1. Pakeezah took 17 years to complete and not only because my director Kamal Amrohi and his wife/heroine Meena Kumari had serious differences. The shooting of Pakeezah which has been stalled due to the differences between Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari was resumed, thanks to Tajdar’s intervention. Says Kamal Amrohi’s son Tajdar, “With due respects music composer Khayyam and Sunil Dutt Saab had tried to persuade her to resume the shooting.The shooting resumed with the song Mausam hai aashiqana at Filmalaya studio with Choti Ammi in a lungi.She was seriously ill.
2. This music by Ghulam Mohamed y is considered perhaps the best ever in a Hindi film.And yet, during that time distributors insisted that the music of Pakeezah be changed. Amrohi refused arguing it would be injustice to the music composer Ghulam Mohamed who was dead.
3. At the premiere of Pakeezah at Maratha Mandir throughout the 3 and a half hour film Meena Kumari sat clutching Amrohi’s hand so hard that her nails sank into his skin.Meena Kumari died soon after the release of Pakeezah.It is widely believed Pakeezah became a hit because Meena Kumari passed away. That’s false. Pakeezah was released on 4 February 1972. Meena Kumari died on 31 March 1972. The film was going full from Day 1.
4. Not much of a dancer , Meena Kumari was too frail to even stand straight for the climactic song and dance in Pakeezah(Aaj hum apne duawon ka asar dekhenge). Kamal Amrohi had to get a body-double Padma Khanna to dance for Meena Kumari.
5. Lataji who sang the immortal songs of Pakeezah reveals that there is a whole album of her songs in Pakeezah that never made it into the film. “There is one album of Ghulam Mohamed’s compositions for Pakeezah that were featured in the film and another album of songs that didn’t feature in the film. The unused songs of Pakeezah were also very beautiful.But they didn’t become popular because they were not in the film.” Added Lataji, “My voice used to match her to perfection. What an artiste and what a fine humanbeing! During the making of Pakeezah (which went on for a good 20 years) Kamal Amrohi who used to treat me like a daughter invited me home for song rehearsals. Meena Kumari was practicing her steps for my songs in Pakeezah. Meena turned to me and said, “When you sing I don’t have to make any effort to act.” I cherish that compliment.”
6. In the year 1972 when Sohanlal Kanwar’s mediocre and long-forgotten Beimaan had walked away with all the Filmfare awards , Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah was left deeply wounded.It lost all the awards including for the immortal music score.Unable to bear the snub to music composer Ghulam Mohamed for his immortal compositions in Pakeezah the veteran-actor Pran who had won the Best Supporting Actor award for Beimaan,declined to take his award.
7. Contrary to belief, Meena Kumari’s farewell film was not Pakeezah but Sawan Kumar Tak’s Gomti Ke Kinare where again she played a tawaif. She shot the film through her failing health as a favour to the debutant director.Ironically in this film Meenaji sang Majrooh Sultanpuri’s immortal lyrics which reflected on her exploitation by those whom she trusted and loved : Aaj toh meri hansi udai jaise bhi chaha pukara kal jo mujhe inn galiyon mein laya woh bhi ttha haath tumhara….RIP, Meena ji.
