{{infobox film | name	Pakeezah | image Pakeezah.jpg| producerKamal Amrohi| director Kamal Amrohi| writer Kamal Amrohi | editing D.N. Pai| cinematography Josef Wirsching | starring Meena KumariRaaj KumarAshok Kumar | music Ghulam MohammedNaushad| language Urdu |
released	4 February 1972
runtime	126 minutes
country	India }}

''Pakeezah'' (Hindi: पाकीज़ा, Urdu: پاکیزہ،; lit.''the pure one'', ''pure of heart'') is a 1972 Indian film. It was directed by Kamal Amrohi who was known for his perfectionism. The music is by Ghulam Mohammed and Naushad. The film tells the story of a Lucknow tawaif played by actress Meena Kumari who died shortly after the film was completed.

Plot[link]

Cast[link]

Ashok Kumar - Shahabuddin

Meena Kumari - Nargis / Sahibjaan

Raaj Kumar - Salim Ahmed Khan

Veena Sapru - Nawabjaan

Nadira - Madame Gauhar Jaan

D.K. Sapru - Hakim Saab

Production[link]

Pakeezah took nearly 14 years to shoot because of a change in relationship between Meena Kumari and the director. Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi were married when ''Pakeezah'' was first conceived. Ashok Kumar was to have played the part of Salim, but the part was later played by Raaj Kumar. The character was changed from a businessman to a forest ranger to suit Raaj Kumar's more muscular physique. Both the film's composer Ghulam Mohammed and cinematographer Josef Wirsching died during the period. Later, composer Naushad stepped in and composed the film's background music as well as its title track. Over a dozen of Bombay's top cinematographers pitched in when they had time; they however managed to maintain its uniform look.

Due to a variety of different factors, Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi parted ways and the film remained incomplete. It was only when Nargis and Sunil Dutt saw the rushes of the film that they convinced Meena Kumari to complete it. It was mostly shot in Kamal Amrohi Studios, Mumbai.

Meena Kumari was very ill when filming resumed and can be seen lying down in most of her scenes. For the dance sequences, Padma Khanna was used as a body double and can be seen in the long-shots. Meena Kumari died weeks after the film was released. The film, which had been declared a flop when first released, became a success.

''Pakeezah'' made news during the Filmfare Awards in 1971 when Pran refused to accept his award for ''Be-Imaan'' because he felt that Ghulam Mohammed deserved a posthumous Filmfare award for his songs in ''Pakeezah''.

Details[link]

Screenplay: Kamal Amrohi

Art direction: N.B. Kulkarni

Set Design : Kamal Amrohi

Costume Design : Meena Kumari

Director of Photography : Josef Wirsching

Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi, Kaif Bhopali, Kamal Amrohi

Music: Ghulam Mohammed, Naushad - Background Score, Title Music

Singers: Lata Mangeshkar; Mohd. Rafi; Mehdi Hassan

Awards[link]

1973: Filmfare Best Art Direction Award: N.B. Kulkarni

Soundtrack[link]

name	Pakeezah
cover	Pakeezahaudio.jpg
Type	soundtrack
artist	Ghulam Mohammed & Naushad
released	1972 (India)
genre	Feature film soundtrack
label	Sa Re Ga Ma
reviews	* Planet Bollywood link
chronology	Ghulam Mohammed
last album	''Shama''(1961)
this album	''Pakeezah''(1972)
misc	}}

The soundtrack for the film was composed by Ghulam Mohammed and Naushad with lyrics by Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kamal Amrohi and Kaif Bhopali. Due to the demise of the composer before the completion of the film, Naushad was signed to compose the background score for the film. He also composed the songs, "Nazaria Ki Maari", "Title Music - Alap", "Mora Saajan Sauten Ghar Jaye" and "Kaun Gali Gayo Shyam". These renderings are presented in the voices of the veteran singer Rajkumari, Parveen Sultana, Vani Jairam and Naseem Bano Chopra. Song

Track #	|	Singer(s)	Lyrics	Composer
1	"Chalo Dildar Chalo"	Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar	Kaif Bhopali
2	"Chalte Chalte"	Lata Mangeshkar	Kaifi Azmi	Ghulam Muhammad
3	"Inhi Logon Ne"	Lata Mangeshkar	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Ghulam Muhammad
4	"Mausam Hai Aashiqana"	Lata Mangeshkar	Kamal Amrohi	Ghulam Muhammad
5	"Nazariya Ki Mari"		Majrooh Sultanpuri	Naushad
6	"Teer-E-Nazar"	Lata Mangeshkar	Kaif Bhopali	Ghulam Muhammad
7	"Thare Rahiyo"	Lata Mangeshkar	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Ghulam Muhammad
8	"Mora Saajan Sauten Ghar Jaye"	Vani Jairam	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Naushad
9	"Kaun Gali Gayo Shyam"	Parveen Sultana	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Naushad
10	"Pi Ke Chale"	Lata Mangeshkar	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Ghulam Muhammad
11	"Title Music - Alap"	Lata Mangeshkar	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Naushad

Also see[link]

Hindi dance songs

References[link]

External links[link]

Pakeezah at Indian Auteur

Music Review of ''Pakeezah'' at Planet Bollywood

Pakeezah at Rediff Movies

Pakeezah - A magnum opus & its unknown facts.

