Anwar Ibrahim has lamented that people live in an age fractured by artificial intelligence and relentless technological leaps - a time when “relationships are as ephemeral as the disappearing messages in our WhatsApp connections”.

In a reflective social media post, he shared how the film “Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story” struck a deep chord with him against this backdrop of fleeting human bonds.

The prime minister noted that the cinematic retelling of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal’s romance serves as a timeless reminder that life, no matter its grandeur or achievements, holds little meaning without love.

“‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever’, a superb quote indeed from (John) Keats, but to speak of beauty alone just won’t cut it when we talk about the epic story of the Taj Mahal.

“That’s the monumental challenge in making the movie, because not only beauty, but like the Taj Mahal, love is eternal,” he added.

Anwar shared that he had the chance to watch the film again on Monday - his first revisit in over a decade.

Revisiting 2005 movie

The prime minister had watched the 2005 movie with its Indian director, Akbar Khan, who is a long-time friend, in Putrajaya. Also present were Indian High Commissioner BN Reddy and Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Dobrowolski.

“To my mind, its success hinges on the ability of going beyond mere historical narration to exploring the profound emotional underpinnings of love and devotion, loss and misfortune – the core that at once uplifts and yet tugs at the heart,” Anwar said.

“For the riveting visual experience, we shouldn’t be surprised with Akbar Khan’s prowess in generating magnificent cinematography and architectural brilliance but what is particularly captivating for me is the masterly blending of this eternal heartrending love epic evocatively portrayed with the story of the Mughal empire – a Shakespearean feel where it is not a mere retelling of old narratives but one seen from a prism which is less jaundiced and more empathetic (such as Julius Caesar) and never short of political intrigue, social strife, and love bondage (for example, Romeo & Juliet).

“What is romance without melodrama, and some detractors would consider this to be a fundamental flaw, but for me, granted there were occasional ‘schmaltz’, that did not diminish the emotional core of the film.

“Beauty may be a joy forever, but when it fades, the joy becomes transient. Not love, though, for ‘Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom.’ (Sonnet 116).

“Apologies, prison memories of reading Shakespeare resurfacing and reminding me as well of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s: What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it,” he added.

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