‘The Loves of a Mogul Prince’: The forgotten film that first tapped into the Anarkali legend

The Anarkali legend tells of a forbidden romance between Salim, Emperor Akbar’s son, and Anarkali, a woman in Akbar’s harem. Their love is remembered because it challenged royal authority and ended in an extreme tragedy: Anarkali was supposedly entombed alive. The historical truth remains disputed, including whether Anarkali existed at all.

In Imtiaz Ali Taj’s play, Nadira, a Persian merchant’s daughter, is taken as a slave and renamed Anarkali by Akbar. She and Salim fall in love. A jealous rival turns Akbar against her, and Salim rebels before Anarkali is captured again and buried alive.

Cinema gave this contested story lasting cultural power. Silent and talkie films, followed by Anarkali in 1953 and Mughal-e-Azam in 1960, brought the lovers to huge audiences. Their legend survives because each retelling combines romance, rebellion, spectacle, and loss.

The article names five film versions connected to the Salim-Anarkali story. They are The Loves of a Mogul Prince and Imperial’s silent Anarkali, both from 1928; Imperial’s talkie remake from 1935; Nandlal Jaswantlal’s Anarkali from 1953; and K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam from 1960. Together, they show the legend’s unusual durability.

The earliest named screen projects were rivals. Great Eastern Corporation developed The Loves of a Mogul Prince, while Ardeshir Irani quickly mounted Anarkali for Imperial Film Company. Imperial released its film first, on July 14, 1928. The rival followed on October 20 that year.

These versions appeared across about 32 years, from 1928 through 1960. The article also says the story has captivated audiences for nearly a century. Its continued remaking shows how cinema repeatedly refreshed a disputed historical romance for new audiences.

The Loves of a Mogul Prince was a 1928 film adaptation of Imtiaz Ali Taj’s play Anarkali. Great Eastern Corporation Limited, based in Delhi, developed it after the success of The Light of Asia in 1925. The film attempted to bring a famous forbidden romance to the screen on an unusually large scale.

Charu Roy and Prafulla Roy were set to direct, Seeta Devi played Nadira or Anarkali, and Hakeem Ahmad Shuja wrote the screenplay. Taj himself played Emperor Akbar. The production used royal costumes, historic locations, and institutional assistance. Its plot followed Anarkali’s love for Salim, rebellion against Akbar, recapture, and entombment.

Its importance also came from competition. Ardeshir Irani recognised the opportunity and made Imperial’s Anarkali using a faster studio system. Imperial released first, on July 14, 1928. The Loves of a Mogul Prince followed on October 20, making their race an early example of cinema’s commercial rivalry.

Imtiaz Ali Taj wrote Anarkali while studying for a Bachelor’s degree at Lahore Government College in 1922. His play drew on fictional stories he had heard since childhood. Great Eastern Corporation Limited later adapted it as The Loves of a Mogul Prince, with Taj taking the surprising role of Emperor Akbar.

Charu Roy and Prafulla Roy were appointed directors. Seeta Devi, born Renee Smith, played Nadira or Anarkali. Hakeem Ahmad Shuja wrote the screenplay, and Vishnu B Joshi served as cinematographer. Swan Singh played Salim, while Dewan Sharar portrayed Abul Fazl. The production used a large cast of creative contributors.

Ardeshir Irani founded Imperial Film Company and saw commercial potential in the same story. He quickly produced Anarkali, directed by RS Chowdhary and starring Sulochana and Dinshaw Billimoria. Imperial’s efficient studio system and strong publicity helped its rival reach cinemas first.

Imperial Film Company’s 1928 Anarkali changed the commercial situation for The Loves of a Mogul Prince. Ardeshir Irani saw that Great Eastern’s elaborate production would take time, so he launched a competing film on the same story. Imperial had an efficient studio system and many available filmmakers, performers, writers, and technicians.

Directed by RS Chowdhary, Anarkali starred the popular pair Sulochana and Dinshaw Billimoria. Irani also understood publicity’s power. Imperial finished quickly, created strong public interest, and released the film at Mumbai’s Majestic Cinema on July 14, 1928. The article says it had decisively stolen its rival’s thunder.

The Great Eastern film eventually appeared on October 20, 1928. Its advertisements stressed realism and repeatedly claimed that scenes were filmed in the places where events had happened. That message tried to distinguish the delayed production, but Imperial had already secured the first release and major publicity advantage.

The Loves of a Mogul Prince was unusually ambitious because its producers gathered support from several powerful institutions. Great Eastern Corporation wanted to build on The Light of Asia’s success, and newspaper reports described the shoot as grand and elaborate. The production treated historical detail and physical scale as major attractions.

The rulers of Mandi, Suket, and Shekhupura lent royal finery for filming. The colonial government gave the unit free access to Mughal forts and palaces in Lahore, Delhi, and Agra. This allowed the production to use real historic settings rather than relying only on constructed sets.

The Archaeological Department of India, led by Sir John Marshall, also helped. The Lahore Museum joined that support. These contributions supplied costumes, locations, and institutional expertise. They also strengthened the film’s publicity claim that its incidents were enacted in the places where they had actually happened, reinforcing its advertised realism.

The 1920s were a formative period for Indian cinema, and the Anarkali projects displayed several emerging strengths. Silent films could make historical romance visually powerful, while location shooting added realism and scale. The Loves of a Mogul Prince used Mughal forts, palaces, royal finery, and institutional assistance to create an elaborate production.

Imperial Film Company showed another path. Its efficient studio system brought together filmmakers, stars, writers, and technicians quickly. Ardeshir Irani used those resources to finish Anarkali before Great Eastern completed its larger rival. The film’s July 14, 1928 release gave it a decisive first-mover advantage.

Publicity connected production choices with audiences. Imperial created a strong buzz, while Great Eastern advertised its locations and realism. Together, the films show cinema becoming both an art and a competitive business. Their rivalry foreshadowed later Indian filmmaking built around spectacle, star power, technology, and promotion.