Pakeezah (1972)

The story of a prostitute, with a pure heart (PAKEEZAH), and grand dreams...

Director:

Kamal Amrohi

Writers:

Aman, Kamal Amrohi

Stars:

Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, Raaj Kumar

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ashok Kumar	...	Shahabuddin
Meena Kumari	...	Nargis / Sahibjaan
Raaj Kumar	...	Salim Ahmed Khan
Veena	...	Nawabjaan
D.K. Sapru	...	Hakim Saab (as Sapru)
Kamal Kapoor	...	Nawab Zafar Ali Khan
Vijay Laxmi
Jagdish Kanwal
Nadira	...	Madame Gauhar Jaan
Pratima Devi	...	Salim's Badi Amma
Prakash Gill	...	Hashim Khan (Guy on the Horse)
Altaf
Praveen Paul	...	(as Parveen Paul)
Lotan
Chanda	...	(as Chanda Bai)

Storyline

A girl, whose mother dies of sorrow from her husband's family's rejection, grows up singing and dancing like her mother. She works as a dancing girl and is courted by a prince, but can think only of a man she has never met, who left her a message on the train. She dreams of him and cannot dance, becomes frightened and runs into the night

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Plot Keywords:

dance | brothel | train | prostitute | forbidden love | 

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Genres:

Musical | Romance | Drama

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Details

Country:

India

Language:

Urdu

Release Date:

4 February 1972 (India)

Also Known As:

Pure Heart

Filming Locations:

Kamal Amrohi Studios, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mahal Pictures Pvt. Ltd., Sangeeta Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

147 min 126 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kamal Amrohi was told that he and his crew would receive a special award for _Pakeezah (1971)_ - for a consideration. He flatly refused to "buy an award."

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Quotes

Salim Ahmed Khan: [in a note to Sahibjaan] Aapke paon dekhe, bahut haseen hai. / Inhe zameen par mat utariyega, maile ho jayenge.
[Saw your feet; they are very beautiful. / Don't place them on the ground, they will get dirty]

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Connections

Referenced in WatchMojo: Top 10 Films That Took Forever to Make (2018)

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Soundtracks

Inhi Logon Ne
Sung by Lata Mangeshkar
Composed by Ghulam Mohammed
Lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri

User Reviews

A Monumental Song Studded Indian Movie !!!

This movie is one among the very few Indian movies, that would never fade away with the passage of time, nor would its spell binding appeal ever diminish, even as the Indian cinema transforms into the abyss of artificially styled pop culture while drill oriented extras take to enhancing the P.T. styled film songs.

The cinematography speaks of the excellent skills of Josef Werching that accentuate the monumental and cinema scope effect of the film in its entirety.

Gone are the days of great cinema, when every scene had to be clipped many times and retakes taken before finalizing it, while meticulous attention was paid in crafting and editing the scenes. Some of its poignant scenes are filled with sublime emotional intensity, like the instance, when Meena Kumari refuses to say "YES" as an approval for Nikah (Marriage Bond) and climbs down the hill while running berserk in traumatized frenzy. At the moment, Raj Kumar follows her, and a strong gale of wind blew away the veil of Kumari and onto the legs of Kumar........

Kamal Amrohi shall always be remembered with golden words in the annals of Indian Cinema's history for endeavoring to complete this movie in a record setting 12 years. He had to manage filming of some of the vital songs without Meena's close ups, because Meena Kumari, the lady in the lead role was terminally ill and fighting for her life in early 1971.