Running time 147 minutes Country India Language This article contains. Without proper, you may see, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text. Pakeezah ( Pākīzā, meaning Virtuous) is a 1972 Indian film, written and directed by, who was known for his perfectionism. The music is by and. The film starred, and. Meena Kumari's performance as a golden-hearted drew major praise. However, this was to be Meena Kumari's last performance.
Kamal Amrohi's PR man said: 'Shah Jahan made Taj Mahal for his wife, Kamal Sahab wanted to do the same with Pakeezah.' The concept, Kamal Amrohi says was irretrievably fixed with his love for his wife Meena Kumari. According to Kamal Amrohi, he hoped to create a film which would be worthy of her as an actress, and worthy of the love he felt for her as a woman. Regarded the film as Kamal Amrohi's tribute to her. The film tells the story set in Muslim Lucknow at the turn of the century, its central character is a Lucknowi nautch-girl, for her to fall in love was forbidden, it was a sin she was told, a nautch-girl is born to delight others such is her destiny and yet her restless soul could not suppress her surging desire - ' To Love and Be Loved'.
It was ostensibly (perhaps loosely) based on Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari's own love story. Pakeezah took 16 years to reach the silver screen.
Pakeezah released on 3 February 1972, with a grand premiere at theatre in central and Meena Kumari attended the last premiere of her life along with Kamal Amrohi. Already battling, Meena Kumari was ill throughout the filming and died only a few weeks after it was finally released. It was ’s last great performance and one that solidified her reputation as a legendary actress.
An Indian critic has said Pakeezah was 'Poetry, fantasy and nostalgia rolled into one on an epic scale'. Contents.
Hindi Film Pakeezah Video Download
Plot Set in Muslim Lucknow at the turn of the century, the movie centers on the mental plight of a tawaif (courtesan and dancer) and their longing to be loved, accepted and respected by society. In the eponymous role, Nargis , finds love and dreams of marrying the man she loves, Shahabuddin. However, the patriarch of Shahabuddin's family, Hakim Saab rejects this alliance, as he finds it unacceptable to welcome a tawaif in his respected family.
Dejected, Nargis flees to a nearby cemetery and lives there, ultimately giving birth to a daughter before passing away. On her deathbed, she writes Shahabuddin a letter asking him to come for his newborn daughter. Nargis' sister, Nawabjaan , a brothel madam, finds the girl first and brings her back to the kotha. When Nargis' belongings are sold several years later, a book lover finds the letter in her book and posts it. Shahabuddin comes to collect his now adult daughter, Sahibjaan (also played by Meena Kumari).
But Nawabjaan takes her niece and flees by train to another town. While traveling by train, a dashing young enters Sahibjaan's compartment by happenstance. He is struck by her beauty, and leaves her a note with the famous lines: 'Aapke paon dekhe, bahut haseen hain. Inhein zameen par mat utariyega.
Maile ho jaayenge I saw your feet - they are very beautiful. Please don't step on the ground, as they will get dirty. Sahibjaan falls in love with this mysterious stranger, and yearns to meet him. The note gives Sahibjaan hope even as she avoids unwelcome attention from her patrons while entertaining them. One particular patron, the aggressive Nawab Zafar Ali Khan , wishes to own Sahibjaan, and takes her to his boat for the night. The boat is attacked by elephants and Sahibjaan is carried away by the fast flowing river in a broken boat.
As fate would have it, she is taken to the riverside tent of a forest ranger, Salim Ahmed Khan. Alone with his diary, she reads how he was the same man who had earlier left her a note on her feet, and left for her to read it while travelling in the same compartment. Sahibjaan finally meets the stranger, but feigns amnesia to avoid telling him her true identity. Before sunset, Nawabjaan tracks Sahibjaan and brings her back to the kotha. The paths of Sahibjaan and Salim cross again, but Hakim Saab stands in the way of Salim's wishes. Salim and Sahibjaan eventually elope to live peacefully. But trials and tribulations await Sahibjaan, as she is recognized by men wherever she goes in the company of Salim.
When Salim anoints her 'Pakeezah' (Pure of Heart) to legally marry her, she refuses, and returns to the brothel. Although heartbroken, Salim eventually decides to marry someone else, and invites Sahibjaan to perform a mujra at his wedding, to which Sahibjaan agrees. During this event, Nawabjaan recognises Shahabuddin and calls him to witness the irony of the situation; his own daughter dancing and entertaining his family. Shahabuddin's father tries to shoot Nawabjaan to silence her, but instead ends up killing Shahabuddin. With his dying breath, Shahabuddin asks Salim to marry Sahibjaan.
