkali 's mother production development the urdu dramatist imtiaz ali taj wrote a play about the love story of salim and anarkali in 1922 , based more on a 16th - century legend than on fact . a stage version was soon produced , and screen versions followed . ardeshir irani made a silent film , anarkali , in 1928 , and remade it with sound in 1935 . in the early 1940s , the tale of anarkali inspired producer shiraz ali hakeem and young director k. asif ( asif ) to make another film adaptation which they would title mughal - e - azam . they recruited four urdu writers to develop the screenplay and dialogue : aman ( zeenat aman 's father , also known as amanullah khan ) , wajahat mirza , kamaal amrohi , and ehsan rizvi . it is not known how the writers collaborated or shared out their work , but in 2010 the times of india said that their " mastery over urdu 's poetic idiom and expression is present in every line , giving the film , with its rich plots and intricate characters , the overtones of a shakespearean drama . " as the script neared completion , asif cast chandra mohan , d.k. sapru , and nargis for the roles of akbar , salim , and anarkali , respectively . shooting started in 1946 in bombay talkies studio . the project faced multiple hurdles , which forced its temporary abandonment . the political tensions and communal rioting surrounding india 's 1947 partition and independence stalled production . shortly after partition , shiraz ali migrated to pakistan , leaving asif without a financier . the actor chandra mohan suffered a heart attack and died in 1949 . shiraz ali had previously suggested that business tycoon shapoorji pallonji could finance the film . although pallonji knew nothing about film production , in 1950 he agreed to produce the film because of his interest in the history of akbar . production was then restarted with a new cast . believing that the film had been cancelled , kamal amrohi , one of the scriptwriters who was also a director , planned to make a film on the same subject himself . when confronted by asif , he agreed to shelve the project . another unrelated film production based on the same stage play was 's anarkali , starring bina rai and pradeep kumar , which became the highest grossing bollywood film of 1953 . casting asif had initially rejected dilip kumar for the part of prince salim . kumar was reluctant to act in a period film , but accepted the role upon the insistence of the film 's producer . according to kumar , " asif trusted me enough to leave the delineation of salim completely to me . " kumar faced difficulty while filming in rajasthan owing to the heat and the body armour he wore . the part of anarkali had first been offered to suraiya but later went to madhubala , who had been longing for a significant role . madhubala suffered from congenital heart disease , which was one of the reasons why at times she fainted on set ; she also endured skin abrasions while filming the prison sequences , but was determined to finish the film . to become the character of emperor akbar , prithviraj kapoor was reported to have " relied completely on the script and director " . prior to make - up , kapoor would declare , " prithviraj kapoor ab hai " ( " prithviraj kapoor is now going " ) ; after make - up , he would announce , " akbar ab aa hai " ( " akbar is now coming " ) . kapoor faced difficulty with his heavy costumes and suffered blisters on his feet after walking barefoot in the desert for a sequence . lance dane , a photographer who was on set during the filming , recalled that kapoor struggled to remember his lines in some scenes ; he mentioned one scene in particular that kapoor required 19 takes to get right . at the time of filming , kapoor who was on a diet , was told by asif to regain the lost weight for his portrayal of akbar . zakir hussain , who later became a tabla maestro , had initially been considered for the part of the young prince salim , but it became the debut role of jalal agha , who later performed in the song " mehbooba mehbooba " from sholay ( 1975 ) . design the production design of the film , led by art director m. k. syed , was extravagant , and some sets took six weeks to erect . the film , mostly shot in studio sets designed to represent the interior of a mughal palace , featured opulent furnishings and water features such as fountains and pools , generating the feel of a hollywood historical epic of the period . the song " pyar kiya to darna kya " was filmed in mohan studios on a set built as a replica of the sheesh mahal in the lahore fort . the set was noted for its size , measuring 150 feet ( 46 m ) in length , 80 feet ( 24 m ) in breadth and 35 feet ( 11 m ) in height . a much - discussed aspect was the presence of numerous small mirrors made of belgian glass , which were crafted and designed by workers from . the set took two years to build and cost more than ₹ 1 . 