document_title: Jacksonville Jaguars

question_text: when did the jaguars last win a playoff game

question_tokens: when did the jaguars last win a playoff game

text: Jacksonville Jaguars

text: Franchise history[edit]

text: In 1989, the prospective ownership group Touchdown Jacksonville! was organized. The group initially included future Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Jacksonville developer Tom Petway, and came to be led by shoe magnate Wayne Weaver, founder of Nine West. In 1991, the NFL announced plans to add two expansion teams in 1994 (later delayed until 1995), its first expansion since the 1976 addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Touchdown Jacksonville! announced its bid for a team, and Jacksonville was ultimately chosen as one of five finalists, along with Charlotte, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Memphis.[8]

text: Jacksonville was considered the least likely expansion candidate for several reasons. The Jacksonville metropolitan area and television market were smaller than those of nearly every team in the league.[8] Although Jacksonville was the 15th largest city in the nation at the time (It has since grown to become the 11th-largest), it has always been a medium-sized market because the surrounding suburbs and rural areas are far smaller than the city itself. There were 635,000 people in Jacksonville proper according to the 1990 census, but only 900,000 people in the metropolitan area.[9][10] Additionally, the Gator Bowl was outdated, and the ownership group struggled to negotiate a lease with the city. The troubled negotiations over the Gator Bowl lease led the ownership group to withdraw from the NFL expansion bidding in July 1993.[8]

text: Charlotte was awarded the first franchise – the Carolina Panthers – in October 1993. Surprisingly, the naming of the second expansion city was delayed a month. Most pundits speculated that the delay was made to allow St. Louis to shore up its bid. At the time, St. Louis was considered the favorite for the second franchise, with Baltimore's three bids also considered strong. However, in a surprising move, the NFL owners voted 26–2 in favor of awarding the 30th franchise to Jacksonville.[8]

text: After the Gator Bowl game on December 31, 1993, the old stadium was essentially demolished and replaced with a reinforced concrete superstructure. All that remained of the old stadium was the west upper concourse and a portion of the ramping system.[11] To accommodate construction, the 1994 and 1995 games of "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" were split between the home fields of Florida and Georgia, and the 1994 Gator Bowl was played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.[12]

text: In January 1994 Wayne Weaver chose Tom Coughlin as the first-ever head coach of the Jaguars. Coughlin had worked in the NFL as a position coach, but he had been neither a head coach nor a coordinator in the NFL.[13]

text: The Jaguars' hiring of Coughlin contrasted with the hiring moves made by their fellow expansion team. The same month that Weaver hired Coughlin as his head coach, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson went a more conventional route and hired former Buffalo Bills general manager Bill Polian as the Panthers' first GM (the Panthers' head coach, Dom Capers, would not be hired until a full year after Coughlin). As it emerged that Weaver had no intention of hiring a general manager, it became apparent that Coughlin would have most of the authority regarding hiring decisions. Coughlin spent his year as "head coach without a team"[13] preparing for the personnel moves that would come from the expansion draft, free agency, and the rookie draft in the spring of 1995.

text: Along with the Carolina Panthers, the Jacksonville Jaguars entered the NFL as the first expansion teams in almost 20 years. Both teams participated in the 1995 NFL expansion draft, with the Jaguars taking Steve Beuerlein with the first pick. Beuerlein quickly lost his starting job to former Green Bay Packers backup Mark Brunell. The Jaguars finished their inaugural season with a record of 4–12. Both the Jaguars and the Panthers (7–9) broke the previous record for most wins by an expansion team (3) set by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968.[14] The inaugural season featured many of the players who would lead Jacksonville into the playoffs in the team's next four seasons, including quarterback Mark Brunell (acquired in a draft day trade from Green Bay), offensive lineman Tony Boselli (drafted with the 2nd pick overall in the 1995 NFL Draft) running back James Stewart (also drafted in 1995), and wide receiver Jimmy Smith (signed as a free agent).

text: The team played its first regular season game at home in front of a crowd of 72,363[15] on September 3, 1995, a 10–3 loss against the Houston Oilers. The team picked up its first win in Week 4 as the Jaguars defeated the Oilers 17–16 on October 1 in Houston. The next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jaguars earned their first home win by defeating the eventual AFC Champions 20–16. The team's other two wins came in a season sweep of the Cleveland Browns including a Week 17 24–21 victory sealed by a Mike Hollis 34-yard field goal[16] in the Browns' final game before the team relocated to Baltimore and was renamed the Ravens.

text: Jacksonville's 1996 season was a marked success as they won six of their last seven games of the season and finished with a record of 9–7. Quarterback Mark Brunell threw for over 4,000 yards and wide receivers Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith each accumulated over 1,000 receiving yards. In the team's final game of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons, needing a win to earn a playoff berth, the Jaguars caught a bit of luck when Morten Andersen, one of the most accomplished kickers in NFL history, missed a 30-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining that would have given the Falcons the lead.[17] The Jaguars clinched the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.

text: The Jaguars visited the Buffalo Bills in their first playoff game in franchise history. Despite being a heavy underdog, the Jaguars won 30–27, and knocked Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly out of what would turn out to be the last game of his career. Their next game was on the road against the Denver Broncos, who had earned the AFC's top seed with a 13–3 record and were widely regarded as the best team in the AFC, if not the NFL. While the Broncos scored two touchdowns early in the game, after the first quarter, the Jaguars largely dominated. In what is often regarded as one of the three biggest upsets in NFL playoff history,[18][19][20] the Jaguars defeated the Broncos by the same score as the previous week against the Bills, 30–27. Upon their return home, the Jags were greeted by an estimated 40,000 fans at the stadium. Many of these fans had watched the game on the stadium JumboTron displays and had stayed into the early hours of the morning when the team arrived. In the AFC Championship Game, the Jaguars miracle season came to an end, as they lost 20–6 to the New England Patriots, in Foxboro. Their fellow second-year NFC expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, also got to their conference championship game, where they lost 30–13 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.[21]

text: In 1997, the franchise's third season, the Jaguars and the Steelers both finished the season with an 11–5 record, tops in the AFC Central Division. Pittsburgh won the division in a tiebreaker as a result of having higher net in division games than Jacksonville.[22] As a result, the Jaguars settled for 2nd place in the division, a Wild Card berth and, for the second straight year, the 5th seed in the AFC playoffs. The Jags postseason would end quickly as they fell in their first game, a 42–17 defeat against the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. The Broncos, led by Terrell Davis, ran at will against the Jaguars, rushing for 5 touchdowns and over 300 yards.[23]

text: In 1998, the Jaguars again finished 11–5 and won their first AFC Central Division title. The team became the first NFL expansion team to make the playoffs three times in its first four seasons of play. In the Wild Card Round, the Jaguars hosted their first home playoff game, a 25–10 win over the New England Patriots. The team's season ended the next week in the Divisional Round as the New York Jets defeated the Jaguars 34–24.[24]

text: In 1999, the Jaguars compiled a league best 14–2 regular season record, the best record in franchise history. The team's two losses were to the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars won the AFC Central Division for the second straight year and clinched the #1 seed in the AFC. The Jaguars hosted the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Divisional playoffs, a 62–7 victory in what would be Dan Marino and Jimmy Johnson's last NFL game. Jacksonville's 62 points and 55-point margin are the second most ever in NFL playoff history, and Fred Taylor's 90-yard run in the first quarter is the longest ever in an NFL playoff game.[25]

text: The Jaguars' bid for a Super Bowl title came to an end the next week in the AFC championship game. The Jags fell at home to the Titans 33–14 in a game that the Jaguars led 14–10 at halftime, before allowing 23 unanswered points in the 2nd half. The Jaguars finished the 1999 season 15–3, with all three of their losses coming against the Titans. The loss marked the end of an era that saw the Jaguars make the playoffs in four of the team's first 5 years and would be the team's last playoff appearance until the 2005 season.[26]

text: The Jaguars struggled during this period, due in part to salary cap problems.[27] In the 2000 season, veteran quarterback Mark Brunell and young running back Fred Taylor led the squad through a painful 7–9 season. The Jaguars finished with records of 6–10 in both the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

text: After the 2002 season, head coach Tom Coughlin was fired after eight seasons, leading the Jaguars to a total record of 68–60 and four trips to the playoffs. The 2002 season also marked the last full season for Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell, who was benched in the third game of 2003 in favor of Byron Leftwich. Brunell piled up over 25,000 yards as a Jaguar and earned three trips to the Pro Bowl. In 2002 the NFL split up the two conferences into four divisions, sending the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC South. This put them in the same division as the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, and the expansion Houston Texans.[28]

text: In 2003, the Jaguars hired Jack Del Rio as head coach. Del Rio was a linebacker during the late 80s and early 90s before retiring. He was formerly the Carolina Panthers' defensive coordinator, bringing the team's defensive ranking from 30th to second. Prior to that, Del Rio was the Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach, participating in that capacity on the Ravens' record setting championship 2000 defense. The Jaguars selected quarterback Byron Leftwich with the seventh pick of the NFL draft. The Jaguars had high hopes for their new quarterback. The team had many failures and heartbreaking moments, ending the 2003 season at 5–11 and missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Despite resolving their salary cap problems, the team's rebuilding was clearly taking longer than expected.