Finally, Salim's doli palanquin defies all conventions and arrives at Sahibjaan's kotha, thus fulfilling her wishes and leading to a happy, emotion-charged ending. Cast. Nargis / Sahibjaan / Pakeezah. Salim Ahmed Khan.
Shahabuddin. Nawabjaan. Madame Gauhar Jaan.
Nawab Zafar Ali Khan. Hakim Saab. Hashim Khan (Guy on the horse) Production Concept.
'Shah Jahan made Taj Mahal for his wife, Kamal Sahab wanted to do the same with Pakeezah.' — Kamal Amrohi's PR man In 1955 and were in and here began outlining the plot of his next film with his wife and decided that he would call it Pakeezah(the name has a fascinating history too.
It was changed many times due to superstitious reasons, but finally the original stayed. After the failure of in 1953, Pakeezah as an idea was roaming Amrohi's mind. A concept, says was irretrievably fixed with his love for his wife, he hope to create a film which would be worthy of her as an actress, and worthy of the love he felt for her as a women.
Declares that every line he wrote he had Meena in mind. He wished to present her on the screen as no one had before: beautiful, sad, sanguine, dejected, calculating, sexy he ambitioned to capture as many dimensions of her as he knew of. Regarded the film as tribute to her. Kamal Amrohi son Tajdar Amrohi raised by Meena Kumari said 'What you see in Pakeezah is exactly how our home looked like - the same windows, chandeliers, arches and curtains.' The grandfather's character was taken from Amrohi's father.
'The dining table sequence in which Raaj Kumar says, 'Afsos, log doodh se bhi jal jaate hai (Alas, people get burnt by milk, too),' was inspired by everyday domestic scenes at our home. 'When an elder enters the room, the womenfolk put on their veil. This is what baba showed in Pakeezah and that's how women at our home behaved.' Says Tajdar, 'And his romance with my chhoti ammi was very dignified. Despite being separated, they felt for each other. But they never divorced as rumours go.
They loved each other and chhoti ammi respected my father and never allowed anyone to say anything against him.' On 3 February, in the Arabian Sea a ‘Pakeezah Boat’ was sailing and in the premiere was scheduled. —(1972) Pakeezah film released on 3 February 1972, with a grand premiere at theatre in central and the prints being carried on a decked-up palanquin. Arrived to attend the last premiere of her life. Kumari let, for the benefit of the press, kiss her hand and went in to see the film. Was seated next to during the premiere. When complimented with 'shahkar ban gaya' (it's priceless), she was in tears.
After watching the film, told a friend that she was convinced that her husband was the finest film-maker in India. Details.
Screenplay:. Art Direction: N.B.
Kulkarni. Set Design:. Costume Design:. Director Of Photography:. Lyrics:,. Music: Ghulam Mohammed, (Background Score, Title Music). Singers:, Awards.
– 1973 Category Name Result Best Art Direction N.B. Kulkarni Won Best Film Pakeezah Nominated Best Director Nominated Best Actress Nominated Best Music Nominated.
– 1973 Category Name Result Special Award Won Legacy Pakeezah is India’s first colour film in and 's most awaited film and has since acquired major cult status as well. Tajdar Amrohi shares 'When the shooting of Pakeezah resumed in 1969 the first song shot was 'Mausam Hai Ashiqana' with this song set a new fashion trend of girls wearing Lungi.
Indian Film Critics Soumya Bhavyaa says 'Pakeezah is just like poetry on celluloid I can not imagine anybody else in this movie except.' Pakeezah music is cited as greatest classical album in Hindi cinema history and was one of the best-selling Bollywood albums of the 1970s. 'I have lived with Pakeezah almost as long as I lived with its creator. To Pakeezah means a performance. A great performance? That is not for me to say: that is for people to decide. For me to say is this: it is a performance to deliver which I have, as an actress, had to delve deeper into the secret wells of being than any actor or actress normally delves in the process of his or her professional work.'
— about Pakeezah (1972) Pakeezah was the inaugural film telecast by, India's state-owned television station, when it began broadcasting from in in the early 70s. It was specially beamed towards nearby, in. Thousands flocked at, from as far as, hundreds of miles away, to see Pakeezah. It was a flood the crowds stampeded the streets of to get to the television screens placed at strategic points on virtually every street corner. (the biographer of ) shared an incident which occurred during the last days of Pakeezah shooting 'On outdoor shooting 's unit travelled in two cars near a place called Shivpuri in, the cars all but ran out of patrol, and for miles around there was nothing except a long, deserted, straight road. It was discovered that a bus passed on this route every morning from which fuel could be purchased. Decided to spend the night in desert he ordered his unit roll up the windows of the cars and hope for the best.
