Prithviraj Kapoor’s towering persona and his dominating presence on the silver display screen was enigmatic and left a robust influence on the viewers. The veteran theatre actor was very picky about his movie roles and this resulted in him showing in memorable roles the place he gave his all. One of essentially the most well-known roles of his profession was that of Emperor Akbar in Okay Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam and for that, Kapoor immersed himself within the character.
In a 2010 interview with The Indian Express, Shammi Kapoor shared that his father Prithviraj Kapoor’s “powerful presence” and “thundering performance” made him good for Akbar. Shammi shared that he was typically current on the set of Okay Asif’s magnum opus whereas his father was capturing the movie.
Shammi Kapoor recalled, “My father got into the skin of the character by relying completely on the script and the director. He would be on the sets, sipping chai and smoking, normally attired, and Asif saab would affectionately tell him to get ready for his shot. He would enter the make-up room saying, ‘Prithviraj Kapoor ab jaa rahaa hai’ (Prithviraj Kapoor is leaving now). When ready, he would come out saying, ‘Akbar ab aa rahaa hai’ (Akbar is arriving now).”
Prithviraj Kapoor didn’t compromise on the authenticity of the scene whereas filming within the desert. (Photo: Express Archives)
He then proceeded to share that for the battle sequences, Prithviraj Kapoor wore actual iron armour within the sweltering warmth of Rajasthan. The opening scene of the movie, which confirmed Emperor Akbar strolling barefoot as he prayed for an inheritor was shot in a desert beneath the scorching solar and Kapoor ended up with blisters on his ft, however he didn’t compromise on the authenticity of the shot. “In the war scenes, he uncomplainingly wore the real iron armour that was so heavy. During the sequence when Akbar walks to Ajmer Sharif to pray for a son, my father actually walked barefoot in the desert sun, and his soles were full of blisters,” he stated.
While Mughal-e-Azam is usually remembered for its love story between Salim and Anarkali, Shammi believed that the movie’s protagonist was Akbar and thus, the title of the movie was Mughal-e-Azam. “Contrary to the popular perception that the film was the love story of Salim and Anarkali, Mughal-e-Azam, was about this incident in Emperor Akbar’s life, and that’s why K Asif did not title the film as Salim-Anarkali. My father Prithvirajji was the Mughal-E-Azam, the hero of the film,” he stated.
Sharing one other anecdote from the enduring “Jab Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya”, Shammi Kapoor stated that within the sequence, Emperor Akbar was alleged to be enraged with anger reflecting in his eyes and director Asif gave him his time to get there. He stated, “During Madhubala’s defiant song Jab Pyaar Kiya, the emperor’s eyes turn red with rage. My father did that sequence without glycerine. I recall Asif saab telling him to take his time and watched my father grow into that mood and his eyes turning red.”
Prithviraj Kapoor’s efficiency as Akbar created a benchmark for interval movie performances in Hindi cinema and continues to be thought-about as top-of-the-line iterations of an emperor that we’ve got since seen on celluloid.
