SImply Meena Kumari. Review on Pakeezah

Back in 1932, in Mumbai, a phenomenon called Meena Kumari was to be born who would be the cause for so many legends of Pakeezah, Saheb Biwi Gulam and Baiju Bawra. She would be called tragedy queen although I find her more of a queen of innocence and not tragedy. I have not seen such an innocence and and ready to die to see it in real if that could help.

I was surprised to see Pakeezah on this site and, being a die hard fan of Meena Kumari, must write something. Whenever I see Meena Kumari anywhere, I cant help but write about the magnificent, gorgeous, pleasant and beautiful Meena Kumari. More than beautiful, she is an example in some important qualities which are integrity, commitment and daring. She was more of an inner beauty than just outer beauty. She was more of a personality than an actress. And her complete personality is visible in her films. She is not simply tragedy uqeen but much more than that. She is a presentation of the struggle that a big hearted person like her faced in real life.

Yes not more not less. Pakeezah is Meena Kumari in essence and Meena Kumari in so many incarnations. The film could have been named Meena Kumari as well. Even Mahzabeen as that was Meena Kumari's real name. The film is a presentation of her real struggle in life though it was not made this way and not even seen this way. Still the movie follows her life, her breaking face with time and her changing mood which changed from a smiling Meena Kumari in 1954 when Pakeezah was conceived with her then husband Kamal Amrohi to the very sad Meena Kumari who gave in to drinking in the late sixties.

What is to be noticed in Pakeezah is simply Meena Kumari. She is present in the film in many faces. Her complete life and different faces are visible in this movie. She is young smiling and at other places dull and somewhat not so radiant. Almost all the changes in her life are visible in the movie. And that is what makes Pakeezah immortal. That is what makes Meena Kumari immortal. And that is what that makes - all her movies immortal. Meena Kumari's movies project the real Meena Kumari. She has cried with her full heart. And the pathetic performances are simply real.

I will repeat. She is fully visible in the film. Pakeezah took longer than any of Meena Kumari's movies and the duration it took is fourteen years. During Pakeezah, Meena Kumari separated, divorced, fall trap to her misfortunes and her movies saw all this. That is why her movies are immortal. All her incarnations of these fourteen years. are visible in Pakeezah. The only difference being that the real Meena Kumari was alone in the end! That is not a happy story.

The film is rather based on the feelings of Kamal Amrohi about Meena Kumari though they were not together in the end. The wall in the real life was never broken. The hero performs the role that Kamal Amrohi supposedly took. But the ends are not the same.Kamal Amrohi spent a fortune on this film and this film is one of the most expensive movies. This is one of the only four movies of Kamal Amrohi. The three others are Mahal, Razia Sultan and Parineeta (Meena Kumari again). Kamal Amrohi spent a lot of money on this film and he used the best available techniques to perfect this film.

I will emphasize that Pakeezah is much more than a movie. The film must be seen and Meena Kumari is all that Pakeezah is about. She is the character that will win your heart. Pakeezah means pure and Meena Kumari makes it true. She had sure won millions of hearts and and she will again win your heart here. She is simply great! You need not know Meena Kumari but it helps if you do and then if you read a bit about her life, you will be her die hard fan after you live Pakeezah. (I will not

say watch, rather live it. Pakeezah is to be lived.)