In Indian popular culture, Salim and Anarkali are firmly embedded as being among the greatest lovers of all time. While the historical veracity of their forbidden romance – or whether Anarkali existed at all – is disputed, there is no debate about the role played by cinema in immortalising the legend.
Several screen versions of the story, most of them drawing heavily from the famous Imtiaz Ali Taj play Anarkali, have captivated audiences for nearly a century now. There is Nandlal Jaswantlal’s Anarkali (1953), starring Pradeep Kumar and Bina Rai and featuring a fabulous soundtrack by C Ramchandra. There is K Asif’s all-time classic Mughal-e-Azam (1960), starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala.
Before these films, there was the Imperial Film Company’s silent movie Anarkali in 1928, which made Sulochana an even bigger star, and its talkie remake in 1935. Were it not for the acumen of Imperial Film Company founder Ardeshir Irani, another film titled The Loves of A Mogul Prince would have been the first adaptation of the doomed romance.
Imtiaz Ali Taj was still pursuing a Bachelor’s degree at Lahore Government College in 1922 when he wrote Anarkali. The play, which by his own admission was based on fictitious stories (“farzi kahaani”) he had heard since childhood, initially didn’t...