text: The 2004 season, the 10th season of the Jaguars franchise, resulted in a 9–7 record, their first winning season since 1999, with road victories against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome. The Jaguars' defense was a strong suit, as it included two Pro Bowl players, defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson. Josh Scobee was selected in the 5th round of the 2004 NFL Draft and became a dominant placekicker for the Jaguars setting multiple franchise records.[29] Byron Leftwich enjoyed a solid year in 2004, helped by strong performances from holdovers Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith. Unfortunately, Taylor sustained a season-ending injury at Green Bay. The very next week the Jaguars fell to the Houston Texans, which would ultimately eliminate them from playoff contention.[30]

text: The 2005 Jaguars hoped to challenge the Colts for the division title. However, due to their scintillating 13–0 start, including two victories against the Jaguars, the Colts easily clinched the AFC South title. With a 12–4 record, the Jaguars earned a wild card and their first playoff appearance since 1999. While the Jaguars managed to win key games in 2005, nine of their final ten games were against opponents with losing records. Though these games were wins, key players Byron Leftwich, Mike Peterson, Akin Ayodele, Paul Spicer, and Rashean Mathis were hurt during this stretch. The Jaguars ended the season losing 28–3 to the two-time defending champion New England Patriots on January 7, 2006 in the AFC wild card playoff round.[31]

text: Jacksonville looked like a team on the rise coming off of their 12–4 season, and was considered a playoff contender entering the season. But injuries plagued the team. Reggie Hayward, Greg Jones, Donovin Darius, Byron Leftwich, and Mike Peterson all suffered season-ending injuries. Marcus Stroud, Matt Jones, Paul Spicer, and Fred Taylor also faced injuries during the season. The team started off 2–0, defeating the Dallas Cowboys (earning the NFL's highest winning percentage on opening days at .750 with a record of 9–3), and shutting out the defending champs Pittsburgh Steelers. But the team lost its next two games, and suffered embarrassing losses to the Houston Texans over the course of the season (Jacksonville has struggled against the Texans since Houston entered the league in 2002). They missed the playoffs with an 8–8 record, but there were some positives, in particular an impressive rookie season by their second-round draft pick, running back Maurice Jones-Drew.[32]

text: In the 2007 NFL Draft, the Jaguars used their first-round pick (21st overall) to select Florida safety Reggie Nelson. On June 15, 2007, the Jaguars released veteran strong safety Donovin Darius, who had seen diminished playing time in previous years due to mounting injuries. On August 31, 2007, the Jaguars announced that long time back-up quarterback David Garrard would start for the team, ahead of former first round draft pick Byron Leftwich, who was released in the team's final roster cuts. Garrard led the Jaguars to an 11–5 record and a wild card spot in the playoffs. The Jaguars defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–29 to win their first playoff game in almost eight years and their first road playoff win since 1997. It was also the first time in the 50+ year history of the Steelers that they had been beaten twice at home by the same team in the same season. However, in the divisional round, the Jaguars fell to the then-undefeated New England Patriots; the teams were tied at halftime, but the Patriots pulled ahead and won 31–20. Tom Brady completed 26 of 28 passes in this game, being pressured by the Jaguars' defense only once, on the first play. This game, more than any other, gave the Jaguars' front office a strong desire to upgrade the pass rush during the offseason.

text: The team's offense in 2007 was largely a run-first offense, with Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor each putting up a lot of yards. David Garrard, however showed to be an efficient passer in 2007, throwing only 3 interceptions.

text: The 2008 season began with high expectations for the Jaguars. The team acquired free agent wide receiver Jerry Porter and rookie defensive ends Quentin Groves of Auburn and Derrick Harvey of Florida to address the team's most glaring needs. (Porter was released the following year and Groves was traded to Oakland in 2010.) Journalists including ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert predicted the Jaguars were poised to make a Super Bowl run.[33]

text: However, the Jaguars failed to live up to those expectations, struggling to a 5–11 finish, the franchise's worst record since 2003. The team's struggles were in part, the result of a rash of injuries to the team's offensive line. The Jaguars lost starting guards Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams for the season within the first quarter of the opening game. Tackle Richard Collier's career ended in early September when he was brutally attacked and shot 14 times.[34] Center Brad Meester missed the first two months of the season and guard Chris Naeole, signed to the roster mid-season in response to these injuries, was injured in pregame warmups before playing a single snap. The 2008 season marked the end of running back Fred Taylor's 11-year career as a Jaguar. Taylor, who is considered to be one of the greatest Jaguars in the history of the franchise, rushed for over 10,000 yards during his tenure with Jacksonville and earned one trip to the Pro Bowl. In 2009, he signed with the New England Patriots. Taylor's departure opened up the door for Maurice Jones-Drew to become the team's feature running back. In 2011, Taylor signed a one-day contract so he could retire as a Jaguar.[35]

text: The Jaguars hoped to begin a new era in 2009 under their first-ever general manager, Gene Smith. Smith made his mark early on in the 2009 NFL Draft by acquiring talent such as Eugene Monroe, Terrance Knighton, Derek Cox, Eben Britton and Mike Thomas, who all made significant contributions in their rookie years. The Jaguars finished off this season 7–9 and did not manage to make the playoffs. In the offseason, the Jaguars parted ways with veteran players John Henderson and Reggie Hayward as part of the team's "youth movement".

text: However, 2009 also saw the team's attendance numbers plummet, leading to television blackouts and speculation that the team could eventually be moved or sold.[36] 2009 marked a low point, with the team's attendance averaging around 50,000,[37] causing seven of the eight home games to be blacked out, and leading NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to address the issue with owner Wayne Weaver.[36][38] Jacksonville is one of the league's smallest markets, though its stadium is relatively large; since 2005 the team has covered nearly 10,000 of the stadium's 73,000 total seats with tarp in order to lower the stadium's official capacity to a more typical size and reduce blackouts.[39] 73,000 total seats still ranks as one of the largest in the NFL. From 2008 the team further suffered from the late-2000s recession, which hit Florida particularly hard, and structural changes within the NFL that disadvantage teams in smaller markets.[36]

text: In 2010, to address this issue, the team and the City of Jacksonville undertook several measures aimed at ensuring the franchise's continued viability in Jacksonville. Supporters began the "Team Teal" drive to drum up ticket sales.[40][41] The city negotiated a five-year, $16.6 million naming rights deal with Jacksonville-based EverBank to rename the stadium EverBank Field.[36][42] As a result, the Jaguars' attendance increased dramatically in 2010. While attendance figures were stagnant for most of the NFL, Jacksonville saw an increase of 36.5%, by far the highest in the league, and had none of their home games blacked out.[43][44]

text: The 2010 season proved a big year for the Jaguars on the field as well. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew emerged as second in the league in rushing yards and David Garrard threw for 23 touchdowns, a franchise record. Marcedes Lewis went to his first pro bowl and the Jags had one of the best young defensive tackle duo with Terrance Knighton and rookie Tyson Alualu.[45] Josh Scobee set a team record with a 59-yard field goal to beat the Indianapolis Colts. Heading into December, Jacksonville was at the top of the AFC South and in playoff contention. In Week 15, they lost to Indianapolis, 34–24, which placed the Colts back atop the AFC South. The Jaguars lost their last two games, placing themselves out of playoff contention. They finished the season 8–8.

text: In the 2011 NFL draft, the Jaguars traded a first and a second round pick in order to move up to the 10th pick and select Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert.[46]

text: On September 6, 2011, quarterback David Garrard was cut from the team just days before the start of the season; Luke McCown was named starter. The move was similar to the one that named Garrard himself the starter over Byron Leftwich in 2007. McCown started two games until he threw four interceptions in a lopsided loss to the New York Jets and Blaine Gabbert was named the starter the following week. The Jaguars offense would continue to struggle under the rookie quarterback, losing the next 4 games in a row, until an upset victory over the Baltimore Ravens at home on Monday Night Football.

text: On November 29, 2011, owner Wayne Weaver announced the firing of head coach Jack Del Rio, whose record had been 3–8 through the first 12 weeks of the season and 68–71 over his 9-year tenure. Del Rio was succeeded by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker on an interim basis. Weaver also announced that General Manager Gene Smith had been given a three-year extension of his contract.

text: Immediately following the announcement of Del Rio being fired, Weaver also announced that the team would be sold to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan.[47][48] Khan's assumption of ownership was approved a couple of weeks later by the NFL team owners, and Khan took over full ownership on January 4, 2012. He immediately began the team's search for head coaching candidates.[49]

text: On February 13, 2012, the Jaguars hired MetLife Stadium president and CEO Mark Lamping as team president. Lamping also spent 13 years as the president of the St. Louis Cardinals. Lamping is the second team president in franchise history and the first since 1997, when David Seldin left that position.[50]

text: On January 10, 2012, former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was named head coach of the Jaguars. On January 13, it was announced that interim head coach Mel Tucker would remain on the staff as defensive coordinator/assistant head coach and that former Falcons quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski would become offensive coordinator.[51] On January 20, 2012, the team hired John Bonamego as special teams coordinator.

text: The Jaguars began the 2012 season with a new coaching staff and a new owner. One of the main priorities of the new leadership was to improve the team's struggling receiving corps and see improvement from quarterback Blaine Gabbert after a disappointing rookie season. To do this, the team selected wide receiver Justin Blackmon in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft and acquired Laurent Robinson in free agency. Despite the changes, the team struggled mightily on both sides of the ball. The team finished with a 2–14 record, the worst in franchise history. Both general manager Gene Smith and head coach Mike Mularkey were fired shortly after the end of the season.[52]

text: NFL International Series[edit]

text: On August 21, 2012, the Jaguars announced they had finalized a deal to play one regular season home game each year between 2013 and 2016 at London's historic Wembley Stadium as part of the NFL International Series.[53] The first of these games was against the San Francisco 49ers on October 27, 2013.[54][55] This deal was later extended through 2020.[56]

text: On January 8, 2013, former Atlanta Falcons Director of Player Personnel David Caldwell was hired as the second full-time General Manager in Jaguars history.[57] He formerly served as a scout for the Indianapolis Colts for 10 years from 1998–2007. His first task with the team was to lead the interview process for a new head coach. Nine days later former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley was named head coach of the Jaguars.[58] The Jaguars struggled early on in 2013 and went into the bye week with an 0–8 record. On November 1 Justin Blackmon was suspended indefinitely after violating the NFL's Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.[59] Despite the loss of Blackmon the Jaguars got their first win with Gus Bradley on November 10 with a 29–27 victory over the Tennessee Titans. This was followed by a respectable showing against the Arizona Cardinals, despite a 27–14 loss, and the Jaguars' second and third victory of the season against the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns. The Jaguars would win again the very next week against the Houston Texans 27–20 on Thursday night, improving to 4–9. They finished the season 4–12.

text: After finishing the 2013 season with a 4–12 record, a two-win improvement over the previous season, the Jaguars traded their 2011 NFL draft first round draft pick Blaine Gabbert to the San Francisco 49ers for the 6th round pick of the 2014 NFL draft.[60] Maurice Jones-Drew, after 7 years with the Jaguars, also left the team and signed a three-year contract with the Oakland Raiders.[61]

text: In the first round of the 2014 NFL draft the Jaguars selected quarterback Blake Bortles from University of Central Florida and then wide receiver Marqise Lee from University of Southern California in the second round. The new draft picks helped put more confidence in the struggling team.[62] Justin Blackmon was suspended yet again for violating the NFL's Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse in July.[63] Later in July, EverBank Field unveiled their two new endzone scoreboards, which are considered to be the world's largest.[64] The Jaguars managed to end their season with a 3–13 record.[65]

text: Dante Fowler Jr. was selected by the Jaguars as the third overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.[66] However, Fowler tore his ACL at rookie minicamp on May 8 and did not return for the 2015 season.[67] Josh Scobee was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2016 NFL Draft sixth round pick. Jason Myers took over as the main placekicker for the Jaguars.[68] The Jaguars finished the 2015 season with a record of 5–11, the team's fifth straight losing season and their eighth straight non-winning season.

