History, through a film’s set

It may have been 52 years since Mughal E Azam released, but its art direction still inspires those in the industry. The elaborately constructed sets haven’t been replicated in all their detailing and splendour to this day. Of special interest is the Sheesh Mahal, or the Palace of Mirrors, that was made especially for the film. Other aspects of the film that were highly time and labour-intensive were Akbar’s palace and the costumes. Tailors were brought down from the capital to create the regal costumes while goldsmiths from the South created Mughal-era jewellery for the actors. The weaponry was brought down from Rajasthan. Real gold was used for some of the ornaments and idols in the movie, including — legend has it — for the shoes worn by Salim (Dilip Kumar).