Once Upon A Cinema: How Madhubala beat Rita Hayworth to play Anarkali in Mughal E Azam
Dilip Kumar and K. Asif sent off a cross country (wo)manhunt, putting promotions in the paper and in driving film magazines like Film India and Screen, encouraging young ladies to apply. They talked with young ladies across urban communities like Bhopal, Hyderabad, Delhi and Lucknow. Around March 1952, a promotion showed up on the pages of the well known film magazine Film India. It went: "Here's your last Opportunity to be chosen for the crucial job of Anarkali, the magnificence that shook the Mughal Empire in Mughal E Azam… Dilip Kumar and K. Asif are in look for the young lady who will assume the part of Anarkali. That young lady may be you! Underneath this was a location of Sterling Corporation to send your photograph and subtleties to Dilip Kumar and K. Asif". 15 March 1952 was the last date for sending subtleties. It's important for film legend how Mughal E Azam was reported during the 40s with an altogether different cast than it ended up being. K. Asif's...