Celebrating the mob in the 50th year of the release of 'The Godfather'

Revisiting a piece of cinematic brilliance that once came close to being shelved

You don't get too many iconic movies that continue to stir public imagination 50 years after their making and end up inspiring a staggering 400 movies at last count, including two sequels that hit the screen and one that got shelved. The Godfather, which was released on March 24 in 1972, is one such rare film to have achieved this feat.

And this was a piece of cinematographic brilliance that was about to be abandoned halfway through its making and all the artistes and supporting staff on the verge of being asked to go, as the producers felt the movie