NEW YORK: ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ Flash Mob At Times Square And An Iconic Hindi Song

NEW YORK: A Mughal-E-Azam-themed flash mob was organised at the Times Square, a video of which has gone viral on the internet. It shows a group of Kathak dancers grooving to the song ‘Jab Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya’ from the movie at the iconic New York intersection.

In the clip, uploaded on Instagram, several women are seen wearing Anarkali suits and caps before beginning to dance. A crowd soon gathers around the classical dancers to watch and record the elegant performance.

The flash mob was part of the promotions of a show named Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical, which will be held in New York next month. The musical is based on the 1960 film directed by K Asif. The makers of the show are currently on their North American tour where they will perform in different cities across the US and Canada.

“The Broadway-inspired musical that started in India in 2016 with a simple goal, to immortalise the love for Mughal-e-Azam in the hearts of its fans & the world, has now reached another significant milestone. Our prelude was screened at Times Square with a magnificent flashmob prepared by the elegant Kathak dancers for the exclusive promotions of the North American tour of the Musical,” the caption of the video read.

The musical is directed by Feroz Abbas Khan and produced by Shapoorji Pallonji. According to the show’s official website, Feroz Abbas Khan did not want to recreate the 1960 film but pay tribute to its maker K Asif through the play.  

The epic love story of Mughal-E-Azam was inspired by a play called ‘Anarkali’. It was written by Pakistani dramatist Imtiaz Ali in Lahore back in 1922.

In the modern play, the soundtrack and the lyrics were taken from the original film and two newly composed songs were added. During the play, artists sing the songs live on stage as an orchestra and a choral score is played in the background.