Did you know Madhubala’s Mahal was the first Indian horror film production & other trivia

The Indian film industry was introduced to the horror genre with Madhubala’s film, Mahal. This film was released in 1949 and starred actors Ashok Kumar and Madhubala in the lead roles. Further, this film was directed by the famous screenwriter, Kamal Amrohi. Here is some interesting Mahal trivia that might intrigue you:

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• Mahal was the first Indian horror film production.
• This film featured a song sung by the ace Bollywood singer, Lata Mangeshkar. The name of the song was Aayega Aanewala and it was reportedly Mangeshkar’s first hit song.
• As per reports, this song also featured on All India Radio. Further several people contacted the radio channel in order to know the name of the singer.
• Kamal Amrohi made his directorial debut with this film.
• During that time the singer would not be credited for his or her work. However, Lata Mangeshkar urged the filmmakers to include her name in the credit titles. As per reports, the song records of Mahal stated that the songs were sung by Kamini i.e. Madhubala’s character.
• Mahal was Bollywood’s first film which featured a reincarnation.
• The cinematographer of Mahal, Josef Wirsching is now referred to as the pioneer of cinematography in India.
• As per reports, this was one of the most hit movies released by Bombay Talkies. However, Bombay Talkies shut down after the release of this film.
• Mahal was the first Bollywood horror film to have a theme music. Following the success of the film, several other movies also picked up the trend of having theme music. Some of these films included Madhumati, Woh Kaun Thi and Mera Saaya.
• Several people sent appreciation letters to the director of the film after its release. As per reports, most of these letters appreciated the music of the film.
• The Aayega Aanewala song also featured in another film entitled Khamoshiyan. Vishesh Films’ production house purchased the rights of this song for Mahesh Bhatt’s film. As per reports, Bhatt did not deem any other song to be fit for the film.

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Mahal Plot:

The plot of this film revolves around a man who shifts into a mansion. Here the protagonist gets to know about his tragic past. Further, things start to take an ugly turn when the hero sees visions of a woman who claims to love him.

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Madhubala’s movies:

Madhubala made her acting debut with the 1942 Indian film, Basant. However, she got her big breakthrough in the 1949 film, Mahal. The actor was well known for her role in films like Mughal-e-Azam and Half Ticket.

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Promo Image Source: A still from Mahal