Pakeezah@50: 7 Unknown Facts

1. Pakeezah took 17 years to complete and not only because Director Kamal Amrohi and his wife/heroine Meena Kumari had serious differences.

Says Kamal Amrohi's son Tajdar, "With due respect, 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 the Filmalaya studio with Choti Ammi in a lungi. She was seriously ill."

2. Ghulam Mohamed's musical score is considered perhaps the best ever in a Hindi film.

And yet, distributors insisted that the music of Pakeezah be changed.

Amrohi refused, arguing it would be an injustice to Ghulam Mohamed who was dead.

3. At the premiere of Pakeezah at Mumbai's Maratha Mandir theatre, Meena Kumari sat clutching Kamal Amrohi's hand so hard throughout the three-and-a-half-hour film that her nails sank into his skin.

Meena Kumari died soon after Pakeezah released.

It is widely believed Pakeezah became a hit because Meena Kumari passed away. That's false.

Pakeezah was released on February 4, 1972. Meena Kumari died on March 31, 1972. Theatres were 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. Lata Mangeshkar, 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 (Meena Kumari) to perfection. What an artiste and what a fine human being! 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.m Meena turned to me and said, 'When you sing, I don't have to make an effort to act.' I cherish that compliment."

6. In 1972 when Sohanlal Kanwar's Beimaan walked away with all the Filmfare awards, Kamal Amrohi's Pakeezah was left deeply wounded.

It lost all the awards including for its immortal music score.

Unable to bear the snub to Ghulam Mohamed for his immortal compositions in Pakeezah, the veteran actor Pran, who had won the Best Supporting Actor award for Beimaan, declined to accept 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, she 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...

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com