Razia Sultan

Awards

• No award information available.

Trivia

Album

• This eponymously-named film was based on the life of the only female ruler of Delhi, who reigned over the Delhi Sultanate from 1236 to 1240. One of the important themes of the film was her love affair with her slave Jamal-Ud-Din Yaqut.
• The film's director Kamal Amrohi had wanted Khayyam to compose the music for this film but had settled for Laxmikant - Pyarelal since they were considered the most commercially viable composers of that time. Laxmikant - Pyarelal had even started working on the music for the film. Finding one of the songs composed by them to be paced faster than required, the director had wanted the composer duo to reduce the song's tempo. When he had arrived at Laxmikant - Pyarelal's office, the veteran director had been made to wait for a long time. Kamal Amrohi had taken offence at this, walked out of the office and brought Khayyam on board for the film.[1]
• This film was in the making for seven years and one of the most expensive films of its time. While its music was popular, the film itself was a big flop.
• Dharmendra's casting in this film had created quite a buzz in the film industry. There were speculations about why Kamal Amrohi had cast him despite the bad blood between them. Around the time "Pakeezah" (1971) was being filmed, there had been rumours of Dharmendra's affair with Amrohi's ex-wife, Meena Kumari. In fact, Dharmendra, who had been originally cast for the role of Salim in "Pakeezah" (1971), had exited the film and made way for Raaj Kumar in order to put these rumours to rest. Some had said that casting Dharmendra as the dark slave in this film was Amrohi's way of taking revenge against the actor. Dharmendra himself had dismissed this speculation.[2]
• This was the only Hindi film featuring director Kamal Amrohi's two sons Tajdar and Shandaar.
• This was the last Hindi film of the legendary producer, director and actor Sohrab Modi. He had started his film career in the 1930s. The actor passed away a few months after the release of this film.
• Khayyam's choice of the playback singer for two solos in the film was unusual - Kabban Mirza. Mirza was a well-known announcer in All India Radio's Vividh Bharti service who had a brief stint as an actor and playback singer in Hindi films in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[3]

Song

• Khwab Ban Kar Koi Aayega - This song has been talked about as being one of the earliest Hindi film scenes depicting lesbianism. Parveen Babi's character, Khakun, caresses Hema Malini's Razia Sultan in it and presumably kisses her as a white plume fan covers their faces. The awkward reaction of the two attendants in the boat with them seems to strengthen this suggestion.

1. ^ How Khayyam got Razia Sultan back from Laxmikant-Pyarelal
2. ^ 5 Shocking things Dharmendra revealed on Aap Ki Adalat
3. ^ Jungle King (1959)