 In 1944, Asif planned to make a film called "Mughal-e-Azam" based on the life and times of Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great's court dancer, based on a Urdu novel 'Anarkali' written by Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj, with Chandramohan in the male lead and the then upcoming actress Nargis in the female lead.However, in 1946, before the production of the film could begin, the male lead, Chandramohan, died.At that time, Asif temporarily shelved the film until further notice.