TRIBUTE TO ASIF-E-HINDUSTANI CINEMA!

- Manoj Kulkarni

Great Filmmaker K.Asif on set of sheeshmahal of his great love saga 'Mughal-E-Azam'!

Legendary Film Producer-Director & maker of great love saga 'Mughal-E-Azam'...K. Asif's Birth Anniversary just happened!

K.Asif first directed film 'Phool' (1945)

Born Asif Karim came Bombay with a big dream of cinema! In 1944 the first thought in his mind was to make a film on Salim-Anarkali's intense love story based on a Urdu novel wrote by Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj. But it was not happened that time..And he became director K. Asif with film 'Phool' (1945) in which famous Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote & Suraiyya were in the main roles..This film got big success!

Dilip Kumar-Nargis acted K.Asif's 'Hulchul' (1951).

Meanwhile he started working on a film based on Ali Taj's novel 'Anarkali'...For that he first casted Chandramohan and Nargis in the main lead..But in 1946, before the production Chandramohan died! At that time he temporarily shelved that project and in 1951 produced film 'Hulchul' in which Dilip Kumar & Nargis acted.!

Madhubala & K.Asif on set of film 'Mughal-E-Azam'!

Then he started working on dream project 'Mughal-e-Azam' with recast Dilip Kumar & Madhubala in the romantic lead! For this film he took 12 years to complete..that film which had rich production values with colourful sheeshmahal in which beautiful Madhubala's song "Jab pyar kiya to darana kya.." picturized! This film released in 1960..and became a huge hit all over India. With this he attained legendary status!

Poster of K. Asif's great movie 'Mughal-E-Azam' (1960).

After that he planned his first complete colour film 'Love and God' and began production..with great Guru Dutt and Nimmi in the lead. And he faced same difficulty when Gurudutt died in 1964. Then he recast Sanjeev Kumar in the male lead and started shooting film again..which took long time and K.Asif himself died in 1971 at the age of 48 only! Then in 1986 his wife Akhtar Asif released this film in an incomplete form!

Poster of K.Asif's first & last colour film 'Love and God'!

He won 'Filmfare's Best Film and Best Director awards for his great movie 'Mughal-E-Azam' and also got President Silver Medal for Best Hindi Film!

Humble Tribute To Asifsahab!

- Manoj Kulkarni
['Chitrasrushti', Pune]