'Mughal-e-Azam' screenplay included in Oscars library on its 60th anniversary
Madhubala and Dilip Kumat in a still from 'Mughal-e-Azam'
K Asif's classic 'Mughal-e-Azam' released 60 years ago on this date. To mark this momentous day, the film's screenplay has been inducted in the Oscars library.
Late filmmaker K Asif's son Akbar Asif presented the screenplay to the Academy Awards to mark the big anniversary of his father's historical epic starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala.
Three versions of the legendary screenplay in Hindi, Roman text and English translation are now available at the Margaret Herrick Library, a world-renowned reference and research collection of the Academy devoted to the history and development of the motion picture as an art form and an industry.
"The journey of 'Mughal-e-Azam' started with words from the greatest writing team ever assembled in Hindi cinema and I thought the best way to honour them was to permanently preserve their screenplay in the world's most renowned film library," said Akbar Asif to a news agency. Akbar Asif is a businessman based in London.
"I hope future generations can learn and get inspired by the work of my late father and his incredible team of writers. I want to humbly thank the Academy Awards for accepting the screenplay," he said.
The film released in India on August 5 1960 and had a screenplay written by Aman, Kamal Amrohi, Wajahat Mirza, Ehsan Rizvi as well as director K Asif.'
'Mughal-e-Azam' eventually broke box office records and is still considered one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films ever.
In 2004, the film became the first full-length Indian feature film colourised for a theatrical re-release.
In 2016, an official live musical based on the film made history as one of the biggest theatre productions ever staged anywhere in the world.
The film was a fictional love story of Emperor Akbar's son, Prince Jahangir and a courtesan Anarkali. The film is also remembered as the last film to feature popular on-screen as well off-screen pair Dilip Kumar and Madhubala. The couple parted ways during the making of the film.
