Mughal E Azam
Mughal E Azam [1960]
Starring: Madhubala, Dilip Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor, Nigar Sultana
Direction by K. Asif with Music by Naushad
Language: Hindi
My parents often tell me this: ''you cannot call yourself an admirer of Hindi cinema without watching Mughal-E-Azam''. And it was on a drive home where my parents happened to play the movie soundtrack that I made my decision to watch the movie. I was initially very hesitant to watch it: the only way I could watch it was on Youtube, a platform that doesn't offer English Subtitles with a movie like this one. I can speak Urdu/Hindi conversationally, but such complex Urdu, like the one spoken in the movie was something I knew I would have challenges with. As such, the experience of watching this movie was a little stilted, as I had to keep pausing to ask my parents what certain words and expressions meant. But I get what Indian cinephiles mean when they call this movie a classic: the movie was a pioneer, which contained all the tropes which would come to be staples of Hindi romances for decades to come.
To be honest, this isn't going to be a glittering review. Perhaps I am a little jaded: this movie set up what would become the most classic, cliche tropes in Hindi romance cinema. Having seen all of the movies that came after this one, I have become to used to seeing these plots and themes that I have grown to become slightly resentful of them. Impossible romance, ill-fated lovers, hugely difficult circumstances, et cetera. I have seen them all before. So when I saw this movie, I had to constantly remind myself that this movie wasn't cliche, it was the original! It was difficult alright. If someone wants to start watching classic Indian cinema, this is the one to start with.
The plotline, from an objective viewpoint, was quite repetitive and, let's call a spade a spade, cliche! The plot follows the life of Salim, son of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Salim falls in love with a dancer, Anarkali, inspiring the jealousy of dancer Bahar, who is of a higher rank than her. The movie is a sequence of the same series of events: father gets mad at son repeatedly for defying his orders, and punishes him accordingly. Mother pleads with father to allow their son to follow his heart. Lover gets imprisoned, but then rescued. Emperor wields to a decades-old promise. Where have we seen these before? You're right! So many other Indian movies. Whilst others may not have followed the exact same events, the broad strokes are the same.
However, it was certain scenes where this movie really deviated from the status quo. One example of this was the scene where Madhubala's character, Anarkali, dances for the first time after she is released from prison. The dance to the song 'Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya', translating to 'If You're in Love, What is There to Fear'. It was a bold defiance of authority, and a quintessential moment of feminine power. Another very interesting scene was the scene where Anarkali is being entombed, and she sings 'Khuda Nigheban Ho'. In a startling depiction of Mughal punishment, director Asif portrays the Mughal time period largely for what it was: an era full of song, dance and music. It was actually quite striking to watch, even in a time where the visuals were nothing like those people are used to seeing today.
The music, of course, much like every pre-2005 Hindi movie soundtrack, was absolutely brilliant. Lyrical and profound, full of emotion. It didn't disappoint.
Much of my criticism of this movie is strongly dependent on the circumstances in which I watched it. It really is a good movie, a trailblazing 'classic' that one should watch before seeing any other Hindi romance movie of the time.
