Emperor Akbar (Prithviraj), 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 (Jillo Bai) his ring and promises to grant her anything she desires. Akbar loves India and works to win the hearts of the population. The son, Prince Salim, grows up to be spoiled, drunk, flippant, and self-indulgent (he likes to spend his time witnessing dances of courtesans). His father sends him off to war under the care of Raja Man Singh (Murad), to teach him courage and discipline. Fourteen years later, Salim returns (Dilip Kumar) as a distinguished soldier. Durjan Singh (Ajit) is Man Singh's son and Salim's trusted advisor on the battlefield. Happy with Salim's victories on the battlefield, Akbar orders him back to court. Jodha is delirious and asks Tansen (Surinder) to writes melodious poems and Sculptor (Kumar) to produce beautiful formations to get Salim to forget the tribulations of war. The sculptor could not complete his creation in time and puts the live model in front of Salim, covered in lax, to make it seem like a sculpted rock. Salim is mesmerized with the beauty of the statue. Later, Bahar realizes that the sculptor had put a live model in place of the unfinished statue. The statue was of Nadira. The next morning, Bahar publicly requests Salim to unveil the statue by cutting the rope, with his arrow, hoping that Salim would miss and kill Nadira, but Salim does not miss. Nadira reveals herself to be a human and not statue. Salim falls in love with court dancer Nadira, whom the emperor has renamed Anarkali (Madhubala), meaning pomegranate blossom (for her courage in front of Salim's arrow). Suraiya (Sheila Dalaya) is Nadira's best friend. She plays mediator between Salim and Nadira and shuttles their letters and love notes to one another. Nadira refuses Salim's advances as she is a dancer and he is a prince of Hindustan. The match will never be sanctioned. Salim meets Nadira at night, putting social customs at risk, and expresses his love for her and convinces her to love him. Durjan Singh warns Salim repeatedly against this forbidden love. 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. Bahar is very close to queen Jodha Bai. Unsuccessful in winning Salim's love (By defeating Nadira in front of Salim in a singing contest), she exposes his forbidden relationship with Anarkali (after she sees Salim kissing Nadira in the royal garden, in the middle of night). Due to his love with Nadira, Salim was ignoring affairs of the state, further angering Akbar. Akbar orders Nadira to be imprisoned. Salim demands her release from the royal dungeons, but Akbar refuses. Despite her treatment, Anarkali refuses to reject Salim, as Akbar demands. Akbar orders Nadira to convince Salim that she only loved him to get the title of Queen and her love was fake. Bahar tells Salim that Nadira has been released as she has agreed to renounce Salim. Salim cannot believe it. That night, in Sheesh Mahal, Anarkali dances and reaffirms her love for Salim, in front of a livid Akbar. Akbar responds by again imprisoning Nadira. Salim pleads to marry Anarkali, but his father refuses and imprisons her. Jodha tries to explain to Salim that Nadira cannot be the empress of Hindustan. Salim agrees to renounce all his rights to the throne in exchange for Nadira, but Akbar is not willing compromise (even though Jodha also pleads with Akbar to give Anarkali to Salim). Akbar sends Salim to the front to keep him away from palace. As Salim departs, Akbar wants the sculptor to marry Anarkali. The sculptor refuses the royal order. Salim rebels and amasses an army to confront Akbar and rescue Anarkali. Akbar decides to enter the battle himself, and Jodha refuses to give his sword to him (saying she cant chose between her husband and her son). Akbar orders Durjan Singh to kill Anarkali, but Durjan had promised Salim to keep Anarkali safe. So, he smuggles Anarkali out of prison (at the cost of his own life) and brings her to Salim. At that time, Akbar was in Salim's tent trying to convince Salim that he should not clamor for war over this issue. Seeing Anarkali in Salim's tent, Akbar is again livid and firmly resolved to go to war. As war erupts, Salim asks Durjan Singh to hide 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 (Salim had promised her this, and Anarkali didn't want Akbar to be left in the debt of her promise given by the future Emperor of Hindustan). 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 favor, 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.
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