There were historical epics that preceded HUMAYUN (1945) but this one took the genre to a new level in Hindi cinema. Made by pioneer filmmaker Mehboob Khan, this film reportedly reached the attention of even Hollywood (in the person of Cecil B. DeMille). This film rates a 10 because of its significance in Indian cinema. History has always been a fusion of fact and fiction. And this film makes no pretense otherwise.
The sets, costumes, and general art direction are over-the-top, surpassing anything that had yet been filmed in Hindi cinema. This was the achievement of Mehboob Khan--the Cecil B. DeMille of India.
The casting was stellar: Ashok Kumar, Veena, Nargis, Chandra Mohan, Shah Nawaz, and K. N. Singh. All were nearly perfectly cast but a couple of performances fell short of the mark. The usually superb Chandra Mohan looked uncomfortable in his part which is surprising considering he played an excellent Emperor Jahangir in the 1939 epic PUKAR. The same can be said of Nargis. In all fairness to Nargis, she was very young here and still inexperienced in large scale film roles. Both Chandra Mohan and Nargis were overshadowed by the powerhouse presence of Veena in this film. In their scenes with Veena, both seemed edgy and uptight, which is a clear sign of actors who are not secure in their roles. Veena displays alternately a fiery and yet tender warrior princess which blows away the viewer. She somehow managed to go from a tigress to a dove in this role. How she achieved this, only Mehboob Khan could have known the answer. There never was an actress in the history of Hindi cinema who could deliver a dialogue like Veena or who had that inimitable voice. Ashok Kumar seems to be enjoying himself in the title role. He genuinely looks like he had fun playing this part. He was perfect for the part of Emperor Humayun. K. N. Singh played a real menacing part in this film and made his screen presence felt. Shah Nawaz made a regal and powerful Emperor Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire in India. A terrific supporting actor, Shah Nawaz had co-starred with Ashok Kumar in the diamond jubilee hit KISMET two years earlier in 1943, where he played a tough yet sympathetic police inspector which set the standard of important cop roles for decades to come by later character actors.
In conclusion, HUMAYUN is a costume drama of epic proportions...Classic songs, great music, eloquent dialogue, opulent sets, spectacular battle scenes...This film has it all. For its cultural significance, as well as its commercial value, this film is a must see.
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