Aug 23, 2011

K. Asif, Director of Epic Hindi Movie Mughal-e-Azam (1960) on the Sets of Sheesh Mahal

K. Asif (14 June 1922 – 9 March 1971) was a film director, film producer and screenwriter who was famous for his work for the Hindi epic motion picture, Mughal-e-Azam (1960)

His directorial debut, Phool (1945), did very well at the box-office due to the casting of and portrayals by famous actors and actresses of the time such as Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote and Suraiya.

In 1944, Asif planned to make a film called Mughal-e-Azam based on the life and times of Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great's court dancer, Anarkali, with Chandramohan in the male lead and the then upcoming actress Nargis in the female lead. However, in 1946, before the production of the film could begin, the male lead, Chandramohan, died.

At that time, Asif temporarily shelved the film until further notice. He produced his next venture, the film Hulchul, and released it in 1951. At that time, Asif recast Mughal-e-Azam with Dilip Kumar in the male lead and Madhubala in the female lead and began the production of the film in the same year. In 1960, after twelve years in production, Mughal-e-Azam was released and became a huge hit at packed cinema houses across India. With this film, Asif attained legendary status despite having only worked in three productions so far.

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