The ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ that was never made, starring Nargis
The ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ that was never made, starring Nargis If K Asif had made ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ as originally planned, what would it have been like? Karan Bali Who hasn’t heard of Mughal-e-Azam? A historical epic with grandeur on a scale that has rarely been seen on the Indian screen, K Asif’s 1960 production is the stuff of legend. Everything about the movie, from its expansive sets and costumes, dramatic confrontations, breathtaking battle sequences, tender romantic moments, memorable music and fine performances, have generated reams of analysis down the years. Mughal-e-Azam underwent an arduous struggle of more than a decade and a half before it was completed. The journey also saw huge amounts of money and effort being poured down the drain, when about 25 per cent of the film that was shot before the Partition had to be scrapped. Sometime around 1944-5, Asif hit upon the idea of adapting Imtiaz Ali Taj’s play about a doomed love story between the Mughal prince Salim an...