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Mughal-e-Azam (soundtrack)

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This article is about the soundtrack of the 1960 film. For Broadway-style musical based on the film, see Mughal-e-Azam (musical).
Mughal-e-Azam
Soundtrack album by
Naushad
Released1960
Genre
Length49:02
LabelEMI Records
ProducerNaushad
Naushad chronology
Kohinoor
(1960) 		Mughal-e-Azam
(1960) 		Ganga Jamuna
(1961)

Mughal-e-Azam is the soundtrack album for the 1960 film of the same name directed by K. Asif. The soundtrack was composed by music director Naushad, and the lyrics were written by Shakeel Badayuni.[1]

Background

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As with most of Naushad's soundtracks, the songs of Mughal-e-Azam were heavily inspired by Indian classical music and folk music, particularly ragas such as Darbari, Durga, used in the composition of "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya",[2] and Kedar, used in "Bekas Pe Karam Keejeye".[3] He also made extensive use of symphony orchestras and choruses to add grandeur to the music.[4] The soundtrack contained a total of 12 songs, which were rendered by playback singers and classical music artists. These songs account for nearly one third of the film's running time.[5]

Production

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A total of 20 songs were composed for the film, at an average cost of ₹3,000 (valued at about US$629 in 1960)[a] per song, though many were left out of the final cut owing to the film's length.[6] Both Asif and Naushad approached Hindustani classical vocalist Bade Ghulam Ali Khan inviting him to participate in the film's soundtrack, but he refused, explaining that he disliked working in films. Asif, adamant about the presence of Khan, asked him to name his fee. Khan quoted a fee of ₹25,000 per song, at a time when Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar (the best paid playback singers of the time) charged ₹300–400 per song, thinking that Asif would send him away. Instead, Asif agreed, and even gave Khan a 50 per cent advance.[7] Surprised and left with no excuse to turn down the offer, he finally accepted.[8] Khan sang two songs, "Prem Jogan Ban Ke" and "Shubh Din Aayo"; both were included in the final version of the film and demonstrated the artist's vocal virtuosity.[9][10]

Composition

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The composition of "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" was especially time-consuming – on the day of the song's scheduled recording, Naushad rejected two sets of lyrics by Badayuni. Subsequently, a "brainstorming session" was held on Naushad's terrace, beginning in early evening and lasting until next day.[11][12] Late in the night, Naushad remembered a folk song from eastern Uttar Pradesh with the lyrics "Prem kiya, kya chori kari hai..." ("I have loved, does it mean that I have stolen?"). The song was converted into a ghazal and subsequently recorded.[6] At that time, since there was no technology to provide for the reverberation of sound heard in the song, Naushad had Mangeshkar sing the song in a studio bathroom.[1] Some sources state that a chorus of a hundred singers supported singer Mohammed Rafi for the song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad",[11] though other sources place the number at a thousand.[13] The song "Mohe Panghat Pe" was objected to by veteran director Vijay Bhatt. Although he was not directly involved with the project, he thought that it would "ruin the film", since it showed the Mughal emperor celebrating the Hindu festival Janmashtami.[14] Though Naushad argued that the presence of Jodhabai made the situation logical, he met with the film's screenwriters and subsequently added dialogue that explained the sequence.[6]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Shakeel Badayuni; all music is composed by Naushad

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Mohe Panghat Pe"Lata Mangeshkar4:02
2."Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya"Lata Mangeshkar6:21
3."Mohabbat Ki Jhooti"Lata Mangeshkar2:40
4."Humen Kash Tumse Mohabbat"Lata Mangeshkar3:08
5."Bekas Pe Karam Keejeye"Lata Mangeshkar3:52
6."Teri Mehfil Mein"Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum5:05
7."Ye Dil Ki Lagi"Lata Mangeshkar3:50
8."Ae Ishq Yeh Sab Duniyawale"Lata Mangeshkar4:17
9."Khuda Nigehbaan"Lata Mangeshkar2:52
10."Ae Mohabbat Zindabad"Mohammed Rafi5:03
11."Prem Jogan Ban Ke"Bade Ghulam Ali Khan5:03
12."Shubh Din Aayo Raj Dulara"Bade Ghulam Ali Khan2:49
Total length:49:02

