Pakeezah is a 1972 Indian Urdu-language musical romantic drama written, directed, and produced by Kamal Amrohi. The film stars Meena Kumari as the eponymous lead, alongside Ashok Kumar and Raaj Kumar. It tells the story of Sahibjaan, a Lucknow-based tawaif. While asleep on a train, Sahibjaan receives a note from a stranger praising her beauty. Later, evacuating from a broken boat, she takes shelter in a tent and finds out its owner, a forest ranger named Salim, wrote the letter. Sahibjaan and Salim plan to get married, causing conflicts with Sahibjaan's professional background.
Theatrical release poster
The director, Amrohi, conceived the film as a tribute to his wife, Kumari
Shooting underway in 1958
Kumari's performance in Pakeezah has been regarded by critics as one of her career-best works (AI upscaled image)
Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi, popularly known as Kamal Amrohi, was an Indian film director and screenwriter. He was also an Urdu and Hindi poet.
Kamal Amrohi in the 1950s
Kamal Mahal, Mumbai in 1940
Amrohi on a 2013 stamp of India
The shooting of Pakeezah, 1958