Pakeezah (1972)

[zen]

Pakeezah was released in 1972 but its mahurat was done in 1956. For a variety of reasons, the film kept getting delayed and therefore its actors old. Ashok Kumar was probably slotted in to play Raaj Kumar's role but the delay meant that he played the father's role. For Raaj Kumar's role, other actors were considered too but the role went to Raaj Kumar for his expertise in delivering dialogues. Meena Kumari was suffering with cancer when the film was revived once again. Some of the song sequences had to be picturized on a double (Padma Khanna did one of the songs). For Producer-Director Kamal Amrohi, the film was a tribute to his wife and then ex-wife Meena Kumari, who gave the film her all including shooting through sickness (Cancer). She died a few weeks after the film's release. 

 

Initially, the film was to be shot in B&W but when color technology became widespread, it was to be shot in color. And when Cinemascore came, Amrohi reshot the shot sequences again. If I recall correctly, this is India's first Cinemascope film. The songs of the film were considered dated as they were recorded in previous decades but since music director Ghulam Mohammad had died, Amrohi thought it unethical to change the songs without the music director's consent. Ghulam Mohammad had worked hard on the songs. What Amrohi did was reduce the # of songs in the film. Naushad gave the background score. 

 

Like Shahjahan made Taj Mahal for Mumtaz, Amrohi wanted to make Pakeezah for Meena Kumari. Was he successful? ... Let's find out.  As a part of reconnecting with Bollywood, I saw this film recently. I expected the film to be technically good apart from the storyline of a dancer girl. I was not sure if the story would appeal to me now. 

 

After watching the film, I was left spellbound by this work of art. In the end, the story took a backseat to the passion and style displayed on screen. With its extravagant sets and poetic dialogues, the film takes you to a bygone era, feeling like a fantasy. The background score by Naushad is among the best that I have heard in a Bollywood film (probably in the top 5). A great example is the score played when Meena Kumara sees the train from her balcony and longs for the one who wrote her the "letter". As for the songs, they do highlight the best of a bygone era, making Pakeezah one of the best selling albums iirc (what a decision Amrohi made to keep the songs intact). The cons of the film if any can be overlooked especially considering the film faced various challenges and still delivers.  

 

To answer the question, was Amrohi successful in achieving his goals? Once in a while stars align to create an unique and memorable film, whether it is Mughal-e-Azam and Anand, or masala entertainers like Sholay and Qurbani. Pakeezah is one of those films where most factors have aligned to create magic. One needs passion and patience to craft such films, which are a rare event. Yes, Amrohi has managed to give a fitting tribute to Meena Kumari and in the process created one of the great films. 

 

 

A sample of Naushad's background score - Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If Pakeezah is restored and released in 4K HDR, it would be a great buy as it is both visually and aurally appealing!

Edited July 21, 2021 by zen

[zen]

The film was released in Feb 1972 so in its 50th year. 

Edited July 20, 2021 by zen

[maniac]

Maybe from an art design standpoint and music standpoint a great film but not the kind of film that excites me.

 

Some nabobs visiting kotha just to watch dance while eating pan and smoking hookah,

sorry but not my kind of movie.

 

If it is rated for the things mentioned above I can understand but

[zen]

2 hours ago, maniac said:

Maybe from an art design standpoint and music standpoint a great film but not the kind of film that excites me.

 

Some nabobs visiting kotha just to watch dance while eating pan and smoking hookah,

sorry but not my kind of movie.

 

If it is rated for the things mentioned above I can understand but

 

Because of the subject matter, Pakeezah is probably not a film for everyone. At the essence, it is about tawaifs falling in love when they are not supposed to or viewed as incapable of loving as their "ruh" is considered to be buried. Pretty Woman can be seen as a version of such a theme. Pakeezah though deals with the subject gracefully, inviting you to explore their world too, a bygone era. On top of that it has wonderful sets, poetic dialogues, etc. to provide a unique experience. 

[Mariyam]

@zen Enjoyed reading your write up.

 

Meena Kumari passed away a few weeks after the release of Pakeezah. The movie wasn't doing too well at the B.O till then. But people thronged to the theatres after she was no more.

 

Meena Kumari also was an Urdu poet of some repute. Her anthology Tanha Chand was published posthumously. My grandfather had a copy, and I remember reading it a long time ago. I was quite young to appreciate her work. And unaware of the circumstances in which she had written her poems.

Shall share some of her work here, if I can find it now.

 

Maybe you should do an Umrao Jaan ( The one with Rekha) vs Pakeezah comparison? 

You would like Umrao Jaan a lot more.

[zen]

1 hour ago, Mariyam said:

Meena Kumari also was an Urdu poet of some repute. Her anthology Tanha Chand was published posthumously. My grandfather had a copy, and I remember reading it a long time ago. I was quite young to appreciate her work. And unaware of the circumstances in which she had written her poems.

Shall share some of her work here, if I can find it now

I did not know Meena Kumari was a poet too. I like the name of the anthology “Tanha Chand”. 
 

Look forward to reading those if you get a chance to post them.

Feel like writing something in Urdu, a poetic language, so below is me as an impromptu poet using the anthology title:

 

Chand ke saath tare, phir bhi woh tanha kaise 

Hum toh chand tare ko dekhke mehsoos karte hai mafil mein hai jaise 

 

Adab 

 

 

[nevada]

On 7/21/2021 at 6:40 PM, maniac said:

Maybe from an art design standpoint and music standpoint a great film but not the kind of film that excites me.

 

Some nabobs visiting kotha just to watch dance while eating pan and smoking hookah,

sorry but not my kind of movie.

 

If it is rated for the things mentioned above I can understand but

Same here. I love the songs but the story holds no appeal for me. I feel bad about the nautch girl but can't watch an entire movie about her sad life. I read Amrohi and Meena Kumari were seperated at that time but didn't know she passed away as soon as the movie released.  This makes the whole thing even sadder! Poor Meena - suffering as much as the character she portrayed. 

My elders watched this movie back during the VCR days when I was a kid but I didn't watch it, and as a grown up I don't see any reasons for me to watch it anytime soon. 

 

 

 

[zen]

Talking about cinematography, below Raaj Kumar and Meena Kumar interact through the tent:

 

 

 

 

Btw, below is what happened at the 20th Filmfare Awards, winners in bold:

 

• Best Film: Be-Imaan, Anubhav, Pakeezah
• Best Director: Sohanlal Kanwar – Be-Imaan, Kamal Amrohi – Pakeezah, Manoj Kumar – Shor
• Best Music: Be-Imaan – Shankar-Jaikishan, Pakeezah – Ghulam Mohammed, Shor – Laxmikant–Pyarelal
• Best Actress: Hema Malini – Seeta Aur Geeta, Meena Kumari – Pakeezah, Raakhee – Aankhon Aankhon Mein, Sharmila Tagore - Amar Prem
• Best Cinematography: Seeta Aur Geeta

 

Pran did not accept the best supporting actor award (you guessed it for Be-Imaan) for how Pakeezah was treated especially for music. As a consolation, the film that won most of the awards was titled "Be-Imaan"! 

Edited July 22, 2021 by zen