text: With plenty of cap space to work with, Jacksonville splurged in free agency, adding defensive tackle Malik Jackson from the Denver Broncos and cornerback Prince Amukamara from the New York Giants. With the fifth selection, the Jaguars selected cornerback Jalen Ramsey from Florida State University in the first round and then the second round linebacker Myles Jack of UCLA in the 2016 NFL Draft.[69] Jack was considered to be a top-10 talent, but fell to the second round due to a knee injury. On October 2, 2016, the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Indianapolis Colts 30–27 in the NFL International Series game.[70] On December 18, 2016, Gus Bradley was fired after the Jaguars' ninth loss in a row during the 2016 season. Bradley's W-L record as head coach of the Jaguars was 14–48 in three seasons.[71]

text: On January 9, 2017 the Jaguars announced the interim head coach Doug Marrone was to be the new head coach, the contract of General Manager David Caldwell was to be extended and Tom Coughlin was returning to Jacksonville to become Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Both Doug Marrone and David Caldwell report to the Executive Vice President Tom Coughlin.[72]

text: In the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft the Jaguars selected running back Leonard Fournette of LSU.[73] At the annual NFL International Series in London on September 24, 2017 Jaguars players locked arms and kneeled during the national anthem in response to President Donald Trump's remarks on NFL players who kneel. Shahid Khan also participated with the Jaguars in locking arms during the anthem and the Baltimore Ravens kneeled on the opposite side of the field. The Jaguars went on to defeat the Ravens in a 44-7 win.[74] Four weeks later on October 17, President of the Jaguars Mark Lamping sent a letter of apology to the director of military affairs and veterans in Jacksonville that says the Jaguars were ”remiss in not fully comprehending the effect of the national anthem demonstration on foreign soil has had on the men and women who have or continue to serve our country.”[75]

text: After their week 15 win over the Houston Texans, the Jaguars clinched their first playoff trip since 2007; they finished the season 10-6, a seven-game turnaround from the previous year. The Jaguars defeated the Buffalo Bills 10-3 in Jacksonville, marking the first playoff win in ten years.[76] In the Divisional Round, on January 14, 2018, the Jaguars defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 45-42 in Pittsburgh[77] to advance to their 3rd AFC Championship Game, and their first since 1999. However, they narrowly fell to the New England Patriots 24-20.[78] For the season, the defense earned the nickname "Sacksonville" because of its dominance.

text: Team colors, logos and mascot[edit]

text: Logos[edit]

text: The day after the NFL awarded the expansion team to Jacksonville, a triumphant Wayne Weaver held up the Jaguars' proposed silver helmet and teal jersey at the NFL owners' meeting in Chicago. The team's colors were to be teal, gold, and silver with black accents. However, this jersey and helmet design, with a gold leaping jaguar, created controversy. Ford Motor Company, then-parent of the automaker Jaguar, believed that the Jaguars' logo bore too much resemblance to the automaker's logo. Though no lawsuit was brought to trial, lawyers from the team and the automaker negotiated an ultimately amicable agreement whereby Jaguar would be named the official car of the Jaguars, and the Jaguars would redesign their uniforms.

text: The new logo was a snarling jaguar head with a teal tongue, which Weaver said was his wife's touch. He also claimed that the teal tongue came from "feeding Panthers to our Jaguars" — an obvious jab at their expansion brethren. During the Jaguars' first ever preseason game teal-colored candies were handed out to all the fans who attended, turning their tongues a teal color just like on the logo. Additionally, raspberry lollipops were handed out by the "Candy Man" in section 142 to also turn the home fans' tongues teal.

text: In 2009, Weaver announced that he wanted to 'clean up' the team's image. This meant the elimination of the full-body crawling Jaguar logo, the clawing Jaguar, and the two previous wordmarks which bent the text around these logos.

text: In February 2013, Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, who had acquired the team in late 2011, introduced a new brand identity for the team that included a new logo, wordmark, and secondary logo. The new Jaguar head logo was intended to be "fiercer" and more realistic.[79] The secondary logo incorporated the new Jaguar head logo along with the first official usage of the team's popular nickname "Jags". The two images were incased in a shield-style shape, designed to be a tribute to Jacksonville's military community.[2]

text: Beginning in 2013, the Jaguars began to feature gold more prominently than in the past. In fact, from 2009–12 gold had only been used in the team logo and as a minor accent color.

text:
Jaguars wordmark logo (1995–1998)

Jaguars wordmark logo (1999–2008)

Jaguars wordmark logo (2009–2012)

text: Uniforms[edit]

text: For most of their history, the Jaguars have done what many other NFL teams located in subtropical climates traditionally practice: wear their white jerseys at home during the first half of the season — forcing opponents to wear their dark ones under the sweltering autumns in Jacksonville. The only exceptions were in 2004 and 2008–10, when the Jaguars chose to wear teal for all home games. In the preseason, the Jaguars typically wear teal at home since these games are played at night when there is very little advantage with the heat.

text: Following the logo change, the redesigned uniforms featured an all-black helmet, white pants with teal, black, and gold stripes, and numbers with gold inner trim and black outer trim. The home jersey was teal with white numbers and the away jersey was white with teal numbers. Both jerseys had a black collar and no sleeve stripes.

text: A prowling jaguar on each sleeve replaced the leaping jaguar going across both shoulders in the original design. The Jaguars in 1995 were the first NFL team to have 2-tone borders on their numbers and lettering, and the first NFL team to show a complex logo (the crawling Jaguar) on the sleeve.

text: Minor modifications were introduced to the Jaguars uniform during this time, most notably the font of the jersey numbers, replacing the original block numbers with a unique font. Two stripes were also added to the end of the sleeves below the prowling jaguar.

text: During this period, the Jaguars made minor changes to their uniform, each time adding more black to the look.

text: The team introduced a black alternate jersey in 2002. During that same year, the team also introduced alternate black pants, worn with either the white or the teal jersey. After the black pants were introduced, the white pants would only be seen for the first few games of the year, presumably due to the heat. The black pants originally included two teal stripes down each side. The fan reaction to the extra black in the alternate jersey and alternate pants was positive, so in 2004 the Jaguars went through a formal uniform change, which teams are only allowed to do once every five years. These changes were mostly to the away look. Before 2004, the white away jerseys had teal numbers with black and gold trim, but after, the white jerseys had black numbers with teal and gold trim. The black pants were also changed. The teal stripes were replaced with the Jaguar logo on each hip. Teal almost disappeared from the away uniform.

text: The stripes on the white pants were altered in 2008 so that the center, thickest stripe was black, and its accents were teal. In the 2008 year, the gold in the uniforms noticeably shifted from a bright yellow metallic appearance to more beige.

text: The Jaguars unveiled new uniforms for the 2009 season.[15][80] Team owner Wayne Weaver reportedly wanted to "clean up" the look, feeling that the team had too many uniform styles.[15] The new uniforms were introduced in a press conference on April 22.[81]

text: At this press conference, Weaver elaborated that different people had taken different liberties with the Jaguars' image over the years, singling out the 'All Black' look which the team wore for every prime-time home game from 2003 to 2007 as a point of regret. He also said that the team would wear their teal jerseys at home even on hot days, saying that the practice of choosing to wear white on hot days had also diluted the team's image. The new uniform reflected a simpler look overall. The collar and sleeve ends are the same color as the rest of the jersey. The crawling jaguar was removed. The numbers on the jerseys were changed to a simpler, block font with a thicker, single color border. After all of these subtractions, two features were added. The first was a "JAGUARS" wordmark underneath the NFL insignia on the chest. The second was two thin 'stripes' of off-color fabric which were added to each midseam of the jersey, curling up to the neckline on the front and below the number on the back. The stripe on the home jersey is a white line next to a black line, matching the color of the numbers, and the stripe on the away jersey is a black line next to a teal line, again matching the numbers. The pants have similar stripes, both for the home and away uniform. The away uniforms were still black pants and numbers on a white jersey, but they now used teal as the only accent color as opposed to using gold in previous years. The Jaguars' identity, in terms of colors, beginning in 2009 is exclusively teal and black, with gold only being used in the logo. The final change made to the Jaguars' uniforms in 2009 was to the helmet. The new helmet and facemask were black just like the old ones, but when light hit the new ones a certain way, both the helmet and face mask sparkled with a shiny teal appearance. These were the first helmets in professional football which changed color with different angles of light. The logo and number decals also incorporated this effect.[82]

text: Prior to the 2012 season, new Jaguars owner Shahid Khan announced that the team would once again use a black jersey, something they had not done since 2008. In September of that year, the team announced that it would use the black jersey and black pants as their primary home uniform. The teal jersey was resurrected as an alternate.[83]

text: On April 23, 2013, the Jaguars unveiled new uniforms designed by Nike. The primary home jersey is black with white numerals outlined in teal and gold. The road jersey is white with teal numerals outlined in black and gold, marking the first time since 2003 that the team has used teal numbers on their road jersey. The alternate jersey is teal with black numerals outlined in white and gold. The team had never before used black numbers on their teal jersey. All three jerseys feature a contrasting stripe that bends around the neck, and semi-glossy patches on the shoulders meant to resemble claw marks. The team added their new shield logo onto a patch just above the player's heart, meant to pay tribute to Jacksonville's military heritage.[84]

text: The helmet, first of its kind in the NFL, features a glossy gold finish in the back that fades to matte black in the front, via a color gradient.[85]

text: The new uniform set includes black and white pants with the Jaguars logo on the hip and a tri-color pattern down the player's leg.

text: In November 2015, as one of eight teams participating in Nike's "Color Rush" initiative for four games of Thursday Night Football during the 2015 season, Jacksonville introduced an all-gold second alternative uniform. The set features a gold jersey with black sleeves and black trim, as well as all gold pants. The white front and back numbers are lined in the teal accent color and bordered by black. The TV numbers on the shoulders are white with black bordering. The set also features gold undershirts and socks.[86]

text: Mascot[edit]

text: Since his introduction in 1996, Jaxson de Ville has served as the Jaguars' mascot. Jaxson entertains the crowd before and during games with his antics. The mascot has established a reputation for making dramatic entrances including bungee jumping off the stadium lights, sliding down a rope from the scoreboard and parachuting into the stadium.

