MUGHAL-E-AZAM & DILIP KUMAR:
When I sent my research papers to Sanjit & Raja in India--the article I had written when MUGHAL-e-AZAM was digitally converted into a full length color movie---Raja was baffled when he called on phone and said that it was amazing on how close to the truth my article was. Sanjit laughed and said that he could be my doosra janam--Hindus strongly believe in.
Nevertheless, what I am to scribe below on subtitle---contains 60% of Sanjit's submission upon my request, 20% Raja's and the rest belongs to my own study--having watched almost ALL of Dilip's movies and surfed every bit of website and article and magazines on the great actor.
Dilip Kumar almost missed being in MUGHAL-e-AZAM (1960). The film was planned by K.Asif in the mid-1940s and its main financial backer was Shiraz Ali Hakim, as informs my cousin from Jaipur, who had recently given the young film maker a break with PHOOL in 1945 right after the end of World War-II.
He also recommended Dilip Kumar for the role of Prince Salim but K. asif, even then the master of spectacle, was not keen on signing up a rank new comer. He knew (like they do currently in private -TV- productions of Pakistan!) that without stars no one would even look at the film. He, therefore, signed up Sapru, Nargis and Chandramohan to play the roles of Prince Salim, Anarkali and Emperor Akbar. Asif also signed up the famous Urdu writer Imtiaz Ali Taj (father of Yasmin Tahir) to script the film from his own original drama *ANARKAL*I written in 1920s. Upcoming film writer Kamal Amrohi was signed to write the dialogues -- the success of MAHAL was still four years away. Anil Biswas, then at his height of creativity, was signed to score the music.
MUGHAL-e-AZAM went on the floors, a few reels even shot and then, the Partition-1947 intervened. Shiraz Ali Hakim, who had led a public meeting in the early 1940s to felicitate Muhammad Ali Jinnah, thought he would be victimized for it and so, decided to migrate to Pakistan after selling the FAMOUS CINE STUDIOS and other assets to Jangmohan Rangta. Among other things and films, MUGHAL-e-AZAM also came to a standstill.
However-----when the project revived in the early 1950s -- thanks to the financial backing provided by the construction magnate and multi-millionaire Shapurji Pallanji -- the scenario had changed completely. The actor selected to play King Akbar, Chandramohan, had died in 1949 at the young age of 44 years. Sapru was no longer the major star that he had been in the pre-Partition days. But another young actor who was making major strides in post-Independent cinema had just come within the K.Asif ambit. DILIP KUMAR was playing the lead in his own production HULCHUL, being directed by S.K.Ojha. But if K. Asif gained a hero on the sets of HULCHUL he also lost his heroine there. Nargis and Dilip fell out while shooting for HULCHUL and Nargis swore that it was the last film she would do with Dilip. She backed out of *MUGHAL-e-AZA*M and the hunt for a heroine was on again.
In the meantime the other stars were replaced. Prithivraj with his rich baritone voice was signed to play King Akbar. Ajit (Mona Darling fame of Zanjeer),** whose own career as a leading man** (remember the hit song MUFT HUAY BADNAAM on him!)** was coming to close, was selected to play the loyal aide to Prince Salim as Durjan Singh while Asif's third wife Nigar Sultana was to play Bahar. Durge Khote was the only one who continued to play the role she had been initially signed for; Jodhabai...Akbar's Rajput wife and Prince salim's mother. The film went on the floor in real earnest in 1951 with no heroine in sight. The hunt was still on but something happened before another heroine could be found......?**
(MILTE HEIN...AIK BREAK KE BAAD !!!)
Contd..../2
-Raju Jamil (Karachi)
Research assistance: Sanjit Narwekar, Pune and Raja Thappar-Delhi.
(SN my client/friend from UBL Abudhabi days, 1984-1990 & RT my FB friend)