UNI

New Delhi, May 22: Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar may have missed out on being a part of the historic occasion of the premiere of K Asif's Mughal-e-Azam on April 23, but the legendary actor may finally have a tryst with the Pakistani audience at a special premiere of the 60s classic film next month when the grand historical releases in 30 cinema halls across the country.

Sources in Sterling investment Corporation limited, the negative right holders of the 60s classic, told UNI that Dilip Kumar would, provided his health permits, grace the premiere of Mughal-E-Azam in the last week of May.

Though the veteran actor had shown interest in attending Mughal-E-Azam's premiere in Karachi, his falling health had created a state of uncertainty about his presence at the premiere, the sources said. Infact, Nadeem Mandviwalla of Nadim Mandviwalla entertainment, the distributors of Mughal-E-Azam in Pakistan said recently that he had received a letter of consent from the veteran Indian actor. ''If there is anything that places a question mark on his visit to Pakistan, it is his health. Otherwise there is nothing which can hamper the actor's voyage,'' Mandviwalla said.

''The Indian actor needs a go-ahead from his doctors for traveling abroad,'' Dipesh Salgia of Sterling invesment corporation told UNI. ''The exact situation in the regard would be known by the last week of May, when Nadeem Mandviwalla is scheduled to visit Mumbai. Dilip Kumar played the role of Prince Salim in Mughal-E Azam, which stars Prithviraj Kapoor as Mughal Emperor Akbar and the ethereal Madhubala as Salim's beloved Anarkali.

In fact, Dilip Kumar is the only member of the cast and crew of the legendary film, relerased in India in 1960, to be alive. Music Director Naushad, who had composed the music of the legendary film, died last week at the age of 87. Mughal-E-Azam was released in Lahore's Gulistan cinema on April 22, making it the first Indian film in 41 years to be released in the Pakistani theatres.