5 million ( valued at about us $ 314 , 000 in 1960 ) , more than the budget of an entire bollywood film at the time . the film 's financiers feared bankruptcy as a result of the high cost of production . artisans from across india were recruited to craft the props . the costumes were designed by and company , and delhi - based tailors skilled in embroidery stitched the mughal costume . the footwear was ordered from agra , the jewellery was made by goldsmiths in hyderabad , the crowns were designed in kolhapur , and blacksmiths from rajasthan manufactured the armoury ( which included shields , swords , spears , daggers , and armour ) . the on costumes were also stitched by designers from surat . a statue of lord krishna , to which jodhabai prayed , was made of gold . in the scenes involving an imprisoned anarkali , real chains were placed on madhubala . the battle sequence between akbar and salim reportedly featured 2 , 000 camels , 400 horses , and 8 , 000 troops , mainly from the indian army 's jaipur cavalry , 56th regiment . dilip kumar has spoken of the intense heat during filming of the sequence in the desert of rajasthan , wearing full armour . principal photography principal photography for mughal - e - azam began in the early 1950s . each sequence was reportedly filmed three times , as the film was being produced in hindi / urdu , tamil , and english . the film was eventually dubbed in tamil and released as akbar , but that version 's commercial failure resulted in the abandonment of the planned english dubbing , for which british actors were considered . asif was accompanied by an extensive crew , which included his assistant directors s. t. zaidi , khalid akhtar , surinder kapoor ( assisting primarily for the english version ) , and five others . additional crew members included cinematographer r. d. mathur , choreographer maharaj , production manager aslam , editor , makeup artists p. g. joshi and abdul hamid , and sound director akram shaikh . some film sequences were shot with up to 14 cameras , significantly more than the norm at that time . there were many difficulties with the film 's lighting . cinematographer mathur reportedly took eight hours to light a single shot . in total , 500 days of shooting were needed , compared to a normal schedule of 60 to 125 shooting days at the time . owing to the very large size of the sheesh mahal set , the lighting was provided by the headlights of 500 trucks and about 100 reflectors . the presence of the mirrors on the set caused problems , as they sparkled under the lights . consultants from hollywood , including david lean , told asif to forget the idea since they felt that it was impossible to film the scene under the intense glare . asif confined himself to the set with the lighting crew , and subsequently overcame the problem by covering all the mirrors with a thin layer of wax , thereby subduing their reflectivity . mathur also used strategically placed strips of cloth to implement " bounce lighting " , which reduced the glare . a number of problems and production delays were encountered during filming , to the extent that at one point asif considered abandoning the project . kumar defended the long duration of filming , invoking the massive logistics of the film and explaining that the entire cast and crew were " acutely conscious of the hard work [ they ] would have to put in , as well as the responsibility [ they ] would have to shoulder . " the production also suffered from financial problems , and asif exceeded the budget on a number of occasions . the final budget of the film is a subject of debate . some sources state that mughal - e - azam cost ₹ 10 . 5 million to produce , about us $ 2 million at the time , while others claim it cost ₹ 15 million , about $ 3 million . this made mughal - e - azam the most expensive indian film of the period . a number of estimates put the film 's inflation - adjusted budget at ₹ 500 million to ₹ 2 billion . the budget situation strained the relationship between asif and pallonji , while the production also faced troubled relationships among other crew members ; differences crept up between asif and kumar when the former married the latter 's sister . another source of trouble was the romantic relationship and ultimate break - up of kumar and madhubala , who had been dating for nine years . post - production sohrab modi 's jhansi ki rani ( 1953 ) was the first indian film to be shot in colour , and by 1957 , colour production had become increasingly common . asif filmed one reel of mughal - e - azam that included the song " pyar kiya to darna kya " in technicolor . impressed by the result , he filmed three more reels in technicolor , near the story 's climax . after seeing them , he sought a complete re - shoot in technicolor , angering impatient distributors who were unwilling to accept further delays . asif subsequently released mughal - e - azam partially coloured , although he still hoped to see the full film in colour . by the end of filming , more than a million feet of negative had been used , necessitating significant editing . a number of songs were edited out owing to the running time , which in the end was 197 minutes . almost half of the songs recorded for the film were left out of the final version . themes mughal - e - azam is a family history highlighting the differences between father and son , duty to the public over family , and the trials and tribulations of women , particularly of courtesans . according to rachel dwyer , author of the book filming the gods : religion and indian cinema , the film highlights religious tolerance between hindus and muslims . examples include the scenes of hindu queen 's presence in the court of the muslim akbar , the singing of a hindu devotional song by anarkali , and akbar 's participation in the janmashtami celebrations , during which akbar is shown pulling a string