When remake released before original, broke box office records; hero's death, riots delayed original for years, then...

In 1944, filmmaker K Asif embarked upon a journey of filmmaking that would take a decade and a half to conclude – his wish to make a film on the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Along the way, he faced the Partition, death of his lead actor, and even a remake of his film, which actually released in theatres even as his film remained incomplete. This is the odd tale of the time when a remake beat the original to theatres.

The remake that beat the original

The film that K Asif was making was Mughal-e-Azam. Having started with a different cast (and under a different producer) in 1944, Asif changed the film’s cast and crew after the Partition and restarted shoot in the early 50s. Based on a stage play on the courtesan Anarkali, the film also invited interest from Kamal Amrohi. However, after Asif confronted Amrohi, the latter dropped his plan. This did not deter Nandlal Jaswantlal though. The filmmaker began making his own film on the play, casting Pradeep Kumar as Prince Salim, Bina Rai as Anarkali, and Mubarak as Emperor Akbar. The film was released in 1953, grossing Rs 2.35 crore, and becoming the biggest Bollywood hit of the year.

Mughal-e-Azam’s tough road to the cinema screens

Even as Anarkali released and broke box office records, K Asif was still struggling to make Mughal-e-Azam. After his original hero – Chandra Mohan – died of a heart attack, and his sets were destroyed in the Partition riots, he restarted the film with Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Prithviraj Kapoor. However, rising costs, accidents, and a fallout between his two leads meant the film kept getting delayed. By the time, Mughal-e-Azam was completed in 1960, the film’s budget had ballooned to Rs 1.50 crore, making it the most expensive Indian film made till then. But K Asif’s hard work paid off and Mughal-e-Azam emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film ever, raking in over Rs 15 crore worldwide, a record that stood for 15 years.

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