Bharat Bhushan and Suraiya in Mirza Ghalib (1954)

Mirza Ghalib, Sohrab Modi’s eagerly awaited production, was released at a glittering premiere in Bombay on December 10th 1954, at the Minerva, Excelsior and Palace cine­mas.

Inspired by the tragic romance between the great poet Ghalib and Moti Begum, the dancing girl—whom the poet fondly named Chaudavin—J. K. Nanda’s adaptation of Minto’s original story closely follows the pattern of the lives depicted there, the depar­tures from recorded fact being dictated by dramatic considerations and regard for the censors.

Bharat Bhushan plays the title role while Suraiya portrays the feminine lead. They re­ceive excellent support from an all-star cast comprising Nigar Sultana, Ullhas, Durga Khote, Murad, Iftikhar, Mukri and —Baij Sharma, while veteran actor Jagdish Sethi appears as a guest artist.

Directed and produced by Modi on his usual lavish scale, the film magically re-crea­tes the poignant love story of the Poet and the Dancer in the atmosphere of the magni­ficent court of the last of the Moghul em­perors. He has with deftness preserved the atmosphere of the times and those aspects of life which inspired the wistful ghazals of Ghalib.

The film sympathetically depicts the torments suffered by the poet in his love for two women. Torn between his sense of duty to­wards his lovely wife Umrao Begum, and his love for Chaudavin, his troubles and frustra­tions increase and assume the proportions of tragedy.

Sohrab Modi’s direction is unquestionably inspired. Not only has he re-created the world of the Moghuls, but has paid due tri­bute to the poet in a film which is as warm and dignified as the story it tells. Ghalib’s exquisite ghazals and couplets have been admirably incorporated into the narrative and they richly embellish an already masterly production.

Bharat Bhushan is superb as the poet, Ghalib. Enacting his role with quiet restraint and dignity, he presents both the genius of Ghalib the poet, as well as his shortcomings as a man.

Suraiya beautifully brings to life the fascinating Chaudavin, drawing every ounce of sympathy through the character she por­trays. The skill she displays in her rendering of Ghalib’s exquisite ghazals together with the flexibility of her voice enables her to reach the depths of meaning in the poet’s words and draw out their subtlety to the full.

Nigar Sultana as Umrao Begum and Durga Khote as Chaudavin’s mother are both

brilliant in their character roles, while Baij Sharma as Fiddan the opium-eater turns in a noteworthy performance.

Ullhas, the villain of the piece, is con­vincingly evil and lecherous, Iftikhar with regal dignity almost instinctively lives his part of the Emperor, Bahadur Shah, and Mukri contributes a fine cameo of the self-important but kindly money-lender.

Rajinder Singh Bedi’s  expressive dialogue registers much of the elegance of speech characteristic of Moghul times. Ghulam Mohammed’s music and Shakil Badayuni’s lyrics give further evidence of their creative talents.

With delightful grace, Roshan Kumari and Kumkum present the spectacular dances directed by Lachhu Mahraj and Badri Prasad.

Production values of costume, sets and decor constitute spectacular additions to the film which also has excellent photography – Filmfare Review – January 7, 1955

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1954, Genre – Historical/Romance/Drama, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Sohrab Modi, Director – Sohrab Modi, Music Director – Ghulam Mohammed, Cast - Bharat Bhushan, Suraiya, Nigar Sultana, Durga Khote, Ulhas, Mukri, Murad, Baij Sharma, Iftikhar, Jilani, Saadat Ali, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Kumkum, Roshan kumari

Dilip Kumar, Madhubala and Prithviraj Kapoor in Mughal-e-Azam (1960)

Mughal-e Azam tells the story of the Great Mughal, Akbar (r. 1556-1605). The film’s making was itself something of an epic, as it took over fifteen years to shoot, and involved a complete change of cast (the original included Chandramohan, who played Jehangir in Pukar [1939], Nargis and Sapru), several writers and so on. It had the largest budget of any film of its day, Rs 15m, of which a large proportion was spent on costumes, sets and extras. The cinematography is superb, mostly black and white, with some songs shot in colour, including Anarkali’s defiant ‘Pyar kiya to darna kya?’, which was shot in the Sheesh Mahal or Mirror Palace.

The story concerns Anarkali (Madhubala), a dancing girl in the Mughal court. Prince Salim (later Emperor Jehangir) (Dilip Kumar) falls in love with Anarkali but his father, Emperor Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor), forbids him to continue this affair. Salim leads a campaign against his father, is defeated and sentenced to death. Anarkali offers to sacrifice her life to save Salim and is buried alive, although Akbar allows her to escape through a tunnel unknown to Salim.

It is not clear whether Anarkali was a historical person, but she was certainly a legendary figure. A favorite story for Indian theatre, the first film version of her life was a silent shot in 1928 by the Great Eastern Corporation of Lahore: The Loves of a Mogul Prince (1928), based on Syed lmtiaz Ali Taj’s play, Anarkali. The Imperial Film Company of Bombay made its own version of the film with Sulochana, and in 1953 Filmistan made Anarkali with Bina Rai and Pradeep Kumar, but Mughal-e Azam outshone them all.

Mughal-e Azam tells Mughal history in the context of the new nation, emphasized by the voiceover at the beginning and the depiction of the Muslim sites of India, yet it relates family history rather than social history. The film brings out themes that are popular in Hindi film, notably the struggle between the father and son, and between public duty and private desires and the self-sacrificing woman. It evades issue of Hindu—Muslim relations, despite the Mughal’s reputation for even ­handedness, although it suggests religious tolerance in the court, as Queen Jodhabai (Durga Khote) was a Hindu and Anarkali sings a Hindu devotional song on the occasion of the birth of Krishna, Janmashtami, ‘Mohe panghat pe’, with Akbar participating in his wife’s Hindu rituals.

Mughal-e Azam is greatly enhanced by Naushad’s music (and Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics), in particular, two numbers sung by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (‘Shubh din aayo’ and ‘Prem jogan banke’). As well as the two Anarkali songs mentioned earlier, there is a qawwali and the thrillingly dramatic ‘Mohabbat ki jhooti kahaani pe roye’, which Anarkali siings when she is in the dungeons, bound in chains. One of the most popular songs is the wonderful qawwali competitions between Anarkali and Bahaar (Nigar Sultana), ‘Teri mehfil mein kismat aazmaakar hum bhi Dekhenge.’

The film contains perhaps the most erotic sequence of Hindi cinema, where Dilip Kumar and Madhubala, said to be off-screen lovers, are shot in close-up, Madhubala’s beautiful and iconic face motionless in ecstasy as Dilip Kumar watches in adoration. From time to time they tease the viewers by hiding their faces from the camera with a white (?) feather, forbidding the audience’s look but inviting their speculation.

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1960, Genre – Historical, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Sterling Investment Corporation, Director – K. Asif, Music Director – Naushad, Cast – Murad, Johnny Walker, Durga Khote, Surendra, Sheila Dalaya, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Prithviraj Kapoor, Nigar Sultana, Kumar, Jalal Agha, Vijayalaxmi, S. Nazir, Paul Sharma, Tabassum, Ajit