Mughal-e-Azam - Release

Release

"Asif’s logic was very clear – he had made a film which everyone associated with it would be proud of for generations. And he was proved right."

K K Rai of Stardust, on Asif's quoted distributor prices.

At that time, a typical Bollywood film would garner a distribution fee of 3 lakhs–4 lakhs per territory. However, prior to the release of Mughal-e-Azam, Asif insisted on selling the film to the distributors at the rate of 7 lakhs per territory, making it clear that he would sell the film only as per his wish. Subsequently, the film was sold at a price of 17 lakhs per territory, surprising Asif and the producers. Thus, it set the record for the highest distribution fee received by any Bollywood film at that time.

The premiere of Mughal-e-Azam was held at the then-new, 1,100-capacity Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai. Mirroring the nature of the film, the theatre's foyer had been decorated to resemble a Mughal palace, and a 40-foot tall cut-out of Prithviraj Kapoor was erected outside it. The Sheesh Mahal set was transported from the studio to the theatre, where ticket holders could go inside and experience its grandeur. Invitations to the premiere were sent as "royal invites" shaped like scrolls, which were written in Urdu and made to look like the Akbarnama, the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar. The premiere was held amidst great fanfare, witnessing large crowds and an extensive media presence, in addition to hosting the entire film industry, though Dilip Kumar himself did not attend the event due to his dispute with Asif. The film's reels arrived at the premiere theatre atop a decorated elephant, accompanied to the beat of bugles and shehnai.