Cinema
Pakeezah
पाकीज़ा
Kamal Amrohi · 1972
Synopsis
In Lucknow, the courtesan Nargis, whom the family of her lover Shahabuddin refuses to receive, dies of grief after giving birth to a daughter. Taken in by her aunt, the child grows up to become Sahibjaan, a courtesan in her turn, famous for her dancing. One day, asleep on a train, she receives from a stranger a note praising the beauty of her feet; later, taking shelter in the tent of a forest ranger, Salim, she discovers who wrote it.
Context
The director conceived it for his wife, Meena Kumari, after their 1953 film. Begun in black and white around 1956, resumed in colour and then in CinemaScope, it was interrupted by their separation in 1964 and completed from 1969. Josef Wirsching, who was its cinematographer, did not live to see the end of the shoot; Ghulam Mohammed composed the songs, and Naushad wrote the score after his death. The film was released on 4 February 1972.
Who it is for
About two and a half hours in Hindustani; music, dance and Urdu dialogue matter more than the plot.
Prizes and reception
A great success in India and Britain, regarded by some as the greatest film of Hindi cinema; Meena Kumari's best-known role.
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