I am "The Dream" of my Master !!: Mughal-e-Azam

College ends, vacation starts. A day before yesterday, I completed Californication and Da Vinci’s Demons and was in no mood for any other serial. So, I thought about my “must-watch-movies-before-I-die” list. Mughal-e-Azam was put on front burner after I had watched “Pyaasa” and “Sahib, Biwi aur Ghulam” a month ago and was mesmerized by their sheer acting excellence. It was 12.44 AM yesterday and I was quite sure that I would not be able to last throughout this movie but to my utter surprise, I did. What an amazing 2 hours 57 minutes it was.

Mughal-e-Azam is a masterpiece, an unadulterated genuine work of art. I came to know that it took around 14 years to complete this movie and why shouldn’t it be – Rome was not built in a day. The majestic sets, the sartorial elegance, the outstanding cinematography, the riveting soundtracks and the indelible dialogues justifies this long period of time. This prodigal project is worth its every penny.

Madhubala ............. Madhubala ............... Madhubala – an apotheosis of ethereal beauty. I am still entwined in the reveries of her heart-wrenching smile and smoldering eyes. She could easily have been my sole reason to love this movie. The last time I felt this way was when I had watched Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. Words fall short in describing this svelte beauty. Her portrayal of Anarkali, a court dancer, who fell in love with crown prince of Mughal Empire is mesmerizing. I can still recall the scene in which Anarkali, when caught off-guard by Akbar, hides herself into the arms of Salim. She was completely wrapped around by Salim and vulnerability and consternation was brimming in her eyes. “Pyar kiya to darna kya ...” is in loop since yesterday. Her face showed a polite defiance with a concomitant smidge of arrogance in that track; changing its twitches on forehead, squeeze of eyebrows and pursing of lips with every line, evincing the very meaning of lyrics. Why is such a gamut of expressions missing in today’s songs? Her lithesome feet in “Mohe panghat pe ....” danced her way straight into my heart. I can’t say about others, but I would be watching Mughal-e-Azam next 5 times just for the sake of Madhubala.

Mughal-e-Azam is a timeless chef-d’oeuvre with several memorable dialogues in its scuttle. I felt an irresistible urge to jot down some of them here.

Anarkali (After getting thorns as a reward from Salim) – Jahe naseeb, Kaanto ko murjhane ka khauf nahi hota. Phool to murjha jate hain, lekin kaante daaman thaam lete hain.

An amazing candlelight sequence in which Anarkali is wearing a black churidaar and holding a candle in a dark room. Right at that moment Salim arrives.

Anarkali - Sahib-e-Aalam, aaftaab ki roshni duniya ki har koshi ko roshan karti hai, to khud aaftaab ne kyun taqleef ki.

Salim - Taaki is mehtaab main jazb ho jaye.

{ Aaftaab – light of sun ; Mehtaab – light of moon ; Jazb – absorb }

Salim - Salim ki pehlu mein Anarkali Hindustan ki malika hogi.

Anarkali - Paon ki khaak ko sar ka taaj na banaiye..

Salim - Woh ban chuka Anarkali !! Main dekh raha hoon .... Akbar-e-Azam ka Hindustan tumhare ikhtiyaar mein hoga.

Anarkali - Khuda ke liye !!

Salim - Hindustan ke insaanon ki taqdeerein tumhare gisu'on ki khalqay mein ghir jaayengi Anarkali, aur tum phir jidhar bhi mud ke dekhogi hazaaron taqdeerein kaampti rahengi, mustakbil larazte rahenge !!

{ Ikhtiyaar – power ; gisu’on ki khalqay – curls of flowing tresses ; mustaqbil – future ; larazte – quiver }

Akbar - Salim tumhein marne nahi dega, aur hum ..... Anarkali ..... tumhein jeene nahi denge.

Each and every actor has done justice to his/her part. It would be sheer wastage of time and energy to discuss the excellence of Dilip Kumar for his portrayal of a love-stricken defiant son and Prithvi Raj Kapoor as an emperor-cum-father caught between devil and deep sea. The repartee flowing between Akbar and Salim is legendary. Mughal-e-Azam is the Kohinoor of Indian cinema, a benchmark for every cinematic journey and an epic in every sense of this world. There can be thousand reasons to dive in the grandeur of this cinematic excellence. Pick one of yours and enjoy the ride.