to rock a swing with an idol of krishna on it . film critic mukul kesavan has remarked that he was unable to recall a single other film about hindu - muslim love in which the woman ( jodhabai ) is hindu . scholars bhaskar and allen described the film as a tableau vivant of " culture " , evidenced in its ornate sets , musical sequences such as the qawwali scene , and chaste urdu dialogues . throughout the film there is a distinct depiction of muslims as the ruling class who not only dressed differently but also spoke in complex persianised dialogue . they are made to appear " distinct and separate from the mainstream . " film scholar stephen teo posits that mughal - e - azam is a " national allegory " , a stylistic way of appropriating history and heritage to emphasise the national identity . he believes the arrogance of bahar represents the power of the state and that anarkali 's emotion , which is highly personal , represents the private individual . teo states that the theme of romantic love defeating social class difference and power hierarchy , as well as the grandeur of the filming , contribute to the film 's attractiveness . author ashis nandy has commented on the poetic quality of the dialogue , saying that " the characters of mughal - e - azam do not just speak – they refine communication , they distil it , they crystallize it into many faceted glittering gems , they make poetry of ordinary language . " gowri of the hindu has also emphasised the power of the dialogues in the film in that they " create not only the ambiance of this period drama , but also etch character and situation . every syllable breathes power and emotion . " philip lutgendorf , a scholar at the university of iowa , has stated that while the theme of the conflict between passionate individual love and family duty may be very common in hindi film making , with endless cinematic permutations , k. asif 's " excessive elaboration of the theme remains in a class by itself . " further , emperor akbar struggles between his personal desires and his duties to the nation . ashis nandy noted that apart from the conflict between akbar and his son , there is also an " unwritten alliance " between akbar and bahar that compounds the problems of anarkali . he also thought it highlighted the " idea of justice and the notion of unconditional love " to uphold tradition . the song " pyar kiya to darna kya " sung by anarkali was an indication of her defiance of societal norms . a major difference from the original story is that while the earlier films based on imtiaz ali taj 's story ended as tragedies , k. asif created a relatively happy ending in that akbar gives amnesty to anarkali by allowing her to escape through a secret route of tunnels below a false bottom of her prison wall , although his son is made to suffer in believing her to have perished . historical inaccuracies the film is based on a legend , but it is given credence by at least two texts that assert anarkali 's existence during the historical period of the greatest monarch of the mughal empire , emperor akbar ( 1556 – 1605 ) . one of the books states that in 1615 a marble tomb was built on anarkali 's grave in lahore by salim , when he had become emperor jehangir . on the tomb is a persian inscription that reads : " ta ra , aah bez roo - e ra " , meaning in english : " ah ! could i behold the face of my love once more , i would give thanks to my god until the day of resurrection . " the author of the stage play on which the film is based , imtiaz ali taj , believed that the legend had no historical base , but historians have suggested that anarkali may have been a painter , a dancer , or a courtesan , or one of akbar 's wives and the mother of salim 's half - brother prince . while an earlier film version of the story , anarkali ( 1952 ) contained a disclaimer stating that the story had no foundation in history , mughal - e - azam made no such claim . mughal - e - azam takes numerous liberties with historical fact . historian alex von tunzelmann says that although the real salim was a heavy consumer of alcohol and opium from the age of 18 , he was not necessarily a mischievous boy , as depicted in the film . when the film 's salim returns from his time in the military he is depicted as a gentle and romantic hero , in contrast to the real salim , who was documented as a brutal drunk who would often beat people to death . the real salim did lead a rebellion against his father , tried to replace him as emperor , and had akbar 's friend abu al - murdered in 1602 , but the film ascribes these actions to his desire to marry anarkali , which is historically inaccurate . further , there were also discrepancies in sets , costumes , and music of the film . the sheesh mahal , actually the royal bath of the queen , was depicted in the film as a dancing hall , and much larger . music and dancing styles from the 19th century were shown , although the story takes place in the 16th century . for example , thumri , a semi - classical music form developed in the 19th century , is adopted in a dance sequence in kathak style , which is a 16th - century dance form . music the soundtrack was composed by music director naushad , and the lyrics were written by shakeel badayuni . after conceiving the idea of the film , asif visited naushad and handed him a briefcase containing money , telling him to make " memorable music " for mughal - e - azam . offended by the explicit notion of money as a means of gaining quality , naushad threw the notes out of the window , to the surprise of his wife . she subsequently made peace between the two men , and asif apologised . with this , naushad accepted the offer to direct the film 's soundtrack . as with most of naushad 's soundtracks , the songs of mughal - e - azam were heavily inspired by indian classical music and folk music , particularly ragas such as darbari , durga , used in the composition of " pyar kiya to darna kya " , and kedar , used in " pe karam " . he also made extensive use of symphony orchestras and choruses to add grandeur to the music . the soundtrack contained a total of 12 songs , which were rendered by playback singers and classical music artists . these songs account for nearly one third of the film 's running time . the album 's cover image depicts a scene from the film in which salim strokes anarkali with an ostrich feather . background a total of 20 songs were composed for the film , at an average cost of ₹ 3 , 000 ( valued at about us $ 629 in 1960 ) per song , though many were left out of the final cut owing to the film 's length . both asif and naushad approached hindustani classical vocalist bade ghulam ali khan inviting him to participate in the film 's soundtrack , but he refused , explaining that he disliked working in films . asif , adamant about the presence of khan , asked him to name his fee . khan quoted a fee of ₹ 25 , 000 per song , at a time when lata mangeshkar and mohammed rafi ( the best paid playback singers of the time ) charged ₹ 300 – 400 per song , thinking that asif would send him away . instead , asif agreed , and even gave khan a 50 per cent advance . surprised and left with no excuse to turn down the offer , he finally accepted . khan sang two songs , " prem ban ke " and " shubh din " ; both were included in the final version of the film and demonstrated the artist 's vocal virtuosity . the composition of " pyar kiya to darna kya " was especially time - consuming – on the day of the song 's scheduled recording , naushad rejected two sets of lyrics by badayuni . subsequently , a " brainstorming session " was held on naushad 's terrace , beginning in early evening and lasting until next day . late in the night , naushad remembered a folk song from eastern uttar pradesh with the lyrics " prem , kya kari hai ... " ( " i have loved , does it mean that i have stolen ? " ) . the song was converted into a ghazal and subsequently recorded . at that time , since there was no technology to provide for the reverberation of sound heard in the song , naushad had mangeshkar sing the song in a studio bathroom . some sources state that a chorus of a hundred singers supported singer mohammed rafi for the song " ae " , though other sources place the number at a thousand . the song " pe " was objected to by veteran director vijay bhatt . although he was not directly involved with the project , he thought that it would " ruin the film " , since it showed the mughal emperor celebrating the hindu festival janmashtami . though naushad argued that the presence of jodhabai made the situation logical , he met with the film 's screenwriters and subsequently added dialogue that explained the sequence . when the film was colourised for re - release , the soundtrack was also reworked , with original composer naushad receiving help from uttam singh . the score remained the same , but the sound was touched up and converted to dolby digital . the orchestral part was re - recorded with live musicians , but the original solo vocals were retained . the cost was reported to be between ₹ 2 . 6 million ( us $ 39 , 000 ) and ₹ 6 . 5 million ( us $ 97 , 000 ) . critical response the soundtrack of mughal - e - azam received universal acclaim from critics in india . it is often cited as one of the best soundtracks in bollywood history , and was one of the best - selling bollywood albums of the 1960s . shahid khan , writing for planet bollywood , gave the soundtrack ten out of ten stars and called the music the " soul of the film " . in 2004 , subhash k. jha reviewed the re - mastered release of the soundtrack , praising the technical quality of the re - release and the original vocals of lata mangeshkar . in 2013 , baldev s chauhan of sun post called the songs " some of the greatest songs of hindi cinema . " track listing all lyrics written by shakeel badayuni , all music composed by naushad . release at the time of the release of mughal - e - azam , a typical bollywood film would garner a distribution fee of ₹ 300 , 000 – 400 , 000 ( about us $ 63 , 000 – 84 , 000 in 1960 ) per territory . asif insisted that he would sell his film to the distributors at no less than ₹ 700 , 000 per territory . subsequently , the film was actually sold at a price of ₹ 1 . 