text: Jaxson's antics got him into trouble in 1998 and stemmed the changing of the NFL's mascot rules, and also caused him to calm down.[87] However, Jaxson was still seen, by some, as a mascot that gets in the way during the game. After the October 22, 2007 game against Indianapolis, Colts President Bill Polian complained to the NFL, and Jaxson was reprimanded again.[88][89]

text: Jaxson's first appearance was on August 18, 1996[90] and was played by Curtis Dvorak from his inception until his retirement in June 2015.[91]

text: Jacksonville Roar[edit]

text: The Jacksonville Roar is the professional cheerleading squad of the Jaguars. The group was established in 1995, the team's inaugural year, and regularly performs choreographed routines during the team's home contests.[92]

text: In addition to performing at games and pep rallies, members function as goodwill ambassadors of the team, participating in corporate, community, and charitable events in the Jacksonville metropolitan area[93] where they sign autographs and pose for pictures. They also join NFL tours to entertain American servicemen and women around the world.[93][94]

text: Stadium[edit]

text: EverBank Field (formerly known as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and Alltel Stadium) is located on the north bank of the St. Johns River, and has been the home of the Jaguars since the team's first season in 1995. The stadium has a capacity of 69,132, with additional seating added during Florida–Georgia Game and the Gator Bowl.[95]

text: The stadium served as the site of Super Bowl XXXIX in addition to four Jaguar playoff games including the 1999 AFC Championship Game. It also hosted the ACC Championship Game from 2005–07 and the River City Showdown in 2007 and 2008.

text: From 1995–97 and again from 2006–09, the stadium was named Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. From 1997–2006, the stadium was referred to as Alltel Stadium.[96] The naming rights were purchased by EverBank prior to the 2010 season.[97]

text: The stadium got a substantial upgrade in 2014 with the addition of new scoreboards, pools, cabana seating and premium seating that includes 180 field-level seats. The scoreboards are 60 feet high and 362 feet long. The new scoreboards at EverBank Field are now the world's largest video boards. Two 25 feet by 12 feet pools were installed in the north and south end zones along with the cabana seating. The stadium upgrades were $63 million that owner Shahid Khan helped finance $20 million of the total cost.[98]

text: Rivals[edit]

text: The Jacksonville Jaguars have three primary rivals: their divisional rivals (Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, and Houston Texans).[99] They have geographic rivalries with the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Jaguars also have a rivalry with their 1995 expansion brethren, the Carolina Panthers. The Jaguars also have rivalries with other teams that arose from the AFC Central days, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[100]

text: Statistics and records[edit]

text: Season-by-season results[edit]

text: This is a partial list of the Jaguars' last five completed seasons. For the full season-by-season franchise results, see List of Jacksonville Jaguars seasons.

text: Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.

text:
Super Bowl champions (1970–present)
Conference champions
Division champions
Wild Card berth

text: As of December 31, 2017

text:
Season
Team
League
Conference
Division
Regular season
Postseason results
Awards

Finish
Wins
Losses
Ties

2013
2013
NFL
AFC
South
3rd
4
12
0
—
—

2014
2014
NFL
AFC
South
3rd
3
13
0
—
—

2015
2015
NFL
AFC
South
3rd
5
11
0
—
—

2016
2016
NFL
AFC
South
4th
3
13
0
—
—

2017
2017
NFL
AFC
South
1st
10
6
0
Won Wild Card Playoffs (Bills) 10–3
Won Divisional Playoffs (Steelers) 45–42
Lost AFC Championship Game (Patriots) 24–20
—

text: Current roster[edit]

text:
Jacksonville Jaguars roster

view
talk
edit

Quarterbacks

 5 Blake Bortles

Running backs

40 Tommy Bohanon FB
27 Leonard Fournette
33 Chris Ivory
43 I'Tavius Mathers
24 T. J. Yeldon

Wide receivers

17 Arrelious Benn
84 Keelan Cole
13 Rashad Greene
88 Allen Hurns
85 Jaydon Mickens PR
18 Larry Pinkard
12 Dede Westbrook

Tight ends

89 Marcedes Lewis
80 James O'Shaughnessy
81 Mychal Rivera

Offensive linemen

60 A. J. Cann G
65 Brandon Linder C
78 Jermey Parnell T
74 Cam Robinson T
69 Tyler Shatley C
73 Josh Walker G
72 Josh Wells T

Defensive linemen

54 Eli Ankou DT
96 Michael Bennett DT
93 Calais Campbell DE
99 Marcell Dareus DT
56 Dante Fowler Jr. DE
97 Malik Jackson DT
95 Abry Jones DT
91 Yannick Ngakoue DE
59 Carroll Phillips DE
94 Dawuane Smoot DE

Linebackers

53 Blair Brown OLB
44 Myles Jack OLB
58 Deon King OLB
52 Donald Payne MLB
50 Telvin Smith OLB

Defensive backs

21 A. J. Bouye CB
42 Barry Church SS
39 Tashaun Gipson FS
35 Jarrod Harper S
31 Jalen Myrick CB
23 Tyler Patmon CB
20 Jalen Ramsey CB
26 Jarrod Wilson SS

Special teams

49 Colin Holba LS
 4 Josh Lambo K
 3 Brad Nortman P
46 Carson Tinker LS

Reserve lists

-- Lamar Atkins WR (Future)
14 Justin Blackmon Susp.
41 Tim Cook RB (Future)
79 Hunter Dimick DE (Future)
57 Brooks Ellis LB (Future)
66 Avery Gennesy G (Future)
86 David Grinnage TE (Future)
-- Kapron Lewis-Moore DE (Future)
-- Dexter McDougle CB (Future)
34 Charlie Miller S (Future)
29 Sammy Seamster CB (Future)
16 Tevaun Smith WR (Future)
70 Brandon Thomas G (Future)
38 Brandon Wilds RB (Future)

Unrestricted FAs

22 Aaron Colvin CB
 7 Chad Henne QB
11 Marqise Lee WR
55 Lerentee McCray OLB
77 Patrick Omameh G
43 Matt Overton LS
51 Paul Posluszny MLB
15 Allen Robinson WR
25 Peyton Thompson FS

Restricted FAs

34 Tyler Gaffney RB
30 Corey Grant KR
10 Jaelen Strong WR

Exclusive-Rights FAs

83 Ben Koyack TE
75 Will Poehls OT
64 Chris Reed G
14 Shane Wynn WR

Rookies in italics
Roster updated February 6, 2018
Depth chart • Transactions
50 Active, 12 Inactive, 16 FAs
→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
LAC
OAK

NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LAR
SF
SEA

text: Players of note[edit]

text: Retired numbers[edit]

text: Although not officially retired, the number 71 worn by offensive tackle Tony Boselli, the Jaguars' first-ever draft pick, has not been worn since his retirement in 2002.[101] According to team officials, while the number is not in circulation, the number (along with Fred Taylor's number 28) is officially available for use if the circumstances warrant it.[102]

text: Pride of the Jaguars[edit]

text: A contest was held in July 2006 to name the club's ring of honor and "Pride of the Jaguars" was chosen with 36% of the vote.[103] It was unveiled during the 2006 season during a game against the New York Jets on October 8. Former offensive tackle Tony Boselli was the first player inducted.

text: On January 1, 2012, team owner Wayne Weaver and his wife Delores were added to the Pride of the Jaguars in their final game before the sale of the team to Shahid Khan. On June 7, 2012 the Jaguars announced Fred Taylor would be the next inductee into the Pride of the Jaguars.[104] He was officially inducted on September 30, 2012. Longtime Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell was also inducted into the "Pride of the Jaguars" on December 15, 2013.[105]

text:
Pride of the Jaguars

No.
Player
Position
Seasons
Inducted

71
Tony Boselli
OT
1995–2001
2006

—
Wayne and Delores Weaver
Owners
1993–2011
2012

28
Fred Taylor
RB
1998–2008
2012

8
Mark Brunell
QB
1995–2003
2013

82
Jimmy Smith
WR
1995-2005
2016

text: Florida Sports Hall of Fame[edit]

text: All-time first-round draft picks[edit]

text: Head coaches and coordinators[edit]

text: Head coaches[edit]

text:
Name
Term
Regular Season
Playoffs
Awards
Reference

W
L
T
Win%
W
L

Tom Coughlin
1995–2002
68
60
0
.531
4
4

[106]

Jack Del Rio
2003–2011
69
71
0
.486
1
2

[107]

Mel Tucker (Interim)
2011
2
3
0
.400
0
0

Mike Mularkey
2012
2
14
0
.125
0
0

Gus Bradley
2013–2016
14
48
0
.226
0
0

Doug Marrone
2016–present
11
7
0
.611
2
1

text: Offensive coordinators[edit]

text:
Name
Tenure

Kevin Gilbride
1995–1996

Chris Palmer
1997–1998

Bobby Petrino
2001

Bill Musgrave
2003–2004

Carl Smith
2005–2006

Dirk Koetter
2007–2011

Bob Bratkowski
2012

Jedd Fisch
2013–2014

Greg Olson
2015–2016

Nathaniel Hackett
2016–present

text: Defensive coordinators[edit]

text:
Name
Tenure

Dick Jauron
1995–1998

Dom Capers
1999–2000

Gary Moeller
2001

John Pease
2002

Mike Smith
2003–2007

Gregg Williams
2008

Mel Tucker
2009–2012

Bob Babich
2013–2015

Todd Wash
2016–present

text: Current coaching staff[edit]

text:
Jacksonville Jaguars staff

v
t
e

Front Office

Owner – Shahid Khan
President – Mark Lamping
Executive Vice President of Football Operations – Tom Coughlin
General Manager – David Caldwell
Senior Vice President of Football Administration & Technology – Tony Khan
Special Assistant to the General Manager – John Idzik Jr.
Director of Football Administration – Tim Walsh
Director of Football Operations – Hamzah Ahmad
Director of Professional Scouting – Chris Polian
Assistant Director of Player Personnel – Andy Dengler
Director of Pro Personnel – Chris Driggers
Assistant Director of Pro Personnel – DeJuan Polk
Director of College Scouting – Mark Ellenz
Assistant Director of College Scouting – Paul Roell
Director of Player Development and Youth Football – Marcus Pollard