A little after midnight the occupants of the vehicles were surrounded by a dozen armed men. The men knocked on the closed windows and forced their way in.
When the armed gang leader learned that one of the persons in the car was, his attitude completely changed. He turned out to be a fan and welcomed his guests in true fan tradition. He organized music, dancing, and food. He provided place to sleep.
He instructed his juniors the next morning to fetch petrol for the unit. From, he wanted a special favour. He sharpened his knife and took it to her. ‘Please autograph my hand with this,’ he requested. Meena was not new to signing autographs but she had never attempted anything as ambitious as a knife. Nervously, she wrote her name on this man's hand. He said he was grateful for this favour.
Once the unit left, they found at the next town that they had spent the night in the camp of 's renowned and dangerous dacoit—Amrit Lal.' Dwyer and Patel have argued that the Pakeezah courtesan genre is responsible for “some of the most extravagant and beautiful sets and costumes in the history of the Hindi film” – or the pooling of a golden, artificial light that paints his actress as she returns to the Pink Palace.
Hence, if Pakeezah’s narrative structure (which is also to say its use of time) derives from the codes and conventions of Bollywood filmmaking, as does nominally its emphasis on art design as a source of spectatorial pleasure, Amrohi’s spatial articulations and handling of light underscore his individualized sensibility. In this respect, Pakeezah does more justify the popular Indian cinema; it manifests the artistic sensibility of a truly ‘rare connoisseur.’ Meena Kumari delivers a phenomenal performance as the leading female protagonist, especially given the circumstances, as she was terminally ill when filming resumed. It is perhaps one of her greatest works along with Baiju Bawra (1952), Parineeta (1953) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). These are all films which have helped to consolidate her status as the tragedienne of Indian cinema. The film is also known as one of the historical films which display the sophistication and elegance of Muslim culture in India. Books and documentaries made about the film include Meghnad Desai's Pakeezah: An Ode to a Bygone World.
Filmmaker/critic Peter Wollen, named Pakeezah as one of the ten best movies ever made in the 1992 'Sight and Sound' poll. Pakeezah ranks on the lists of top Indian films, including the 2002 British Film Institute poll of Top 10 Indian Films. Pakeezah is also remembered for being one of the last great films to have starred the legendary actress Meena Kumari. Soundtrack Pakeezah by Ghulam Mohammed & Released 1972 (India) Feature film soundtrack chronology Shama (1961) Shama1961 Pakeezah (1972) chronology Gunwaar (1970) Gunwaar1970 (1972) 1972 (1972) 1972 Soundtrack Review scores Source Rating Planet Bollywood The soundtrack for the film was composed by and, with lyrics by, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kamal Amrohi and Kaif Bhopali.
Due to the demise of the composer before the completion of the film in 1969, Naushad was signed to compose the background score for the film. He also composed the songs, Nazaria Ki Maari, Title Music -, Mora Saajan Sauten Ghar Jaye and Kaun Gali Gayo Shyam. These renderings are presented in the voices of the veteran singer, and. There were total 18 songs recorded, however only 9 of them were used in the film.
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External links. at Movies. on.
Perhaps the most polished and accomplished of all Indian films - Pakeezah does not fall into any of the traps commonly associated with Bollywood film (ie tackiness, farce, wholesale and unsuccessful imitation of western film themes/genres). Pakeezah is indigenous to the Sub-Continent and authentic, almost Madam Butterfly-like in plot. Characters are well-developed, direction, although sometimes unrefined by today's standards, perceptive and convincing. The Urdu-speaking milieux at the time of Pakeezah were masters of understatement and how the dialogue conveys the subtleties of the age!
The acting (particularly the 'looks' and the dynamic between characters) are a delight to behold although the nuances may be lost on contemporary viewers or those not acquainted with the mores and customs of Muslim India. Coupled, with a captivating screenplay is a beautiful musical score, enhanced by the protagonist displaying eminent command of classical Indian dance (kathak). As is the case with most romantic tragedies, the heroine must die, but she does not take her leave of the audience without the viewer feeling he/she has been party to a truly memorable cinema experience.
Pakeezah is surely the pinnacle of what Indian cinema has produced and is unlikely to be paralleled.