7 million ( us $ 356 , 000 ) per territory , surprising asif and the producers . thus , it set the record for the highest distribution fee received by any bollywood film at that time . the premiere of mughal - e - azam was held at the then new , 1 , 100 - capacity maratha mandir cinema in mumbai . mirroring the nature of the film , the cinema 's foyer had been decorated to resemble a mughal palace , and a 40 - foot ( 12 m ) cut - out of prithviraj kapoor was erected outside it . the sheesh mahal set was transported from the studio to the cinema , where ticket holders could go inside and experience its grandeur . invitations to the premiere were sent as " royal invites " shaped like scrolls , which were written in urdu and made to look like the , the official chronicle of the reign of akbar . the premiere was held amidst great fanfare , with large crowds and an extensive media presence , in addition to hosting much of the film industry , although dilip kumar did not attend the event owing to his dispute with asif . the film 's reels arrived at the premiere cinema atop a decorated elephant , accompanied by the music of bugles and shehnai . reception box office the day before bookings for the film opened , a reported crowd of 100 , 000 gathered outside the maratha mandir to buy tickets . the tickets , the most expensive for a bollywood film at that time , were containing text , photographs and trivia about the film , and are now considered collector 's items . they sold for ₹ 100 ( valued at about us $ 21 in 1960 ) , compared to the usual price of ₹ 1 . 5 ( us $ 0 . 31 ) . bookings experienced major chaos , to the extent that police intervention was required . it was reported that people would wait in queues for four to five days , and would be supplied food from home through their family members . subsequently , the maratha mandir closed bookings for three weeks . mughal - e - azam was released on 5 august 1960 in 150 cinemas across the country , establishing a record for the widest release for a bollywood film . it became a major commercial success , earning ₹ 4 million ( us $ 839 , 000 ) in the first week , eventually earning a net revenue of ₹ 55 million ( us $ 11 , 530 , 000 ) , and generating a profit of ₹ 30 million for the producers . mughal - e - azam also experienced a long theatrical run , screening to full capacity at the maratha mandir for three years . the film thus became the highest - grossing bollywood film of all time by surpassing mother india ( 1957 ) , and retained this record until sholay ( 1975 ) surpassed its net revenue . the hindu stated in 2009 that mughal - e - azam was the highest - grossing bollywood film of all time if adjusted for inflation . according to the online box office website box office india , the film 's adjusted net revenue would amount to ₹ 1327 million , ranking it as an " all - time blockbuster " . the trade magazine box office implemented a formula for adjusting box office collections in 2011 . using the base price of gold and growth of multiplexes as factors , they calculated that mughal - e - azam was the highest - grossing bollywood film of all time . critical reception mughal - e - azam received almost universal acclaim from indian critics ; every aspect of the film was praised . a review from the 1960s in filmfare called it a " history - making film ... the work of a team of creative artists drawn from different spheres of the art world " . it was also described as " a tribute to imagination , hard work and lavishness of its maker , mr. asif . for its grandeur , its beauty , and then performances of the artists it should be a landmark in indian films . " since 2000 , reviewers have described the film as a " classic " , " benchmark " , or " milestone " in the history of indian cinema . in 2011 , anupama chopra called the film " the best hindi film ever made " and " the apotheosis of the hindi film form " , noting specifically the performances , father - son drama and song sequences . taran adarsh of bollywood hungama praised many aspects of the film : the musical score , the battle scenes , the acting , emotions , and romance , the father - son confrontation scenes , and the overall look of the film . dinesh raheja of rediff called the film a must - see classic , saying " a work of art is the only phrase to describe this historical whose grand palaces - and - fountains look has an epic sweep and whose heart - wrenching core of romance has the tenderness of a feather 's touch . " sujata gupta of planet bollywood gave the film nine out of ten stars , calling it a " must see " that " has captured interest of people over generations " . k. k. rai , in his review for stardust stated , " it can be said that the grandeur and vintage character of mughal - e - azam cannot be repeated , and it will remembered as one of the most significant films made in this country . " ziya us salam of the hindu described mughal - e - azam as a film people will want to watch over and over again . raja sen of rediff compared the film to spartacus ( 1960 ) and said , " mughal - e - azam is awesomely , stunningly overwhelming , a magnificent spectacle entirely free of cgi and nonlinear gimmickry , a gargantuan feat of ... of ... well , of mughal proportions ! " laura bushell of the bbc rated the film four out of five stars , considering it to be a " benchmark film for both indian cinema and cinema grandeur in general " , and remarking that mughal - e - azam was an epic film in every way . naman ramachandran , reviewing the film for the british film institute , noted the depiction of religious tolerance and said the film had a tender heart . nasreen munni kabir , author of the immortal dialogue of k. asif 's mughal - e - azam , compared the film to the koh - i - noor diamond for its enduring worth to indian cinema . outlook , in 2008 , and hindustan times , in 2011 , both declared that the scene in which salim brushes anarkali with an ostrich