Head Coaches

Head Coach – Doug Marrone

Offensive Coaches

Offensive Coordinator – Nathaniel Hackett
Quarterbacks – Scott Milanovich
Running Backs – Tyrone Wheatley
Wide Receivers – Keenan McCardell
Tight Ends – Ron Middleton
Offensive Line – Pat Flaherty
Assistant Offensive Line – Tony Sparano Jr.
Offensive Assistant – John Donovan
Offense Research – Eric Price

Defensive Coaches

Defensive Coordinator – Todd Wash
Defensive Line – Marion Hobby
Assistant Defensive Line – Jason Rebrovich
Linebackers – Mark Collins
Defensive Backs – Perry Fewell
Assistant Defensive Backs – Joe Danna
Defensive Assistant – Mike Rutenberg

Special Teams Coaches

Special Teams Coordinator – Joe DeCamillis
Assistant Special Teams – Mike Mallory

Strength and Conditioning

Strength and Conditioning – Tom Myslinski
Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Cedric Scott
Strength & Conditioning Associate – Alex Hampton
Strength & Conditioning Associate – Jess Langvardt

Coaching Support Staff

Director of Team Administration – Tyler Wolf
Assistant to the EVP of Football Operations and Head Coach – ElizaBeth Mayers

→ Coaching Staff
→ Management and Scouting
→ Staff Directory
→ More NFL staffs

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
LAC
OAK

NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LAR
SF
SEA

text: Work in the community[edit]

text: The Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation was established in 1994, when the franchise deal was first announced.[108] Since then, the Foundation has given over $20 million to area efforts in community improvement.[109] The Foundation focuses on many initiatives, such as Honor Rows, anti-tobacco programs, NFL Play 60, and support for veterans.[110] The Foundation grants over $1 million annually to organizations that assist "economically and socially disadvantaged youth and families".[111]

text: The Jaguars' first head coach, Tom Coughlin, established the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation in 1996 to help young cancer victims and their families with emotional and financial assistance. The charity remained in Jacksonville after Coughlin left to coach the New York Giants.[112]

text: Broadcast media[edit]

text: Media affiliates

text: Radio[edit]

text: From their inaugural 1995 season until 2013, the Jaguars' flagship radio station was WOKV, which simulcasts on both AM 690 and on 104.5 FM.

text: Starting with the 2014 season, the team will be moving the broadcast to WJXL (1010 AM and 92.5 FM) and simulcast on 99.9 Gator Country[113]

text: Frank Frangie is the play-by-play announcer with former Jaguars players Tony Boselli and Jeff Lageman providing color analysis.

text:
Jaguars Radio network affiliates

Market
Frequency
Call sign
Branding

Jacksonville
1010 AM & 92.5 FM
WJXL
1010XL

Jacksonville
99.9
WGNE-FM
99.9 Gator Country

St. Augustine
1420 AM
WAOC
ESPN Radio 1420

Orlando
1080 AM
WHOO
Sports Talk 1080 The Team

Melbourne
1240 AM
WMMB
New Talk WMMB

Lake City
94.3 FM
WNFB
Mix 94.3

Ocala
900 AM
WMOP
ESPN Radio

Port St. Lucie
1590 AM
WPSL
1590 WPSL

Gainesville
850 AM
WRUF
ESPN 850

Savannah, GA
104.3 FM and 1400 AM
WSEG
Star 1400

Brunswick, GA
107.7 FM
WHFX
107.7 The Fox

Jesup, GA
105.5 FM
WIFO
Big Dog 105.5 Country

Waycross, GA
1150 AM
WJEM
The Jock 1150

Tallahassee
93.3 FM
WVFT
Talk Radio 93.3

Panama City
97.7 FM
WYYX
97X

Palm Coast
1550 AM
WNZF
WNZF Newsradio

Kingsland, GA
106.3 FM
WKBX
KBAY 106.3

text: Television[edit]

text: WJXT televises all preseason games and also televises regular season games that are televised nationally on ESPN or NFL Network.

text:
Television affiliates

Market
Station
Notes

Jacksonville
WJXT
Preseason games, ESPN and NFL Network regular season games

WJXX
Monday Night Football Wild Card simucasted on ABC

WJAX-TV
CBS games

WFOX-TV
Fox games

WTLV
NBC games

Orlando
WFTV
Preseason games

Tallahassee
WTXL-TV
Preseason games

Gainesville
WNBW-DT
Preseason and NBC games

Savannah, GA
WSAV-TV
Preseason and NBC games

Dothan, AL
WTVY
Preseason and CBS regional/national games

Panama City
WJHG-TV
Preseason and NBC games

Valdosta/Albany, GA
WSWG
Preseason and CBS regional/national Games

Charleston, SC
WTAT-TV
Preseason and Fox regional/national games

Mobile, AL-Pensacola
WPMI-TV
Preseason and NBC games


document_title: Mughal-e-Azam

question_text: who play the character of anarkali in mughal e azam

root

text: Mughal-e-Azam

text: Plot[edit]

text:
External image

 Images of Mughal-e-Azam and plot details

tag: table

text: Emperor Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor), who does not have a male heir, undertakes a pilgrimage to a shrine to pray that his wife Jodhabai (Durga Khote) give birth to a son. Later, a maid brings the emperor news of his son's birth. Overjoyed at his prayers being answered, Akbar gives the maid his ring, and promises to grant her anything she desires.

tag: p

text: The son, Prince Salim, grows up to be spoiled, flippant, and self-indulgent. His father sends him off to war, to teach him courage and discipline. Fourteen years later, Salim returns as a distinguished soldier (Dilip Kumar) and falls in love with court dancer Nadira, whom the emperor has renamed Anarkali (Madhubala), meaning pomegranate blossom. The relationship is discovered by the jealous Bahar (Nigar Sultana), a dancer of a higher rank, who wants the prince to love her so that she may one day become queen. Unsuccessful in winning Salim's love, she exposes his forbidden relationship with Anarkali. Salim pleads to marry Anarkali, but his father refuses, and imprisons her. Despite her treatment, Anarkali refuses to reject Salim, as Akbar demands.

text: Salim rebels and amasses an army to confront Akbar and rescue Anarkali. Defeated in battle, Salim is sentenced to death by his father, but is told that the sentence will be revoked if Anarkali, now in hiding, is handed over to die in his place. Anarkali gives herself up to save the prince's life, and is condemned to death by being entombed alive. Before her sentence is carried out, she begs to have a few hours with Salim as his make-believe wife. Her request is granted, as she has agreed to drug Salim so that he cannot interfere with her entombment. As Anarkali is being walled up, Akbar is reminded that he still owes her mother a favour, as it was she who brought him news of Salim's birth. Anarkali's mother pleads for her daughter's life. The emperor has a change of heart, but although he wants to release Anarkali he cannot, because of his duty to his country. He therefore arranges for her secret escape into exile with her mother, but demands that the pair are to live in obscurity, and that Salim is never to know that Anarkali is still alive.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Prithviraj Kapoor as Akbar
Dilip Kumar as Salim
Madhubala as Nadira (Anarkali)
Durga Khote as Jodhabai
Nigar Sultana as Bahar, a court dancer
Ajit as Durjan Singh
Murad as Raja Man Singh
M. Kumar as Sangtarash, the royal sculptor
Sheila Dalaya as Suraiyya, Anarkali's sister
Jillo Bai as Anarkali's mother

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The Urdu dramatist Imtiaz Ali Taj wrote a play about the love story of Salim and Anarkali in 1922,[2][3] based more on a 16th-century legend than on fact.[4] A stage version was soon produced, and screen versions followed.[5] Ardeshir Irani made a silent film, Anarkali, in 1928, and remade it with sound in 1935.[5] In the early 1940s, the tale of Anarkali inspired producer Shiraz Ali Hakeem and young director K. Asif (Karimuddin Asif) to make another film adaptation which they would title Mughal-e-Azam.[6] They recruited four Urdu writers to develop the screenplay and dialogue: Aman (Zeenat Aman's father, also known as Amanullah Khan), Wajahat Mirza, Kamaal Amrohi, and Ehsan Rizvi.[6] It is not known how the writers collaborated or shared out their work, but in 2010 The Times of India said that their "mastery over Urdu's poetic idiom and expression is present in every line, giving the film, with its rich plots and intricate characters, the overtones of a Shakespearean drama."[7] As the script neared completion, Asif cast Chandra Mohan, D.K. Sapru, and Nargis for the roles of Akbar, Salim, and Anarkali, respectively.[8][9] Shooting started in 1946 in Bombay Talkies studio.[10]

text: The project faced multiple hurdles, which forced its temporary abandonment. The political tensions and communal rioting surrounding India's 1947 partition and independence stalled production. Shortly after partition, Shiraz Ali migrated to Pakistan, leaving Asif without a financier.[10][9] The actor Chandra Mohan suffered a heart attack and died in 1949.[11] Shiraz Ali had previously suggested that business tycoon Shapoorji Pallonji could finance the film. Although Pallonji knew nothing about film production, in 1950 he agreed to produce the film because of his interest in the history of Akbar.[12][13] Production was then restarted with a new cast.[12]

text: Believing that the film had been cancelled, Kamal Amrohi, one of the scriptwriters who was also a director, planned to make a film on the same subject himself. When confronted by Asif, he agreed to shelve the project.[14] Another unrelated film production based on the same stage play was Nandlal Jaswantlal's Anarkali, starring Bina Rai and Pradeep Kumar, which became the highest grossing Bollywood film of 1953.[15]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Asif had initially rejected Dilip Kumar for the part of Prince Salim.[8] Kumar was reluctant to act in a period film, but accepted the role upon the insistence of the film's producer.[16] According to Kumar, "Asif trusted me enough to leave the delineation of Salim completely to me."[17] Kumar faced difficulty while filming in Rajasthan owing to the heat and the body armour he wore.[17] The part of Anarkali had first been offered to Suraiya[18] but later went to Madhubala, who had been longing for a significant role.[19] Madhubala suffered from congenital heart disease,[20] which was one of the reasons why at times she fainted on set; she also endured skin abrasions while filming the prison sequences, but was determined to finish the film.[21]

text: To become the character of Emperor Akbar, Prithviraj Kapoor was reported to have "relied completely on the script and director".[9] Prior to make-up, Kapoor would declare, "Prithviraj Kapoor ab jaa rahaa hai" ("Prithviraj Kapoor is now going"); after make-up, he would announce, "Akbar ab aa rahaa hai" ("Akbar is now coming"). Kapoor faced difficulty with his heavy costumes, and suffered blisters on his feet after walking barefoot in the desert for a sequence.[9] Lance Dane, a photographer who was on set during the filming, recalled that Kapoor struggled to remember his lines in some scenes; he mentioned one scene in particular that Kapoor required 19 takes to get right.[22] At the time of filming, Kapoor who was on a diet, was told by Asif to regain the lost weight for his portrayal of Akbar.[22] Zakir Hussain, who later became a tabla maestro, had initially been considered for the part of the young Prince Salim, but it became the debut role of Jalal Agha, who later performed on the song "Mehbooba Mehbooba" from Sholay (1975).[2]

