Latest news with #Mughal-e-Azam
Mint
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
‘Sholay' at 50: Retaining a movie's magic in translation
Tu kya ladega mujhse,Thakur? Tere to haath kaatkar phenk chuka hoon main. (How can you fight me, Thakur? I cut off both your hands and threw them away.) Snaap ko haath se nahi, pairon se kuchla jaata hai,Gabbar. (You don't trample a snake with hands, you use feet, Gabbar.) Fifty years of Sholay have passed yet much of the film's dialogue still resonates with movie lovers, feeling as fresh as if it was heard yesterday. What makes for successful film dialogue? Lines that provide information while also suggesting the temperament of the characters. Dialogue can carry poetic weight, be replete with clever repartee, roll out unexpected punchlines, and carry forward the narrative. Alongside actors' performances, dialogue creates a deeper connection between story and viewer. Salim Khan is credited with writing the story and screenplay, and Javed Akhtar with the dialogue. Their masterly structure and arrangement of dramatic situations effortlessly lend themselves to original exchanges, as evident in countless scenes. So it is unsurprising that Sholay is among only a handful of films—like the epic Mughal-e-Azam— whose dialogue soundtrack was released on an LP in the 1970s. Audiences at the Il Cinema Ritrovato film festival in Bologna, Italy, this year were the first to see an excellently restored version of Sholay, undertaken by the Film Heritage Foundation and producer Shehzad Sippy. When I was asked to subtitle this version, which included the original ending, it proved both a delight and a challenge. I had certain hesitations about the translation, which were resolved during a conversation with Javed Akhtar, who happened to be in London. I explained I was unsure about the Urdu word karaare— which Gabbar uses to describe Basanti's body in the final scenes. Firm? Sturdy? He suggested 'toned"—so the subtitle now reads 'Look at her arms and legs. How toned they are". Many years earlier, I had asked Javed Akhtar about the purpose of creating Gabbar's sidekick Saambha who has only one memorable line in the film: 'Poore pachaas hazaar (Full fifty thousand)" in response to Gabbar's question about the bounty on his head. He explained that a man with an outsized ego like Gabbar's could not belittle himself by announcing the reward money, so the scene required a lackey. For the most part, when translating, I found it unnecessary to be too clever or find English turns of phrases that depart from the original Hindustani because Sholay's lines are full of simple power and imagery. Why would anyone mess with lines like these: Gabbar: Tera kya hoga, Kaalia? (What will become of you, Kaalia?) Kaalia: Sardar, maine aap ka namak khaaya (Chief,I have eaten your salt) Gabbar: Ab... goli khaa (Now... eat my bullet). Nasreen Munni Kabir is an author, a documentary filmmaker, curator and subtitler.
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
23 years in production, this Bollywood movie saw three deaths; was released 12 years after its director died
Series of Tragic Setbacks Film Completed In Fragments In the early 1960s, acclaimed filmmaker K Asif—best known for Mughal-e-Azam—embarked on a new cinematic journey. Titled Love and God, the film was a grand retelling of the timeless Persian-Arabic romance of Laila and Majnu. Asif, already established as a master of epic storytelling, envisioned this project as another feather in his cap. But instead, it became one of Bollywood's most ill-fated film's journey began in 1963 with Guru Dutt and Nimmi cast in the lead roles. However, tragedy struck when Guru Dutt died by suicide in 1964, bringing the project to a standstill. Several years later, Asif attempted to revive the film by casting Sanjeev Kumar as Majnu and restarting production in in yet another cruel twist of fate, K Asif passed away in 1971 before the film could be completed. This was not the first time Asif's filmmaking dreams were disrupted. Even during the making of Mughal-e-Azam, the 1947 Partition had halted progress when one of the original financers moved to Pakistan, and the lead actor Chandramohan died in 1949. Still, Asif had managed to complete Mughal-e-Azam, but Love and God proved to be a much tougher Asif's death, the project was shelved for over a decade. It was eventually revived by his wife, Akhtar Asif, who was also the sister of actor Dilip Kumar. With help from producer KC Bokadia, she decided to salvage the existing footage. Unfortunately, before the film could be finalised, Sanjeev Kumar too passed away in 1985. Despite the incomplete state of the project, Akhtar and Bokadia pieced together the film from scattered footage and editing across multiple and God was finally released on 27 May 1986—23 years after it had first gone into production. But the final product failed to impress audiences or critics. The film was both a commercial and critical only two completed films—Phool (1945) and the iconic Mughal-e-Azam (1960)—K Asif's career spanned over two decades. Love and God became his third and final directorial attempt, which remained unfinished in his lifetime. Tragically, all three central figures in the project—Guru Dutt, Sanjeev Kumar, and K Asif—died before reaching the age of 50.