feather was the most erotic and sensuous scene in the history of indian cinema . accolades at the 1961 national film awards , mughal - e - azam won the national film award for best feature film in hindi . in the 1961 filmfare awards , mughal - e - azam was nominated in seven categories : best film , best director ( asif ) , best actress ( madhubala ) , best playback singer ( mangeshkar ) , best music ( naushad ) , best cinematography ( mathur ) , and best dialogue ( aman , wajahat mirza , kamaal amrohi , and ehsan rizvi ) , winning the awards for best film , best cinematography , and best dialogue . mughal - e - azam was the first black - and - white hindi film to be digitally coloured and the first to be given a theatrical re - release . the sterling investment corporation , the negative rights owner and an arm of the shapoorji pallonji group , undertook restoration and of mughal - e - azam and assigned as project designer and director . they initially approached hollywood executives for help , but found the sales quotations , ranging from $ 12 – 15 million , too high . in 2002 , umar siddiqui , managing director of the indian academy of arts and animation ( ) proposed to enhance it digitally at a fraction of the cost . to convince the shapoorji pallonji group , one of india 's wealthiest companies , of the commercial viability of the project , the colourised a four - minute clip and showed it to them . they approved and gave the project the go - ahead . shapoorji mistry , grandson of producer shapoorji pallonji mistry , thought it a fitting tribute to complete his grandfather 's unfinished dream of the entire film . the first step towards colourisation was the restoration of the original negatives , which were in poor condition owing to extensive printing of the negative during the original theatrical release . costly and labour - intensive restoration was essential before colourisation could be carried out . the negative was cleaned of fungal growth , damaged portions were restored , and missing parts of frames were re - instated . after cleaning , each of the 300 , 000 frames of the negative was scanned into a 10 megabytes - sized file and then was digitally restored . the entire restoration work was undertaken by acris lab , chennai . the dialogues in the original soundtrack were also in a bad state of preservation , which necessitated having the sound cleaned in chace studio , united states . the background score and the entire musical track was recreated by naushad and uttam singh . for the songs , the original voices of the singers like bade ghulam ali khan , mohammed rafi and lata mangeshkar were extracted from the original mixed track and the same were recreated with re - recorded score in 6 . 1 surround sound . the process of colourisation was preceded by extensive research . the art departments visited museums and studied the literature for background on the typical colours of clothing worn at that time . siddiqui studied the technology used for the colourisation of black - and - white hollywood classics . the team also approached a number of experts for guidance and suggestions , including dilip kumar , production designer nitin chandrakant desai , and a historian from the jawaharlal nehru university in delhi . to undertake the colourisation , siddiqui brought together a team of around 100 individuals , including computer engineers and software professionals , and organised a number of art departments . the entire project was co - ordinated by , who partnered with companies including iris interactive and studios to execute the colourisation . the task was controlled and supervised by the producers , who received daily updates and progress reports . the colourisation team spent 18 months developing software for colouring the frames , called " effects plus " , which was designed to accept only those colours whose hue would match the shade of grey present in the original film . this ensured that the colours added were as close to the real colour as possible ; the authenticity of the colouring was later verified when a costume used in the film was retrieved from a warehouse , and its colours were found to closely match those in the film . every shot was finally hand - corrected to perfect the look . the actual colourisation process took a further 10 months to complete . siddiqui said that it had " been a painstaking process with men working round the clock to complete the project . " the exact cost of the colourisation is disputed , with a wide variety of estimates ranging from ₹ 20 million ( us $ 300 , 000 ) to ₹ 50 million , or ₹ 100 million . re - releases the film 's colour version was released theatrically on 12 november 2004 , in 150 prints across india , 65 of which were in maharashtra . the new release premiered at the eros cinema in mumbai . dilip kumar , who had not attended the original premiere , was in attendance . the colour version was edited to a running time of 177 minutes , as compared to the original version 's 197 minutes . the new release also included a digital reworked soundtrack , produced with the assistance of naushad , the original composer . the release on the festive diwali weekend came with three other major releases : veer - zaara , aitraaz , and . it became the 19th highest grossing bollywood film of the year , behind aitraaz and veer - zaara ( the top grosser ) , but ahead of . mughal - e - azam became the first full - length feature film colourised for a theatrical re - release ; although some hollywood films had been colourised earlier they were only available for home media . it was subsequently selected for seven international film festivals . upon release , the film drew crowds to the cinemas , with an overall occupancy of 90 per cent . subsequently , it completed a 25 - week run . while some critics complained that the colours were " psychedelic " or " unnatural " , others hailed the effort as a technological achievement . film critic kevin thomas of the los angeles times remarked that while was not a good idea for most black - and - white classics , it was perfect in this particular instance . he compared it to films by cecil b. demille and to gone with the wind ( 1939 ) for its larger - than - life storytelling . the guardian said that although the new version was an improvement , " the fake colours tend to look flat and brash , detracting from cinematographer rd mathur 's elegantly composed shots . " the bbc 's jaspreet pandohar , observing that the film was " restored in appealing candy - colours and high quality sound " , considered it a " cross between gone with the wind and ben - hur " . other critics have said that they prefer the black and white version . in 2006 , mughal - e - azam became only the fourth indian film certified for showing in pakistan since the 1965 ban on indian cinema , and was released with a premiere in lahore . it was distributed by nadeem entertainment , at the request of asif 's son , akbar asif . a 3d version of the film was reported to have been planned in 2009 , but was never released . legacy mughal - e - azam is one of only two films directed by asif ; one of his unfinished projects was released posthumously as a tribute . over time the title has become part of bollywood vernacular , used to describe a project that is taking too long to complete . art director omung kumar , who has designed sets for major indian films such as black ( 2005 ) and saawariya ( 2007 ) , said that he and others in his field look to mughal - e - azam as a source of inspiration for art direction . it has also been used as a model for the perfect love story , requiring directors to ensure lovers overcome obstacles . following her success in the film , madhubala could have gone on to land further major roles , but she was advised not to overwork owing to her fragile heart condition , and had to withdraw from some productions that were already underway . the guardian in 2013 cited mughal - e - azam as a " landmark of cinema " despite its historical inaccuracies , and the bbc stated in 2005 that it is " widely considered one of bollywood 's most iconic films " . imtiaz ali of the times of india in 2010 called it the " most proto - typical , high involvement , expensive , passionate piece of work that hindi cinema has ever produced " , one that " set the standard for everything that will ever come after it " . it continues to be regarded by critics as the indian equivalent of gone with the wind . filmmaker subhash ghai was quoted in 2010 as saying that a film like this could never be repeated : " mughal - e - azam is an all - time classic and has been the ultimate love story in hindi cinema at all levels . so it will always remain alive for generations to come . " to commemorate the film 's anniversary , asif 's friend the actor and producer shah rukh khan had his company red chillies entertainment produce a documentary video titled mughal - e - azam – a tribute by a son to his father . hosted by khan , it includes interviews with asif 's family and bollywood stars . artist m. f. husain created a series of paintings for the video , in which he re - imagined some memorable scenes . interested in preserving the film for future generations , khan noted that his father was originally cast in the film but did not complete it . when asked if mughal - e - azam should be remade , he retorted : " it is the mother of all films ; mothers cannot be remade " . no sequels have been made , but maan gaye mughal - e - azam ( 2008 ) paid tribute with its title and by including in its plot part of the original stage play ; it received very poor ratings from critics . mughal - e - azam ranks on the lists of top indian films , including the 2002 british film institute poll of top 10 indian films , and anupama chopra 's 2009 list , the best bollywood films . it is also included in cnn - ibn 's 2013 list of the " 100 greatest indian films of all time " . rotten tomatoes has sampled six reviewers and judged them all to be positive , with an average rating of 8 . 5 out of 10 . it is second on box office india 's list of biggest blockbusters ever in hindi cinema , and was named the greatest bollywood film of all time by a poll celebrating 100 years of indian cinema by british asian weekly newspaper eastern eye in july 2013 . it belongs to a small collection of films including kismet ( 1943 ) , mother india ( 1957 ) , sholay ( 1975 ) , and hum aapke hain koun .. ! ( 1994 ) , that are watched repeatedly throughout india and are viewed as definitive hindi films of cultural significance . books and documentaries made about the film include warsi 's mughal - e - azam – an epic of eternal love , published by rupa in 2009 . the name mughal - e - azam has been adopted by businesses , including a restaurant in goregaon .