Newsbytes
  • India
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
  • Auto
  • Lifestyle
  • Inspirational
  • Career
  • Bengaluru
  • Delhi
  • Mumbai
  • Videos
  • Visual Stories
  • Reviews
  • Phone Reviews
  • Fitness Bands Reviews
  • Speakers Reviews
  • Find Cricket Statistics
Hindi
More
In the news
Netflix
Cannes Film Festival
Marvel
Taylor Swift
Doctor Strange
KGF
BTS
Newsbytes
Hindi
Newsbytes
User Placeholder

Hi,

Logout


India
Business
World
Politics
Sports
Technology
Entertainment
Auto
Lifestyle
Inspirational
Career
Bengaluru
Delhi
Mumbai
Videos
Visual Stories
Reviews
Phone Reviews
Fitness Bands Reviews
Speakers Reviews
Find Cricket Statistics

More Links
  • Videos

Download Android App

Follow us on
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
 
Home / News / Entertainment News / 49 years of 'Pakeezah': Lesser-known facts about the classic
Entertainment

49 years of 'Pakeezah': Lesser-known facts about the classic

49 years of 'Pakeezah': Lesser-known facts about the classic
Written by Shruti Niraj
Feb 04, 2021, 04:36 pm 3 min read
49 years of 'Pakeezah': Lesser-known facts about the classic

Pakeezah is one of the few Bollywood movies to have stood the test of time. Such is its magic that the dialogue, "Aapke paon dekhe hain, bahut haseen hain. Inhein zameen par mat utariyega... maile ho jaayenge" still warms the hearts of cine buffs. But there's more to the movie, than what meets the eyes. On its 49th anniversary, here are some lesser-known facts about Pakeezah.

Fact 1
It took 16 long years to complete 'Pakeezah'

A passion project of filmmaker Kamal Amrohi, Pakeezah, took 16 years to hit screens. The movie commenced with the muhurat shot on July 16, 1956, and finally hit the screens on February 4, 1972. It was supposed to be a black-and-white movie but was later shot in cinemascope. So much time had passed between planning and release that the movie's budget, naturally, swelled.

Fact 2
Amrohi made 'Pakeezah' for his wife Meena Kumari

Just like Shah Jahan made Taj Mahal for his wife, Amrohi was fixated on making Pakeezah for his wife, Meena Kumari. He thought the movie will boost Kumari's career as an actor. But the couple hit a tumultuous phase during the making and eventually parted ways. It was the star couple Sunil Dutt and Nargis that convinced Kumari to complete the movie.

Fact 3
Two members of the crew passed away before film's completion

Since the movie took years to get completed, two important crew members passed away. While music composer Ghulam Mohammed, who graced Pakeezah with magical music, died on March 17, 1968, one of Bollywood's earliest cinematographers, Josef Wirsching, passed away on June 11, 1967, due to a heart attack. After Mohammed, Naushad stepped in and completed the background score.

Fact 4
Many felt 'Pakeezah' wasn't treated fairly

Pakeezah was nominated in five categories for the 1973 Filmfare Awards but the movie just bagged the award for Best Art Direction. Many believed this was unfair. In fact, veteran actor Pran turned down his Filmfare Award for Be-Imaan, as he thought late music composer Mohammed should have been honored for the music. Pran was judged as the Best Supporting Actor for his role.

Fact 5
Famous song 'Inhi Logon Ne' wasn't an original composition

The famous song Inhi Logon Ne Le Lina Dupatta Mera, which was used as Sahibjaan's (Kumari) introduction in the movie, wasn't an original number. It was previously used in RK Shorey's Himmat in 1941 and was crooned by the legendary singer Shamshad Begum. For Pakeezah, celebrated singer Lata Mangeshkar graced the song with her melodious voice.

Fact 6
Songwriter was changed due to a disagreement

The movie's making wasn't without fights and disagreements. Amrohi had earlier roped in Majrooh Sultanpuri as the songwriter. However, one day Sultanpuri said he wanted to attend a mushaira before completing the movie's work. The director clearly opined otherwise. Subsequently, Sultanpuri ended his association with the movie and Amrohi brought Kaifi Azmi on board for the project.

Fact 7
Kumari passed away soon after 'Pakeezah' released

Kumari was often sick during the making and in 1968, was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. As her health didn't allow her to shoot long dance sequences, actor-dancer Padma Khanna was used as her body double. Nearly two months after the release of the movie, Kumari died on March 31, 1972. The movie later completed silver-jubilee at the box office.