The Print
30-07-2025
- Business
- The Print
Lord Meghnad Desai belonged to no camp—and, somehow, to every camp at once
For Lord Desai, the pursuit of knowledge was a lifelong passion. Whether delving into Marxian economics, monetary policy, and economic history or celebrating Mughal-e-Azam, his works spanned disciplines with equal rigour, each contribution enduring in its relevance. Elevated as a Labour life peer in 1991, he never allowed party lines to contain his views. Known for his cross-party affiliations in the UK's House of Lords, he regularly crossed swords—and built bridges—across ideological divides. On one occasion, as a classmate recalls, he was animatedly engrossed in conversation—his intellectual charm magnetically appealing—when he noticed an awestruck student lingering nearby. 'Ah,' he muttered good-naturedly, 'private affairs of public figures,' with the nonchalant air of a Peer of the Realm indulging in an innocent dalliance amid academia's halls. Lord Meghnad Desai carried his natural halo with grace and not a hint of pomposity. His untamed yet striking shock of white hair was a familiar sight to those of us who, as students, encountered him in the hallways of the London School of Economics. Though matters of state often kept him away—far more so than other faculty during my years there—when spotted in London, he invariably wore an impish smile and offered a wry remark on contemporary affairs, whether the evolving politics of Europe or the tumult of India. This refusal to be pigeonholed also extended to India. He advised successive governments, from Congress reformers to BJP-led regimes, bringing sharp intellect and empirical ballast to economic policy. Finance ministers and prime ministers alike valued his ability to question prevailing assumptions, often with evidence-laced humour. Also read: PM Modi condoles demise of economist Meghnad Desai, hails his role in deepening India-UK ties A master in every sense Beneath the economist's mantle lay a quieter passion: cinema. Beyond his academic stature, he took visible pride in his silver-screen debut—a cameo in the Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan film Life Goes On (2009)—a modern retelling of King Lear—alongside old friends Girish Karnad and Om Puri. Karnad and Desai were mates in college, and lore has it they once shared a stage in student dramas before making names in their respective fields. Years after publishing Marx's Revenge (2002)—a bold argument for Marx's relevance in the era of globalisation—he was genuinely astonished when a classmate referenced its dense calculations. 'You actually read it?' he asked in that characteristically self-deprecating tone. He wore his erudition lightly, authoring incisive studies on India's economic reforms while dispensing razor-sharp insights to anyone who sought them. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted in his tribute, Lord Desai was a regular commentator on reform, engaging with regulators and heads of state alike. His pithy observations often revealed their wisdom long after the moment had passed. In his later years, spent largely in India, Lord Desai's trenchant op-eds pierced even the high walls of North Block and the Prime Minister's Office. Some mistook his critiques as quiet lobbying for official roles—a notion he laughed off when teased by former students like me. He remained generous with his time, mentoring young scholars, policy wonks, and the occasional disoriented LSE alumnus. He was, in every sense, a master—an honorific he'd playfully redirect to me whenever I addressed him as 'My Lord'. Globalisation and liberalisation were his intellectual playgrounds. He helmed the inaugural Chevening Fellowship on Globalisation, guiding India's brightest minds to the LSE. A visionary institution-builder, he founded LSE's Centre for the Study of Global Governance and its Development Studies programme, and had earlier co-created the Human Development Index with Amartya Sen and Mahbub ul Haq—a pathbreaking metric that looked beyond GDP to define progress. To those who knew him closely, there was also a distinctly Bengali warmth—a side reserved for students and confidants. When my father passed away abruptly mid-term, Lord Desai sat me down upon my return and said, with gentle sagacity, 'The grief will come in waves. Write through it, and you'll finish your course.' It was advice as practical as it was profound. Even in his eighties, he remained a prolific public intellectual. His columns in Indian newspapers sparked debate in Delhi drawing rooms as easily as in Westminster salons. He relished contrarian takes—not for performance, but because curiosity compelled him to probe every orthodoxy. Today, that halo shines brighter still, as he ascends to higher realms, leaving behind admirers, friends, and a legacy that transcends borders. Lord Meghnad Desai belonged to no camp—and, somehow, to every camp at once. His life's work, like his persona, was expansive, restless, and wholly original. Dilip Cherian, India's Image Guru, was a student of Lord Desai at the LSE. Views are personal. (Edited by Ratan Priya)
