Post by Tony on May 6, 2005 9:55:37 GMT
Eros International & www.Punjab2000.co.uk are proud to announce the DVD release of one of the great classics of Indian Cinema, Mughal-E-Azam, newly restored and upgraded to full colour through a unique and specially developed process. This version of the legendary film is one that all Asian families will want to own and the release will be backed by a substantial marketing campaign.
Originally released in 1960 to huge critical acclaim, Mughal-E-Azam stars Dilip Kumar, the first true superstar of Bollywood, Madhubala, Durga Khote and Prithviraj Kapoor and was directed by K. Asif. Kumar plays Prince Salim, only son of the great Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar. At the unveiling of a statue to welcome his return from travels, Salim is taken by its sheer beauty. When it proves to be a real person, the lovely courtesan Anarkali, this turns into love and this is when the problems begin for a prince cannot possibly marry a lowly courtesan. The scale of the film is shown by the fact that, at a time when the average Indian film cost $200,000, Mughal-E-Azam cost $3,000,000. K. Asif was intrigued with colour, which had only been introduced into India in 1957. The end product was a film that introduced the colour that Bollywood is famous for (it was 85% black and white and 15% colour) and turned into the biggest ever Indian blockbuster.
To create this new version, intense restoration was initially undertaken that involved, amongst other things, digitizing the 300,000 frames at 2k resolution, contrast correction and scratch removal. These new frames could then be colourized using specially developed software that accepts only those colours that match the grey shades of the original input, ensuring that the final colours of the exquisite jewellery, fine clothing and grand sets were as close to the original as possible. The end result is no mere gimmick, but a final realisation of the director’s original vision of the film. On February 19th 2005 this new version completed 100 days in cinemas across India, making it one of the longest ever runs for a re-release anywhere in the world and a blockbuster all over again!
The DVD will be released in June. It is a must-have addition to all Bollywood collections and will be one of the biggest releases of the year. More information on the film can be found at www.mughaleazam.com.
