
The accolades awarded to the film include one National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards at the 8th Filmfare Awards. Released on 5 August 1960, it broke box office records in India and became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, a distinction it held for 15 years adjusted for inflation, it may still be the highest grossing Indian film of all time. Mughal-e-Azam had the widest release of any Indian film up to that time, and patrons often queued all day for tickets. The soundtrack, inspired by Indian classical and folk music, comprises 12 songs voiced by playback singer Lata Mangeshkar along with Mohammed Rafi, Shamshad Begum and classical singer Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, and is often cited among the finest in the history of Hindi cinema. Mughal-e-Azam cost more to produce than any previous Indian motion picture the budget for a single song sequence exceeded that typical for an entire film of the period. Before its principal photography began in the early 1950s, the project had lost a financier and undergone a complete change of cast.

Production was plagued by delays and financial uncertainty.

The development of Mughal-e-Azam began in 1944, when Asif read a 1922 play called Anarkali which is set in the reign of Emperor Akbar (1556–1605). Salim's father, Emperor Akbar, disapproves of the relationship, which leads to a war between father and son. Starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, it follows the love affair between Mughal Prince Salim (who went on to become Emperor Jahangir) and Anarkali, a court dancer. The Great Mughal) is a 1960 Indian epic historical drama film produced and directed by K.
