Several filmmakers have sought to buy success and immortality with immense budgets and grandeur but the elaborately scaled Mughal-e-Azam was made with that rare combination of lavishly spent millions and an all-consuming creative passion.

Director K Asif toiled for ten years to make this epic but never compromised on his vision. Every scene of this film was pitched at a never-before level of ambition -- whether it was the rousing battle scenes or grand palace intrigues or each music piece or the most intimate dialogue between star-crossed lovers Madhubala and Dilip Kumar. As a result, viewers enjoyed a movie experience that was visually stunning as well as emotionally stirring.

Mughal-e-Azam was a highly anticipated film at the time of its release and had a grand premiere attended by almost every famous Bollywood star of its time. The film lived up to the hype. It is said that the current booking did not open for weeks -- all tickets were snapped up in advance.

The film's jaw-dropping success saw its ingeniously-penned dialogues becoming part of public consciousness. Like Kismet's Gyan Mukherji, and Mother India's Mehboob Khan, K Asif too never made another superhit film again.