News18
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Bobby Deol To Hrithik Roshan: 10 Actors Who Played Mughal Emperors
1/10 Akshaye Khanna: The actor played an aging Aurangzeb to near-perfection in the massive 2025 hit Chhaava. (Image: IMDb) Hrithik Roshan: The Greek god of Bollywood brought to life Akbar the Great in the critical and commercial hit, Jodhaa Akbar (2008). (Image: IMDb) Pradeep Kumar: The actor played Shah Jahan in the film Taj Mahal in 1963. (Image: IMDb) Prithviraj Kapoor: The acting stalwart brought to life emperor Akbar in the epic film, Mughal-e-Azam (1960). (Image: IMDb) Ashok Kumar: The late legend was perhaps the first actor to play a Mughal emperor on screen. He played Humayun in the 1945 film Humayun. (Image: IMDb) Om Puri: The acting thespian played Aurangzeb in one of the episodes of the acclaimed TV series, Bharat Ek Khoj (1988-89). (Image: IMDb) Ashutosh Rana: Rana also played Aurangzeb in the 2021 web series, Chhatrasal. (Image: IMDb) Naseeruddin Shah: The acting legend played Akbar in the OTT series, Taj: Divided by Blood, in 2023. (Image: IMDb)
News18
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Saiyaara Is ‘Healing': Why Indians Love Channeling Inner ‘Devdas'? What's The Beauty In Heartbreak?
Remember films like Mughal-e-Azam and Devdas? The iconic love stories have tragedy at the heart of it – a proof that Indians find beauty in sorrow. If you haven't heard of Saiyaara or watched its glimpses while scrolling on Instagram—are you even living in this world? From the very first frame, the Mohit Suri directorial is taking over both hearts and playlists and the buzz is real. The emotions? Raw and the storytelling? Soul-stirring. Starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, the film has emerged as the dark horse of 2025 for its portrayal of love and heartbreak that will leave you teary-eyed after the credits roll. Saiyaara is not your regular film and that's probably what is clicking with the audiences. In the film, love meets with heartbreak in a way that strikes a chord with everyone's heart – something that has not been explored in the past few years in Bollywood. Remember films like Mughal-e-Azam and Devdas? The iconic love stories have tragedy at the heart of them – a proof that Indians find beauty in sorrow. Even the folklores in the South Asian region that are filled with romance end in sorrow. Don't believe us? Turn to stories about Heer Ranjha to Vithu Savitri, Behula Lakhindar and even Nadu's Ambikapathy and Amaravathi. All these folklores have three things in common – longing, sacrifice and the forces that conspire to keep them apart. Tragic love stories have a timeless allure—and it's no secret why. They tap into some of the deepest layers of the human experience, stirring emotions that connect us to our own vulnerabilities—and to each other linger long after the story ends. The Psychology Behind Appeal In Heartbreak Why are we so drawn to love stories that end in heartbreak, unlike the ones where love wins? Every story where love and heartbreak walk side by side turns into an unforgettable saga of love because tragedy stirs something deeper within us that joy cannot. Psychologically, tragedy leaves a lasting impact than sorrow which is why stories of unfulfilled love remain etched into our memory. We don't just remember heartbreak—we feel it, again and again and eventually find beauty, truth and a strange kind of comfort in the same. Bollywood's Most Heartbreaking Films While Saiyaara is the latest entrant in the list of Bollywood films with a tragic plot, films like Kal Ho Naa Ho, Ghajini, Devdas, Aashiqui 2 and Tere Naam earlier left the audience teary-eyed for their poignant, powerful and emotional storyline. These Bollywood love stories do not end happily ever after—but they stay with us forever. While Shah Rukh Khan's broken-hearted Dev left us shattered, Tere Naam gave us Radhe, the ultimate symbol of obsessive and self-destructive love. And who could forget Fanaa? A love story torn by truth, identity and terrorism. view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 07:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
