“My Mughal-e-Azam Is A Tribute To K Asif & Lataji”, Feroz Abbas Khan

“My Mughal-e-Azam Is  A  Tribute To K Asif & Lataji” Feroz Abbas Khan Whose Stage Performance  Of  The Classic Film Is Creating Havoc In The  US Speaks To Subhash K Jha from Baltimore

Feroz Abbas Khan  has done to K Asif’s timeless classic Mughal-e-Azam what Asif could have  never imagined.

Speaking exclusively on  the  overwhelming response to the musical  stage adaptation  of  Mughal-e-Azam, the softspoken ever-humble (when he has  an abundance  of reasons to be not)  Feroz  says, “From the start when I  planned this  musical  stage play I wanted it to convey the  epic  grandeur  of the original. Hence  no compromises  on the  quality  of  stage sound and props.We are here in the  US  for a 14-city tour .And we are staging  our show  in the best theatres in all the  cities  of the US.We’ve covered three cities so far and  it has been an experience that I cannot  put into words.  Three generations of Indians, some of them  in wheelchairs, thronging to the theatres…I wish you were  here to see for yourself  what Mughal-e-Azam means to Indians over here in America.”

 Most excitingly, all the immortal songs of Lataji from Mughal-e-Azam  Pyar kiya toh darna  kya ,Beqas pe karam  kijiye, Mohe panghat pe nandlal chhed gayo and the  rest of the melodic memorabilia, are part of  Feroz’s  spectacular stage adaptation.

“My artistes  sing those songs of Lataji live on  stage. No recorded  songs,  all done live each time in  every city.My stage adaptation  of  Mughal-e-Azam  is  a tribute to  K Asif , Lataji and Naushad Saab.Every performance  begins with a recorded message from Lataji. I had a  very special  rapport with  Lataji. I remember when Lataji was in London she had come  all the way to Leicester to see  our  performance of  Tumhari Amrita. She was  very excited  about Mughal-e-Azam going on  stage. Sadly she is  not here to see what we’ve  done. But I hope she is  smiling from  above, as are  K Asif, Shakeel Badayuni, Naushad, Dilip Kumar Saab  and  Madhubala.”

 Feroz’s Mughal-e-Azam is  a winner ever since it was first staged  in 2017.

Says  Khan modestly, “We  never  wanted to  compete with Asif Saab’s film. Our stage version of  Mughal-e-Azam is a homage to the  classic film. If new generations  of  audiences are  reliving the magic of  the film through our stage  play, then I have only have Asif  Saab to thank for it.And who can sing Pyar kiya toh darna  kya like Lataji? That we are audacious enough to attempt this,is just our love for the original.  We know we have Asif Saab’s  blessings.”