Cast: Meena Kumari, Raj Kumar

Director: Kamaal Amarohi

Music: Ghulam Mohammed

 

In a hurry to catch a leaving train in the middle of the night, a stranger walks into a wrong  compartment and is held spellbound by a sleeping beauty- or rather her beautifully decorated feet. The next day, when the lady wakes up, she just finds a note tucked into her toes and it says, “Aap ke Paon Dekhen. Bahut Haseen Hain. Inhe Zameen Par Mat Utariyega. Maile Ho Jaayenge.” (“I saw your feet. They are so beautiful. Don’t ever put them on ground or they will get soiled!”)

 

This scene from Pakeezah has been rightfully acclaimed as one of the most poetic portrayal of budding romance. Not only this scene, director Kamaal Amarohi has treated every frame with such tender loving care that even long after the film is over, its sights and sounds simply refuse to leave memory.

 

Conceived in the early sixties, Pakeezah was Amarohi’s dream project for his then wife Meena Kumari, whom he used to lovingly call – Manju. But then the couple separated; Meena Kumari’s health started deteriorating thanks to a wayward life-style and the film was stalled for almost a decade. But both artists knew in their hearts that this was to be a film which would be remembered for years and finally they came together to create this classic.

 

Pakeezah is dramatic tale of coincidences orchestrated by fate. Pride and prejudice, love and lust, pain and pleasure – it weaves all these emotions into an entangling web. A courtesan (Meena Kumari) gets married to a nobleman (Ashok Kumar), only to be rejected by his family’s patriarch (Sapru). Running away from her ordeal, she dies unattended in a cemetery leaving behind an infant daughter Sahib Jaan (Meena Kumari again!), who is raised into courtesan culture by her aunt (Veena). Young and innocent Sahib Jaan has to endure amorous advances and loose talk from all and sundry. Out of the blue, a prince charming (Raj Kumar) walks into her life but will her tainted past ever let the two lovers rest in happiness?

 

Meena Kumari delivers a superbly poignant swan-song performance. Her failing health and the prolonged film-making period is apparent in the way her looks change in quite a few frames. In fact, her death soon after the release of the film did boost the film’s box-office draw.

 

Raj Kumar delivers a wonderfully restrained and polished performance as a man caught up in the love of a lady abhorred by society. And its music- oh, what music! Ghulam Mohd.’s exquisite tunes like Chalte Chalte, Thade Rahiyo and Mausam Hai Ashiqana in Lata’s ethereal voice are the stuff dreams are made up of.