text: Design[edit]

text: The production design of the film, led by art director M. K. Syed, was extravagant, and some sets took six weeks to erect. The film, mostly shot in studio sets designed to represent the interior of a Mughal palace, featured opulent furnishings and water features such as fountains and pools,[23] generating the feel of a Hollywood historical epic of the period. The song "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" was filmed in Mohan Studios on a set built as a replica of the Sheesh Mahal in the Lahore Fort. The set was noted for its size, measuring 150 feet (46 m) in length, 80 feet (24 m) in breadth and 35 feet (11 m) in height.[9] A much-discussed aspect was the presence of numerous small mirrors made of Belgian glass, which were crafted and designed by workers from Firozabad.[24] The set took two years to build and cost more than ₹1.5 million (valued at about US$314,000 in 1960),[a][25] more than the budget of an entire Bollywood film at the time. The film's financiers feared bankruptcy as a result of the high cost of production.[16]

text: Artisans from across India were recruited to craft the props. The costumes were designed by Makhanlal and Company,[26] and Delhi-based tailors skilled in zardozi embroidery stitched the Mughal costume.[26] The footwear was ordered from Agra, the jewellery was made by goldsmiths in Hyderabad, the crowns were designed in Kolhapur, and blacksmiths from Rajasthan manufactured the armoury (which included shields, swords, spears, daggers, and armour). The zardozi on costumes were also stitched by designers from Surat.[16][26][27] A statue of Lord Krishna, to which Jodhabai prayed, was made of gold. In the scenes involving an imprisoned Anarkali, real chains were placed on Madhubala.[9] The battle sequence between Akbar and Salim reportedly featured 2,000 camels, 400 horses, and 8,000 troops, mainly from the Indian Army's Jaipur cavalry, 56th Regiment.[28] Dilip Kumar has spoken of the intense heat during filming of the sequence in the desert of Rajasthan, wearing full armour.[17]

text: Principal photography[edit]

text: Principal photography for Mughal-e-Azam began in the early 1950s.[16] Each sequence was reportedly filmed three times,[29] as the film was being produced in Hindi/Urdu, Tamil, and English. The film was eventually dubbed in Tamil and released in 1961 as Akbar,[30][31] but that version's commercial failure resulted in the abandonment of the planned English dubbing, for which British actors were considered.[16] Asif was accompanied by an extensive crew, which included his assistant directors S. T. Zaidi, Khalid Akhtar, Surinder Kapoor (assisting primarily for the English version),[9] and five others.[32] Additional crew members included cinematographer R. D. Mathur, choreographer Lachhu Maharaj,[33] production manager Aslam Noori, cameraman M. D. Ayub, editor Dharamavir, makeup artists P. G. Joshi and Abdul Hamid, and sound director Akram Shaikh.[32]

text: Some film sequences were shot with up to 14 cameras, significantly more than the norm at that time.[9] There were many difficulties with the film's lighting; cinematographer Mathur reportedly took eight hours to light a single shot. In total, 500 days of shooting were needed, compared to a normal schedule of 60 to 125 shooting days at the time.[9] Owing to the very large size of the Sheesh Mahal set, the lighting was provided by the headlights of 500 trucks and about 100 reflectors.[34] The presence of the mirrors on the set caused problems, as they sparkled under the lights. Foreign consultants, including British director David Lean, told Asif to forget the idea since they felt that it was impossible to film the scene under the intense glare. Asif confined himself to the set with the lighting crew,[35] and subsequently overcame the problem by covering all the mirrors with a thin layer of wax, thereby subduing their reflectivity.[9] Mathur also used strategically placed strips of cloth to implement "bounce lighting", which reduced the glare.[30]

text:
Such was the all-round commitment that nobody saw the delay as tiresome. We were experienced enough to know that a film involving such overwhelming craftsmanship, minute detailing, massive gathering of artistes and unit hands, strenuous schedules with large units of artistes and trained animals, day and night shoots cannot be a simple affair.[17]

- Dilip Kumar, on the duration of filming

tag: div

text: A number of problems and production delays were encountered during filming, to the extent that at one point Asif considered abandoning the project.[36] Kumar defended the long duration of filming, invoking the massive logistics of the film and explaining that the entire cast and crew were "acutely conscious of the hard work [they] would have to put in, as well as the responsibility [they] would have to shoulder."[17]

text: The production also suffered from financial problems, and Asif exceeded the budget on a number of occasions.[18] The final budget of the film is a subject of debate. Some sources state that Mughal-e-Azam cost ₹10.5 million to produce[16][37] (about US$2.25 million at the time)[37] while others state that it cost ₹15 million (about $3 million).[9][20][38][39] This made Mughal-e-Azam the most expensive Indian film of the period. A number of estimates put the film's inflation-adjusted budget at ₹500 million to ₹2 billion. The budget situation strained the relationship between Asif and Pallonji, while the production also faced troubled relationships among other crew members; differences crept up between Asif and Kumar when the former married the latter's sister.[18] Another source of trouble was the romantic relationship and ultimate break-up of Kumar and Madhubala, who had been dating for nine years.[40]

text: Post-production[edit]

text: Sohrab Modi's Jhansi Ki Rani (1953) was the first Indian film to be shot in colour,[41][42] and by 1957, colour production had become increasingly common. Asif filmed one reel of Mughal-e-Azam, including the song "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya", in Technicolor. Impressed by the result, he filmed three more reels in Technicolor, near the story's climax. After seeing them, he sought a complete re-shoot in Technicolor, angering impatient distributors who were unwilling to accept further delays. Asif subsequently released Mughal-e-Azam partially coloured, although he still hoped to see the full film in colour.[43]

text: By the end of filming, more than a million feet of negative had been used, necessitating significant editing.[9] A number of songs were edited out owing to the running time, which in the end was 197 minutes.[44] Almost half of the songs recorded for the film were left out of the final version.[35]

text: Themes[edit]

text: Mughal-e-Azam is a family history highlighting the differences between father and son, duty to the public over family, and the trials and tribulations of women, particularly of courtesans. According to Rachel Dwyer, author of the book Filming the Gods: Religion and Indian Cinema, the film highlights religious tolerance between Hindus and Muslims. Examples include the scenes of Hindu Queen Jodahabai's presence in the court of the Muslim Akbar, the singing of a Hindu devotional song by Anarkali, and Akbar's participation in the Janmashtami celebrations, during which Akbar is shown pulling a string to rock a swing with an idol of Krishna on it.[45] Film critic Mukul Kesavan has remarked that he was unable to recall a single other film about Hindu-Muslim love in which the woman (Jodhabai) is Hindu.[46] Scholars Bhaskar and Allen described the film as a tableau vivant of "Islamicate culture",[47] evidenced in its ornate sets, musical sequences such as the qawwali scene, and chaste Urdu dialogues.[47] Throughout the film there is a distinct depiction of Muslims as the ruling class who not only dressed differently but also spoke in complex Persianised dialogue. They are made to appear "distinct and separate from the mainstream."[48]

text: Film scholar Stephen Teo posits that Mughal-e-Azam is a "national allegory",[49] a stylistic way of appropriating history and heritage to emphasise the national identity.[50] He believes the arrogance of Bahar represents the power of the state and that Anarkali's emotion, which is highly personal, represents the private individual.[49] Teo states that the theme of romantic love defeating social class difference and power hierarchy, as well as the grandeur of the filming, contribute to the film's attractiveness.[47] Author Ashis Nandy has commented on the poetic quality of the dialogue, saying that "the characters of Mughal-e-Azam do not just speak – they refine communication, they distil it, they crystallize it into many faceted glittering gems, they make poetry of ordinary language."[51] Gowri Ramnarayan of The Hindu has also emphasised the power of the dialogues in the film in that they "create not only the ambiance of this period drama, but also etch character and situation. Every syllable breathes power and emotion."[52]

text: Philip Lutgendorf, a scholar at the University of Iowa, has stated that while the theme of the conflict between passionate individual love and family duty may be very common in Hindi film making, with endless cinematic permutations, K. Asif's "excessive elaboration of the theme remains in a class by itself."[53] Further, Emperor Akbar struggles between his personal desires and his duties to the nation.[53] Ashis Nandy noted that apart from the conflict between Akbar and his son, there is also an "unwritten alliance" between Akbar and Bahar that compounds the problems of Anarkali. He also thought it highlighted the "idea of justice and the notion of unconditional love" to uphold tradition.[54] The song "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" sung by Anarkali was an indication of her defiance of societal norms.[55] A major difference from the original story is that while the earlier Anarakali films based on Imtiaz Ali Taj's story ended as tragedies, K. Asif created a relatively happy ending in that Akbar gives amnesty to Anarkali by allowing her to escape through a secret route of tunnels below a false bottom of her prison wall, although his son is made to suffer in believing her to have perished.[56]

text: Historical inaccuracies[edit]

text: The film is based on a legend, but it is given credence by at least two texts that assert Anarkali's existence during the historical period of the greatest monarch of the Mughal Empire, Emperor Akbar (1556–1605). One of the books states that in 1615 a marble tomb was built on Anarkali's grave in Lahore by Salim, when he had become Emperor Jehangir.[57] On the tomb is a Persian inscription that reads: Ta Kiyamat shukr geom kardgate khwesh ra, Aah garman bez benaam roo-e yare khwesh ra ("Ah! could I behold the face of my love once more, I would give thanks to my God until the day of resurrection"). The author of the stage play on which the film is based, Imtiaz Ali Taj, believed that the legend had no historical base,[58] but historians have suggested that Anarkali may have been a painter, a dancer, or a courtesan, or one of Akbar's wives and the mother of Salim's half-brother Prince Daniyal.[43][59] While an earlier film version of the story, Anarkali (1952), contained a disclaimer stating that the story had no foundation in history, Mughal-e-Azam made no such claim.[57]

