Now Reading: Kamal Amrohi charged Rs 10,000 per scene for Mughal-E-Azam, claims son
-
01
Kamal Amrohi charged Rs 10,000 per scene for Mughal-E-Azam, claims son
Kamal Amrohi charged Rs 10,000 per scene for Mughal-E-Azam, claims son
Tajdar Amrohi, son of legendary writer-filmmaker Kamal Amrohi, has claimed that his father wrote the dialogues for Mughal-E-Azam and was paid an unprecedented Rs 10,000 per scene for his work. According to Tajdar, Kamal Amrohi initially walked away from the project after a falling-out with director K Asif, and returned only after Asif personally pleaded with him. The fee was demanded in anger, and Asif agreed immediately, leading to Kamal Amrohi earning around Rs 2 lakh for the film.
Tajdar said that at the time, writers were commonly called 'munshis' and rarely charged over Rs 2,000. He alleged that Asif shared the writing credit with Vajahat Mirza, Amanullah Khan and another writer, which deeply hurt his father. Kamal Amrohi reportedly confronted Asif and offered to have his name removed entirely, but Asif declined, saying it would reduce the film's value. The claims have reignited debate over the writing credits of the epic period drama.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The dispute over Mughal-E-Azam's writing credits is not new, but Tajdar Amrohi's account puts a specific financial figure on Kamal Amrohi's contribution. If true, the Rs 2 lakh fee, worth roughly Rs 2 crore today, would have made Amrohi one of the highest-paid writers in Hindi cinema at a time when the industry was still informal about credits. The claim underscores how little bargaining power writers historically had, and how personal relationships with directors often decided attribution. The film's official credits list multiple writers, making it hard to verify individual contributions without primary documents. A definitive account may never emerge unless studio records or correspondence surface.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