Reception

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The soundtrack of Mughal-e-Azam received universal acclaim from critics in India. It is often cited as one of the best soundtracks in Hindi film history,[15][16] and was one of the best-selling Hindi film albums of the 1960s.[17] Shahid Khan, writing for Planet Bollywood, gave the soundtrack ten out of ten stars and called the music the "soul of the film".[18] In 2004, Subhash K. Jha reviewed the re-mastered release of the soundtrack, praising the technical quality of the re-release and the original vocals of Lata Mangeshkar.[19] In 2013, Baldev S Chauhan of Sun Post called the songs "some of the greatest songs of Hindi cinema."[20]

Colourised version

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When the film was colourised for re-release, the soundtrack was also reworked, with original composer Naushad receiving help from Uttam Singh. The score remained the same, but the sound was touched up and converted to Dolby Digital.[21] The orchestral part was re-recorded with live musicians, but the original solo vocals were retained.[12] The cost was reported to be between ₹2.6 million ($57,375) and ₹6.5 million ($143,437).[12][21]

Notes

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  1. ^ The exchange rate in 1960 was 4.77 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Music mogul". Hindustan Times. 2 June 2007. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  2. ^ "The last Mughal of film music". Hindustan Times. 6 May 2006. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013. At the time of premiere of the coloured version of Mughal-e-Azam, he had stated that today's generation should be acquainted with the classical Indian music. In that epic film, he had used Raga Darbari and Raag Durga to compose various songs like the immortal Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya
  3. ^ "The breath of God blows through music". Hindustan Times. 30 March 2007. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013. I managed a song in my beloved Raag Kedar, which is Hamir Kalyani in Carnatic music. It was Bekas pe karam kijiye, Sarkar-e-Madina from Mughal-e-Azam.
  4. ^ Morcom 2007, p. 144.
  5. ^ Gokulsing & Dissanayake 2013, p. 273.
  6. ^ a b c "Mughal-e-Azam turns 50". Hindustan Times. 5 August 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  7. ^ Mughal-e-Azam documentary by Sterling Investment Corporation. From 10:52 to 12:45.
  8. ^ Patsy N (10 November 2004). "The making of Mughal-e-Azam". Rediff. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  9. ^ Saqaf, Syed Muthahar (1 August 2013). "Bollywood's best". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 August 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  10. ^ Khan, Shahid. "Mughal-e-Azam". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  11. ^ a b Raheja, Dinesh (15 February 2003). "Mughal-e-Azam: A work of art". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  12. ^ a b c Vijayakar, Rajiv (6 August 2010). "Celluloid Monument". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  13. ^ Us Salam, Zia (31 July 2009). "Mughal-e-Azam (1960)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  14. ^ Roshmila Mukherjee (1994). "Making of Mughal-e-Azam – Part I". Filmfare. RMIM Article Archive. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  15. ^ Lall, Randy. "100 greatest soundtracks ever". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  16. ^ "Top 40 Soundtracks of All Time". BBC News. September 2005. Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  17. ^ "Music Hits 1960–1969". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  18. ^ Khan, Shahid. "Mughal-e-Azam". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  19. ^ K Jha, Subhash (11 November 2004). "Mughal-e-Azam music review". Filmfare. Indo-Asian News Service. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  20. ^ Baldev S Chauhan (6 February 2013). "Mughal-e-Azam : the Kohinoor of world cinema : Review". Sun Post. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  21. ^ a b Firdaus Ashraf, Syed (29 October 2004). "Coloring a classic". India Abroad. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  22. ^ Statistical Abstract of the United States (Report). June 1961. p. 937.

Bibliography

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