text: Mughal-e-Azam takes numerous liberties with historical fact. Historian Alex von Tunzelmann says that although the real Salim was a heavy consumer of alcohol and opium from the age of 18, he was not necessarily a mischievous boy, as depicted in the film. When the film's Salim returns from his time in the military, he is depicted as a gentle and romantic hero, in contrast to the real Salim, who was documented as a brutal drunk who would often beat people to death. The real Salim did lead a rebellion against his father, tried to replace him as emperor, and had Akbar's friend Abu al-Fazl murdered in 1602, but the film ascribes these actions to his desire to marry Anarkali, which is historically inaccurate.[43][59] Further, there were also discrepancies in sets, costumes, and music of the film. The Sheesh Mahal, actually the royal bath of the queen, was depicted in the film as a dancing hall, and much larger. Music and dancing styles from the 19th century were depicted, although the story takes place in the 16th century. For example, thumri, a semi-classical music form developed in the 19th century, is adopted in a dance sequence in Kathak style, which is a 16th-century dance form.[59]

text: Music[edit]

text:
Mughal-e-Azam

Soundtrack album by Naushad

Released
1960

Genre
Film soundtrack

Length
49:02

Label
EMI Records

Producer
Naushad

Naushad chronology

Kohinoor
(1960)Kohinoor1960
Mughal-e-Azam
(1960)
Ganga Jamuna
(1961)Ganga Jamuna1961

text: The soundtrack was composed by music director Naushad, and the lyrics were written by Shakeel Badayuni. After conceiving the idea of the film, Asif visited Naushad and handed him a briefcase containing money, telling him to make "memorable music" for Mughal-e-Azam. Offended by the explicit notion of money as a means of gaining quality, Naushad threw the notes out of the window, to the surprise of his wife. She subsequently made peace between the two men, and Asif apologised. With this, Naushad accepted the offer to direct the film's soundtrack.[60]

text: As with most of Naushad's soundtracks, the songs of Mughal-e-Azam were heavily inspired by Indian classical music and folk music, particularly ragas such as Darbari, Durga, used in the composition of "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya",[61] and Kedar, used in "Bekas Pe Karam Keejeye".[62] He also made extensive use of symphony orchestras and choruses to add grandeur to the music.[63] The soundtrack contained a total of 12 songs, which were rendered by playback singers and classical music artists. These songs account for nearly one third of the film's running time.[64]

text: Background[edit]

text: A total of 20 songs were composed for the film, at an average cost of ₹3,000 (valued at about US$629 in 1960)[a] per song, though many were left out of the final cut owing to the film's length.[35] Both Asif and Naushad approached Hindustani classical vocalist Bade Ghulam Ali Khan inviting him to participate in the film's soundtrack, but he refused, explaining that he disliked working in films. Asif, adamant about the presence of Khan, asked him to name his fee. Khan quoted a fee of ₹25,000 per song, at a time when Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi (the best paid playback singers of the time) charged ₹300–400 per song, thinking that Asif would send him away. Instead, Asif agreed, and even gave Khan a 50 per cent advance.[65] Surprised and left with no excuse to turn down the offer, he finally accepted.[66] Khan sang two songs, "Prem Jogan Ban Ke" and "Shubh Din Aayo"; both were included in the final version of the film and demonstrated the artist's vocal virtuosity.[27][67]

text: The composition of "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" was especially time-consuming – on the day of the song's scheduled recording, Naushad rejected two sets of lyrics by Badayuni. Subsequently, a "brainstorming session" was held on Naushad's terrace, beginning in early evening and lasting until next day.[2][9] Late in the night, Naushad remembered a folk song from eastern Uttar Pradesh with the lyrics "Prem kiya, kya chori kari hai..." ("I have loved, does it mean that I have stolen?"). The song was converted into a ghazal and subsequently recorded.[35] At that time, since there was no technology to provide for the reverberation of sound heard in the song, Naushad had Mangeshkar sing the song in a studio bathroom.[60] Some sources state that a chorus of a hundred singers supported singer Mohammed Rafi for the song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad",[9] though other sources place the number at a thousand.[18]

text: The song "Mohe Panghat Pe" was objected to by veteran director Vijay Bhatt. Although he was not directly involved with the project, he thought that it would "ruin the film", since it showed the Mughal emperor celebrating the Hindu festival Janmashtami.[68] Though Naushad argued that the presence of Jodhabai made the situation logical, he met with the film's screenwriters and subsequently added dialogue that explained the sequence.[35]

text: When the film was colourised for re-release, the soundtrack was also reworked, with original composer Naushad receiving help from Uttam Singh. The score remained the same, but the sound was touched up and converted to Dolby Digital.[69] The orchestral part was re-recorded with live musicians, but the original solo vocals were retained.[9] The cost was reported to be between ₹2.6 million (US$40,000) and ₹6.5 million (US$100,000).[9][69]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The soundtrack of Mughal-e-Azam received universal acclaim from critics in India. It is often cited as one of the best soundtracks in Bollywood history,[70][71] and was one of the best-selling Bollywood albums of the 1960s.[72] Shahid Khan, writing for Planet Bollywood, gave the soundtrack ten out of ten stars and called the music the "soul of the film".[67] In 2004, Subhash K. Jha reviewed the re-mastered release of the soundtrack, praising the technical quality of the re-release and the original vocals of Lata Mangeshkar.[73] In 2013, Baldev S Chauhan of Sun Post called the songs "some of the greatest songs of Hindi cinema."[74]

text: Track listing[edit]

text: All lyrics written by Shakeel Badayuni; all music composed by Naushad.

text:
No.
Title
Singer(s)
Length

1.
"Mohe Panghat Pe"
Lata Mangeshkar and chorus
4:02

2.
"Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya"
Lata Mangeshkar and chorus
6:21

3.
"Mohabbat Ki Jhooti"
Lata Mangeshkar
2:40

4.
"Humen Kash Tumse Mohabbat"
Lata Mangeshkar
3:08

5.
"Bekas Pe Karam Keejeye"
Lata Mangeshkar
3:52

6.
"Teri Mehfil Mein"
Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum and chorus
5:05

7.
"Ye Dil Ki Lagi"
Lata Mangeshkar
3:50

8.
"Ae Ishq Yeh Sab Duniyawale"
Lata Mangeshkar
4:17

9.
"Khuda Nigehbaan"
Lata Mangeshkar
2:52

10.
"Ae Mohabbat Zindabad"
Mohammed Rafi and chorus
5:03

11.
"Prem Jogan Ban Ke"
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
5:03

12.
"Shubh Din Aayo Raj Dulara"
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
2:49

Total length:
49:02

text: Release[edit]

text:
"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."[75]

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

text: At the time of the release of Mughal-e-Azam, a typical Bollywood film would garner a distribution fee of ₹300,000–400,000 (about US$63,000–84,000 in 1960)[a] per territory. Asif insisted that he would sell his film to the distributors at no less than ₹700,000 per territory. Subsequently, the film was actually sold at a price of ₹1.7 million (US$356,000)[a] 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.[75]

text: The premiere of Mughal-e-Azam was held at the then-new[20] 1,100-capacity[76] Maratha Mandir cinema in Mumbai.[77] Mirroring the nature of the film, the cinema's foyer had been decorated to resemble a Mughal palace, and a 40-foot (12 m) cut-out of Prithviraj Kapoor was erected outside it.[78] The Sheesh Mahal set was transported from the studio to the cinema, where ticket holders could go inside and experience its grandeur.[79] 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.[80] The premiere was held amidst great fanfare, with large crowds and an extensive media presence, in addition to hosting much of the film industry,[9] although Dilip Kumar did not attend the event owing to his dispute with Asif. The film's reels arrived at the premiere cinema atop a decorated elephant, accompanied by the music of bugles[17] and shehnai.[20]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The day before bookings for the film opened, a reported crowd of 100,000 gathered outside the Maratha Mandir to buy tickets.[9] The tickets, the most expensive for a Bollywood film at that time, were dockets containing text, photographs and trivia about the film, and are now considered collector's items.[81] They sold for ₹100 (valued at about US$21 in 1960),[a] compared to the usual price of ₹1.5 (US$0.31).[a][82] Bookings experienced major chaos, to the extent that police intervention was required. It was reported that people would wait in queues for four to five days, and would be supplied food from home through their family members.[66] Subsequently, the Maratha Mandir closed bookings for three weeks.[9]

text: Mughal-e-Azam was released on 5 August 1960 in 150 cinemas across the country, establishing a record for the widest release for a Bollywood film.[16] It became a major commercial success, earning ₹4 million (US$839,000)[a] in the first week,[83][84] eventually earning a net revenue of ₹55 million (US$11,530,000),[a] and generating a profit of ₹30 million for the producers. Mughal-e-Azam also experienced a long theatrical run, screening to full capacity at the Maratha Mandir for three years.[78] The film thus became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time[16] by surpassing Mother India (1957), and retained this record until Sholay (1975) surpassed its net revenue.[20] In terms of gross revenue, Mughal-e-Azam earned ₹110 million.[1]

text: According to Zia Us Salam of The Hindu, Mughal-e-Azam was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time if adjusted for inflation.[18] According to the online box office website Box Office India in 2011, the film's adjusted net revenue would have amounted to ₹1327 million, ranking it as an "All-Time Blockbuster".[85] According to Box Office India in June 2017, Mughal-e-Azam had more than 100 million footfalls at the domestic box office, higher than Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994) and Baahubali 2 (2017).[86]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Mughal-e-Azam received almost universal acclaim from Indian critics; every aspect of the film was praised.[87] A review from the 1960s in Filmfare called it a "history-making film ... the work of a team of creative artists drawn from different spheres of the art world". It was also described as "a tribute to imagination, hard work and lavishness of its maker, Mr. Asif. For its grandeur, its beauty, and then performances of the artists it should be a landmark in Indian films."[88] Another contemporary review from The Indian Express focused on the acting and dancing "gifts" of Madhubala.[89]

text: Since 2000, reviewers have described the film as a "classic", "benchmark", or "milestone" in the history of Indian cinema.[2][17] In 2011, Anupama Chopra called it "the best Hindi film ever made" and "the apotheosis of the Hindi film form", noting specifically the performances, father-son drama and song sequences.[90] Dinesh Raheja of Rediff called the film a must-see classic, saying "a work of art is the only phrase to describe this historical whose grand palaces-and-fountains look has an epic sweep and whose heart-wrenching core of romance has the tenderness of a feather's touch."[2] Sujata Gupta of Planet Bollywood gave the film nine out of ten stars, calling it a "must see" that "has captured interest of people over generations".[91]

