Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Pakeezah

  • 19721972
  • 2h 27m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Raaj Kumar and Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1972)
MusicalRomanceDrama
In Lucknow at the turn of the century, a dancer and courtesan believes that her pure soul and body will enable her to find true love and honor.In Lucknow at the turn of the century, a dancer and courtesan believes that her pure soul and body will enable her to find true love and honor.In Lucknow at the turn of the century, a dancer and courtesan believes that her pure soul and body will enable her to find true love and honor.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Kamal Amrohi
  • Writers
    • Aman
    • Kamal Amrohi
  • Stars
    • Ashok Kumar
    • Meena Kumari
    • Raaj Kumar
  • Director
    • Kamal Amrohi
  • Writers
    • Aman
    • Kamal Amrohi
  • Stars
    • Ashok Kumar
    • Meena Kumari
    • Raaj Kumar
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 31User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations

    Photos19

    Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1972)
    Meena Kumari and Nadira in Pakeezah (1972)
    Prakash Gill in Pakeezah (1972)
    Prakash Gill in Pakeezah (1972)
    Prakash Gill in Pakeezah (1972)
    Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1972)
    Raaj Kumar and Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1972)
    Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1972)
    Pakeezah (1972)
    Raaj Kumar and Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1972)
    Raaj Kumar and Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1972)
    Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1972)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ashok Kumar
    Ashok Kumar
    • Shahabuddin
    Meena Kumari
    Meena Kumari
    • Nargis…
    Raaj Kumar
    Raaj Kumar
    • Salim Ahmed Khan
    Veena
    Veena
    • Nawabjaan
    D.K. Sapru
    D.K. Sapru
    • Hakim Saab
    • (as Sapru)
    Kamal Kapoor
    Kamal Kapoor
    • Nawab Zafar Ali Khan
    Vijay Laxmi
    Jagdish Kanwal
    Nadira
    Nadira
    • Madame Gauhar Jaan
    Pratima Devi
    • Salim's Badi Amma
    Prakash Gill
    • Hashim Khan- Horse Rider
    Altaf
    Praveen Paul
    Praveen Paul
      Lotan
      Chanda
        Meenaxi
          Chandra Mohan
          Zebunissa
            • Director
              • Kamal Amrohi
            • Writers
              • Aman
              • Kamal Amrohi
            • All cast & crew
            • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

            More like this

            Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam
            8.1
            Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam
            Mughal-E-Azam
            8.1
            Mughal-E-Azam
            Do Bigha Zamin
            8.3
            Do Bigha Zamin
            Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi
            8.0
            Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi
            Amar Prem
            8.0
            Amar Prem
            Guide
            8.4
            Guide
            Aandhi
            7.9
            Aandhi
            Paper Flowers
            7.8
            Paper Flowers
            Waqt
            7.6
            Waqt
            Naya Daur
            7.9
            Naya Daur
            Madhumati
            7.8
            Madhumati
            Pakeeza
            6.6
            Pakeeza

            Storyline

            Edit

            Did you know

            Edit
            • Trivia
              It took 14 years for this film to be completed. To begin with, the film was launched in 1958, jointly planned by Kamal Amrohi and 'Meena Kumari'. It was launched in black-and-white, but when colour came in vogue, Amrohi scrapped those portions already shot and decided to start again. Later, Cinemascope came into vogue, and Amrohi acquired a Cinemascope lens from MGM and scrapped the plain colour portions too. Then Amrohi and Kumari separated in 1964, bringing filming to an indefinite halt. Finally, the film was resumed in 1968, and though by then Kumari was suffering from alcoholism and was in critical condition, she was still Amrohi's only choice and she agreed to complete the film.
            • 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]

            • Connections
              Featured in Ek Number Ka Chor (1990)
            • Soundtracks
              Chalte Chalte
              Sung by Lata Mangeshkar

              Composed by Ghulam Mohammed

              Lyrics by Kaifi Azmi

            User reviews31

            Review
            Review
            Featured review
            10/10
            A sumptuous example of Indian film-making at its best!
            Perhaps the most polished and accomplished of all Indian films - Pakeezah does not fall into any of the traps commonly associated with Bollywood film (ie tackiness, farce, wholesale and unsuccessful imitation of western film themes/genres). Pakeezah is indigenous to the Sub-Continent and authentic, almost Madam Butterfly-like in plot. Characters are well-developed, direction, although sometimes unrefined by today's standards, perceptive and convincing. The Urdu-speaking milieux at the time of Pakeezah were masters of understatement and how the dialogue conveys the subtleties of the age! The acting (particularly the 'looks' and the dynamic between characters) are a delight to behold although the nuances may be lost on contemporary viewers or those not acquainted with the mores and customs of Muslim India.

            Coupled, with a captivating screenplay is a beautiful musical score, enhanced by the protagonist displaying eminent command of classical Indian dance (kathak). As is the case with most romantic tragedies, the heroine must die, but she does not take her leave of the audience without the viewer feeling he/she has been party to a truly memorable cinema experience. Pakeezah is surely the pinnacle of what Indian cinema has produced and is unlikely to be paralleled.
            helpful•17
            3
            • lance-20
            • Dec 30, 1998

            Details

            Edit
            • Release date
              • February 4, 1972 (India)
            • Country of origin
              • India
            • Language
              • Urdu
            • Also known as
              • Pakize
            • Filming locations
              • Kamal Amrohi Studios, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India(Studio)
            • Production companies
              • Mahal Pictures Pvt. Ltd.
              • Sangeeta Enterprises
            • See more company credits at IMDbPro

            Technical specs

            Edit
            • Runtime
              2 hours 27 minutes
            • Aspect ratio
              • 2.35 : 1

            Related news

            Contribute to this page

            Suggest an edit or add missing content
            Raaj Kumar and Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1972)
            Top Gap
            By what name was Pakeezah (1972) officially released in Canada in English?
            Answer
            • See more gaps
            • Learn more about contributing
            Edit page

            More to explore

            Recently viewed

            Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
            Get the IMDb App
            Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
            • Get the IMDb App
            • Help
            • Site Index
            • IMDbPro
            • Box Office Mojo
            • IMDb Developer
            • Press Room
            • Advertising
            • Jobs
            • Conditions of Use
            • Privacy Policy
            • Your Ads Privacy Choices
            IMDb, an Amazon company

            © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.