Madhubala swirled in the diaphanous, flared kurta as Anarkali in Mughal-E-Azam that not only caught the eye of the young Prince Salim but won over generations of cinegoers with her sartorial as well as histrionic graces. The Anarkali kurta, inspired by Moghul courtesans, has become a mainstay of most films about danseues of that era. Donned by heroines like Meena Kumari in Pakeezah, Rekha and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in their respective versions of Umrao Jaan, Madhuri Dixit in Devdas, Rani Mukerji in Mangal Pandey - The Rising and now Mallika Sherawat in Maan Gaye Mughall-e-Azam, the Anarkali kurta has been a regular item in film wardrobes.
The ornate garment is now making a big come-back in real life among the swish sets. Lara Dutta, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan have been wearing the Anarkali kurtas off-screen as well. Fashion designers have also given the frock-dress a big thumbs up!