text: K. K. Rai, in his review for Stardust stated, "it can be said that the grandeur and vintage character of Mughal-e-Azam cannot be repeated, and it will remembered as one of the most significant films made in this country."[75] Ziya Us Salam of The Hindu described Mughal-e-Azam as a film people will want to watch over and over again.[18] Raja Sen of Rediff compared the film to Spartacus (1960) and said, "Mughal-e-Azam is awesomely, stunningly overwhelming, a magnificent spectacle entirely free of CGI and nonlinear gimmickry, a gargantuan feat of ... of ... well, of Mughal proportions!"[92] Laura Bushell of the BBC rated the film four out of five stars, considering it to be a "benchmark film for both Indian cinema and cinema grandeur in general", and remarking that Mughal-E-Azam was an epic film in every way.[93] Naman Ramachandran, reviewing the film for the British Film Institute, noted the depiction of religious tolerance and said the film had a tender heart.[94]

text: Nasreen Munni Kabir, author of The Immortal Dialogue of K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam, compared the film to the Koh-i-Noor diamond for its enduring worth to Indian cinema.[17] Outlook, in 2008, and Hindustan Times, in 2011, both declared that the scene in which Salim brushes Anarkali with an ostrich feather was the most erotic and sensuous scene in the history of Indian cinema.[19][95]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: At the 1961 National Film Awards, Mughal-e-Azam won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.[96] In the 1961 Filmfare Awards, Mughal-e-Azam was nominated in seven categories: Best Film, Best Director (Asif), Best Actress (Madhubala),[19] Best Playback Singer (Mangeshkar), Best Music (Naushad),[97] Best Cinematography (Mathur), and Best Dialogue (Aman, Wajahat Mirza, Kamaal Amrohi, and Ehsan Rizvi), winning the awards for Best Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Dialogue.[98][99]

text: Colourisation[edit]

text: Mughal-e-Azam was the first black-and-white Hindi film to be digitally coloured and the first to be given a theatrical re-release.[100] The Sterling Investment Corporation, the negative rights owner [101] and an arm of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, undertook restoration and colourisation of Mughal-e-Azam and assigned Deepesh Salgia as Project Designer and Director.[102] They initially approached Hollywood executives for help, but found the sales quotations, ranging from $12–15 million, too high.[100] In 2002, Umar Siddiqui, managing director of the Indian Academy of Arts and Animation (IAAA), proposed to enhance it digitally at a fraction of the cost.[100] To convince the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, one of India's wealthiest companies,[39] of the commercial viability of the project, the IAAA colourised a four-minute clip and showed it to them. They approved and gave the project the go-ahead. Shapoorji Mistry, grandson of producer Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry, thought it a fitting tribute to complete his grandfather's unfinished dream of colourising the entire film.[69]

text: The first step towards colourisation was the restoration of the original negatives, which were in poor condition owing to extensive printing of the negative during the original theatrical release.[69] Costly and labour-intensive restoration was essential before colourisation could be carried out. The negative was cleaned of fungal growth, damaged portions were restored, and missing parts of frames were re-instated.[103] After cleaning, each of the 300,000 frames of the negative was scanned into a 10 megabytes-sized file and then was digitally restored.[9] The entire restoration work was undertaken by Acris Lab, Chennai.[104] The dialogues in the original soundtrack were also in a bad state of preservation, which necessitated having the sound cleaned at Chace Studio in the United States. The background score and the entire musical track was recreated by Naushad and Uttam Singh.[41] For the songs, the original voices of the singers like Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar were extracted from the original mixed track and the same were recreated with re-recorded score in 6.1 surround sound.[105]

text: The process of colourisation was preceded by extensive research. The art departments visited museums and studied the literature for background on the typical colours of clothing worn at that time. Siddiqui studied the technology used for the colourisation of black-and-white Hollywood classics. The team also approached a number of experts for guidance and suggestions, including Dilip Kumar, production designer Nitin Chandrakant Desai, and a historian from the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.[69] To undertake the colourisation, Siddiqui brought together a team of around 100 individuals, including computer engineers and software professionals, and organised a number of art departments. The entire project was co-ordinated by Deepesh Salgia, who partnered with companies including Iris Interactive and Rajtaru Studios to execute the colourisation.[9] The task was controlled and supervised by the producers, who received daily updates and progress reports.[69]

text: The colourisation team spent 18 months developing software for colouring the frames, called "Effects Plus", which was designed to accept only those colours whose hue would match the shade of grey present in the original film. This ensured that the colours added were as close to the real colour as possible;[103] the authenticity of the colouring was later verified when a costume used in the film was retrieved from a warehouse, and its colours were found to closely match those in the film. Every shot was finally hand-corrected to perfect the look.[106] The actual colourisation process took a further 10 months to complete.[103] Siddiqui said that it had "been a painstaking process with men working round the clock to complete the project."[107] The exact cost of the colourisation is disputed, with a wide variety of estimates ranging from ₹20 million (US$310,000)[107] to ₹50 million,[39][108] or ₹100 million.[69]

text: Re-releases[edit]

text: The film's colour version was released theatrically on 12 November 2004, in 150[9] prints across India, 65 of which were in Maharashtra. The new release premiered at the Eros Cinema in Mumbai. Dilip Kumar, who had not attended the original premiere, was in attendance.[109] The colour version was edited to a running time of 177 minutes,[103][110] as compared to the original version's 197 minutes.[44] The new release also included a digital reworked soundtrack, produced with the assistance of Naushad, the original composer.[111] The release on the festive Diwali weekend came with three other major releases: Veer-Zaara, Aitraaz, and Naach. It became the 19th highest grossing Bollywood film of the year, behind Aitraaz and Veer-Zaara (the top grosser), but ahead of Naach.[112]

text: Mughal-e-Azam became the first full-length feature film colourised for a theatrical re-release; although some Hollywood films had been colourised earlier, they were only available for home media. It was subsequently selected for seven international film festivals.[9] Upon release, the film drew crowds to the cinemas,[17] with an overall occupancy of 90 per cent.[107] Subsequently, it completed a 25-week run.[113] While some critics complained that the colours were "psychedelic" or "unnatural", others hailed the effort as a technological achievement.[107] Film critic Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times remarked that while colourising was not a good idea for most black-and-white classics, it was perfect in this particular instance. He compared it to films by Cecil B. DeMille and to Gone With the Wind (1939) for its larger-than-life storytelling.[38] The Guardian said that although the new version was an improvement, "the fake colours tend to look flat and brash, detracting from cinematographer RD Mathur's elegantly composed shots."[43] The BBC's Jaspreet Pandohar, observing that the film was "restored in appealing candy-colours and high quality sound", considered it a "cross between Gone With the Wind and Ben-Hur".[114] Other critics have said that they prefer the black and white version.[95][115]

text: In 2006, Mughal-e-Azam became only the fourth Indian film certified for showing in Pakistan since the 1965 ban on Indian cinema, and was released with a premiere in Lahore.[116] It was distributed by Nadeem Mandviwala Entertainment, at the request of Asif's son, Akbar Asif.[117]

text: Legacy[edit]

text: Mughal-e-Azam is one of only two films directed by Asif; one of his unfinished projects was released posthumously as a tribute.[16] Over time the title has become part of Bollywood vernacular, used to describe a project that is taking too long to complete.[81] Art director Omung Kumar, who has designed sets for major Indian films such as Black (2005) and Saawariya (2007), said that he and others in his field look to Mughal-e-Azam as a source of inspiration for art direction.[118] It has also been used as a model for the perfect love story, requiring directors to ensure lovers overcome obstacles.[81] Following her success in the film, Madhubala could have gone on to land further major roles, but she was advised not to overwork owing to her heart condition, and had to withdraw from some productions that were already underway.[2][119]

text: The Guardian in 2013 cited Mughal-e-Azam as a "landmark of cinema" despite its historical inaccuracies,[43] and the BBC stated in 2005 that it is "widely considered one of Bollywood's most iconic films".[114] Imtiaz Ali of The Times of India in 2010 called it the "most proto-typical, high involvement, expensive, passionate piece of work that Hindi cinema has ever produced", one that "set the standard for everything that will ever come after it".[81] It continues to be regarded by critics as the Indian equivalent of Gone with the Wind.[120] Filmmaker Subhash Ghai was quoted in 2010 as saying that a film like this could never be repeated: "Mughal-e-Azam is an all-time classic and has been the ultimate love story in Hindi cinema at all levels. So it will always remain alive for generations to come."[118] To commemorate the film's anniversary, Asif's friend the actor and producer Shah Rukh Khan had his company Red Chillies Entertainment produce a documentary video titled Mughal-E-Azam – A Tribute by a son to his father. Hosted by Khan, it includes interviews with Asif's family and Bollywood stars.[121] Artist M. F. Husain created a series of paintings for the video, in which he re-imagined some memorable scenes.[122] Interested in preserving the film for future generations, Khan noted that his father was originally cast in the film but did not complete it. When asked if Mughal-e-Azam should be remade, he retorted: "It is the mother of all films; mothers cannot be remade".[123][124] No sequels have been made, but Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam (2008) paid tribute with its title and by including in its plot part of the original stage play; it received very poor ratings from critics.[125] In October 2016, producer Feroz Abbas Khan premiered a stage play based on the film with a cast of over 70 actors and dancers at Mumbai's NCPA theatre.[126]

text: Mughal-e-Azam ranks on the lists of top Indian films, including the 2002 British Film Institute poll of Top 10 Indian Films,[127] and Anupama Chopra's 2009 list The Best Bollywood Films.[128] It is also included in CNN-IBN's 2013 list of the "100 greatest Indian films of all time".[129] Rotten Tomatoes has sampled 10 reviewers and judged 90% of them to be positive, with an average rating of 7.9 out of 10.[130] It is second on Box Office India's list of Biggest Blockbusters Ever in Hindi Cinema,[131] and was named the greatest Bollywood film of all time by a poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema by British Asian weekly newspaper Eastern Eye in July 2013.[132] It belongs to a small collection of films including Kismet (1943), Mother India (1957), Sholay (1975), and Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), that are watched repeatedly throughout India and are viewed as definitive Hindi films of cultural significance.[133] Books and documentaries made about the film include Shakil Warsi's Mughal-E-Azam – An Epic of Eternal Love, published by Rupa in 2009.[134] The name Mughal-e-Azam has been adopted by businesses, including a restaurant in Goregaon.[135]

text: Footnotes[edit]

text: ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h The exchange rate in 1960 was 4.77 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).(Statistical Abstract of the United States 1961, p. 937)

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