'Mughal-e-Azam' continues to inspire, says director K Asif's granddaughter

LONDON: Three big Bollywood names are coming together for a unique Urdu poetry tribute to iconic movie Mughal-e-Azam and its legendary director K Asif.

Celebrated writer Javed Akhtar, multi-award-winning actress Shabana Azmi and actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar will be sharing the stage on July 13 at the prestigious BAFTA building in the British capital.

At this exclusive event, the trio will be onstage together for the first time, with high-profile personalities – including celebrated actor and Mughal-e-Azam fan Irrfan Khan, who is staying back in London especially for the event – in the audience.

Haya Asif – K Asif's granddaughter – claims to have produced what seems to be one of the year's unique events.

“Mughal-e-Azam continues to captivate and inspire audiences. A lot has been done to celebrate the timeless classic in the past, including a series of paintings by Maqbool Fida Husain, documentaries, such as the one hosted by Shah Rukh Khan and stage productions," explained the granddaughter.

Asif stressed, however, that she aimed to organise an event that will focus on "the soul of the movie, which was the incredible writing”.

The three world-class celebrities will put their own spin on K Asif's wonderful words through a live poetry recital, onstage discussions, and other interesting surprises.

Sangeeta Dutta – a UK-based writer, musician, and filmmaker – will moderate the first-of-its-kind event, which will be filmed and made available to audiences later.

“I am delighted to be part of [this tribute]. K Asif made the monumental romantic epic Mughal-e-Azam, which is unparalleled in terms of cinematic excellence,” said Shabana Azmi.

Farhan Akhtar, on the other hand, commented that he was looking forward to sharing the stage with Azmi and father Javed Akhtar, who sees being part of this celebratory tribute as an honour.

“When you think of K Asif, the words that come to your mind are dignity, power, aesthetics, literature, and an extremely beautiful sense of cinema," Javed Akhtar noted, adding that it has made him "feel really humbled".

Released in 1960, Mughal-e-Azam smashed box office records to become the highest-grossing Indian movie of all time. It has since taken the top position as an important part of popular culture and was named the greatest Indian movie of all time in 2013 (the film's hundredth anniversary).

The legendary film became the first Bollywood movie to be released in Pakistan in 2006 after a gap of over 40 years. The story of the doomed love affair between Prince Salim and Anarkali starred Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Prithviraj Kapoor in lead roles.