Share this timeline
Facebook
Whatsapp
Twitter
Linkedin
Shruti Niraj
Shruti Niraj
Mail
Latest
Bollywood News
Filmfare Awards
Meena Kumari
Latest
IPL 2022, PBKS beat SRH: List of records broken
IPL 2022, PBKS beat SRH: List of records broken Sports
Premier League 2021-22: Burnley get relegated; Leeds United survive
Premier League 2021-22: Burnley get relegated; Leeds United survive Sports
Disney+ bags Elton John's documentary 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'
Disney+ bags Elton John's documentary 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' Entertainment
Premier League 2021-22: Tottenham finish fourth; Arsenal follow suit
Premier League 2021-22: Tottenham finish fourth; Arsenal follow suit Sports
Premier League 2021-22: Manchester City are champions; Liverpool finish second
Premier League 2021-22: Manchester City are champions; Liverpool finish second Sports
Bollywood News
'Laal Singh Chaddha's trailer to be unveiled during IPL finale
'Laal Singh Chaddha's trailer to be unveiled during IPL finale Entertainment
Pornography case: Now, ED books Raj Kundra for money laundering
Pornography case: Now, ED books Raj Kundra for money laundering Entertainment
'Tezaab': Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor's classic gearing up for remake
'Tezaab': Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor's classic gearing up for remake Entertainment
'Nikamma' trailer: Abhimanyu Dassani charms, Shilpa Shetty dons superhero avatar
'Nikamma' trailer: Abhimanyu Dassani charms, Shilpa Shetty dons superhero avatar Entertainment
Madhuri Dixit's birthday: 5 roles that justified her acting prowess
Madhuri Dixit's birthday: 5 roles that justified her acting prowess Entertainment
More News
Filmfare Awards
A quick question: Ever thought about how trophies are made?
A quick question: Ever thought about how trophies are made? Entertainment
Babil Khan criticizes journalists who asked if he was high
Babil Khan criticizes journalists who asked if he was high Entertainment
Babil wore father Irrfan Khan's clothes to Filmfare Awards 2021
Babil wore father Irrfan Khan's clothes to Filmfare Awards 2021 Entertainment
Farah Khan credits Sushant Singh Rajput for 'Dil Bechara' award
Farah Khan credits Sushant Singh Rajput for 'Dil Bechara' award Entertainment
Filmfare Awards 2021: 'Thappad', 'Gulabo Sitabo' take home big honors
Filmfare Awards 2021: 'Thappad', 'Gulabo Sitabo' take home big honors Entertainment
More News
Meena Kumari
Deepika and Alia to join Ranbir in Bhansali's 'Baiju Bawra'?
Deepika and Alia to join Ranbir in Bhansali's 'Baiju Bawra'? Entertainment
When Lal Bahadur Shastri asked 'who is Meena Kumari'!
When Lal Bahadur Shastri asked 'who is Meena Kumari'! India
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan highly impressed by new generation of actors
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan highly impressed by new generation of actors Entertainment
Sridevi saw rushes of 'Dhadak' before leaving for Dubai: Boney
Sridevi saw rushes of 'Dhadak' before leaving for Dubai: Boney Entertainment
CWG 2018: Tejaswini wins silver in women's 50m rifle prone
CWG 2018: Tejaswini wins silver in women's 50m rifle prone Sports
More News
Next News Article
Next News Article

Love Entertainment news?

Subscribe to stay updated.

Entertainment Thumbnail
India News Business News World News Politics News Sports News Technology News Entertainment News Auto News Lifestyle News Inspirational News
Career News Bengaluru News Delhi News Mumbai News Mukesh Ambani Indian Premier League (IPL) Karnataka Samsung Xiaomi West Bengal
Bihar Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Haryana Narendra Modi Arvind Kejriwal Tamil Nadu Gujarat Yogi Adityanath YouTube
Instagram Hollywood News Uttar Pradesh Kerala Netflix Bollywood News Mamata Banerjee Maruti Suzuki Rahul Gandhi Elon Musk
Shah Rukh Khan Chelsea FC OPPO Akhilesh Yadav Indian Cricket Team Apple Manchester United Salman Khan Cryptocurrency OnePlus
Amitabh Bachchan ICC Women's World Cup Vivo India vs Sri Lanka
About Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact Us Ethical Conduct Grievance Redressal News News Archive Topics Archive IPL 2022 Schedule IPL 2022 Points Table Find Cricket Statistics
Follow us on
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Youtube
All rights reserved © NewsBytes 2022