Pakeezah: Bilal Amrohi traces back the heartbreak behind the magnum opus

A still from the film

Pakeezah (1972) may be a grand, sweeping romantic drama that caught the country's attention on its release. But the making of the classic is a far richer story. Filmmaker Kamal Amrohi dedicated 16 years to make his labour of love that, in one of fate's cruel twists, became his actor-wife Meena Kumari's swansong. In early 2022, Amrohi's grandson Bilal had announced a web series that would trace the making of the Kumari, Ashok Kumar and Raaj Kumar-starrer. A year on, as the team is neck-deep in research, we hear Bilal and Yoodlee Films are now contemplating turning the material into a feature film.

Bilal Amrohi

Kausar Munir is said to be attached as a writer on the project that is being envisioned as the tragic story of two lovers. A source says, "Through this project, Bilal wants to showcase the love story of Meena Kumari and Amrohi, who set out to make a magnum opus together in 1956. Even though their marriage turned sour during Pakeezah's making, many know that Amrohi had conceptualised the film as a tribute to his actor-wife. The story will dive deep into the pressures of making the movie, how it took a toll on Amrohi, and why the couple went their separate ways in 1964 before resuming their professional collaboration in 1969." The offering will also revisit the classic songs. The source adds, "After the research is complete, Bilal and Siddharth Anand Kumar of Yoodlee Films will take a call on whether it should be made into a movie or a web series."

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To Bilal, who serves as the producer, the offering is his tribute to his grandfather. He says, "I've planned it as an ode to my grandfather's efforts. It would be a [retelling] of what it took for one man and the lady, who stood beside him, to make something as iconic as Pakeezah. My father Taajdaar and his sister Rukhsar possess the sole rights to [the 1972 movie]." Asked whether they will take the long-format storytelling route, Kumar says, "It is too early to tell if this will be a film or series. A lot will depend on the director and cast."