Analysis of the movie's ambiguities at ''Let's talk about Bollywood''

Category:1972 films Category:Hindi-language films Category:Urdu-language films Category:Indian films Category:Films about prostitution Category:Films set in Uttar Pradesh Category:Films about courtesans in India

de:Pakeezah fr:Pakeezah hi:पाक़ीज़ा

name	Lata Mangeshkar
background	solo_singer
birth date	September 28, 1929
Birth place	Indore, Central India Agency, British India
instrument	Vocals
genre	Film music (playback singing)
occupation	Singer
years active	1942–present }}

Lata Mangeshkar (born September 28, 1929) is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages, though primarily in Hindi. She is the elder sister of singer Asha Bhosle, Hridayanath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar. She is the second vocalist to have ever been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Mangeshkar was featured in the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. The claim was that she had recorded approximately 25,000 solo, duet, and chorus-backed songs in 20 Indian languages between 1948 to 1974. Over the years, while several sources have supported this claim, others have raised concerns over its veracity, claiming that this number was highly exaggerated and that Mangeshkar's younger sister, Asha Bhosle, had more song recordings than she had. In 2011 ''Guinness'' officially acknowledged Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history.

Early life[link]

Lata Mangeshkar was born in Sikh Mohalla, Indore, in the Central India Agency (now part of Madhya Pradesh). Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar who belonged to a Gomantak Maratha Samaj family from Goa, was a classical singer and theater actor. Her mother Shevanti (Shudhamati) who was from Thalner, Maharashtra, was Deenanath's second wife. The family's last name used to be Hardikar; Deenanath changed it to Mangeshkar in order to identify his family with his native town, Mangeshi in Goa. Lata was named "Hema" at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father's plays, ''BhaawBandhan''. Lata is the eldest child of her parents. Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridayanath are her siblings in sequence.

Mangeshkar took her first lessons from her father. At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father's musical plays (''Sangeet Natak'' in Marathi). On the first day in the school, she started teaching songs to other children. When the teacher stopped her, she was so angry that she stopped going to the school. Other sources cite that she left school because they would not allow her to bring Asha with her, as she would often bring her younger sister with her.

Singing career[link]

Early career in the 1940s[link]

In 1942, when Mangeshkar was 13, her father died of heart disease. Master Vinayak (Vinayak Damodar Karnataki), the owner of Navyug Chitrapat movie company and a close friend of the Mangeshkar family, took care of them

Mangeshkar sang the song "Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani Haus Bhaari" which was composed by Sadashivrao Nevrekar for Vasant Joglekar's Marathi-language movie ''Kiti Hasaal'' (1942), but the song was dropped from the final cut. Vinayak gave her a small role in Navyug Chitrapat's Marathi movie ''Pahili Mangalaa-gaur'' (1942), in which she sang "Natali Chaitraachi Navalaai" which was composed by Dada Chandekar. Her first Hindi song was "Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu" for the Marathi film, ''Gajaabhaau'' (1943). Mangeshkar moved to Mumbai in 1945 when Master Vinayak's company moved its headquarters there. She started taking lessons in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Amanat Ali Khan . She sang “Paa Lagoon Kar Jori” for Vasant Joglekar's Hindi-language movie ''Aap Ki Seva Mein'' (1946), which was composed by Datta Davjekar. Mangeshkar and her sister Asha played minor roles in Vinayak's first Hindi-language movie, ''Badi Maa'' (1945). In that movie, Lata also sang a bhajan, “Maata Tere Charnon Mein.” She was introduced to music director Vasant Desai during the recording of Vinayak's second Hindi-language movie, ''Subhadra'' (1946).

Following the partition of India in 1947, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan migrated to newly formed Pakistan, so Mangeshkar started to learn classical music under Amanat Khan Devaswale. Pandit Tulsidas Sharma, a pupil of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, also trained her.

After Vinayak's death in 1948, music director Ghulam Haider mentored her as a singer. Haider introduced Mangeshkar to producer Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was working then on the movie ''Shaheed'' (1948), but Mukherjee dismissed Mangeshkar's voice as "too thin." An annoyed Haider responded that in the coming years the producers and the directors would "fall at Lata's feet" and "beg her" to sing in their movies. Haider gave Lata her first major break with the song “Dil Mera Toda,” from the movie ''Majboor'' (1948).

Initially, Mangeshkar is said to have imitated the acclaimed singer Noor Jehan, but later she developed her own style of singing. Lyrics of songs in Hindi movies are primarily composed by Urdu poets and contain a higher proportion of Urdu words, including the dialogue. Actor Dilip Kumar once made a mildly disapproving remark about Mangeshkar's Maharashtrian accent while singing Hindi/Urdu songs; so for a period of time, Lata took lessons in Urdu from an Urdu teacher named Shafi.

One of her first major hits was “Aayega Aanewaala,” a song in the movie ''Mahal'' (1949), which was composed by music director Khemchand Prakash and lip-synced on screen by actress Madhubala.

1950s[link]

In the 1950s, Mangeshkar sang songs composed by various music directors of the period, including Anil Biswas (in films such as Tarana and Heer), Shankar-Jaikishan, Naushad, S. D. Burman, C. Ramchandra, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Khayyam, Ravi, Sajjad Hussain, Roshan, Kalyanji-Anandji, Vasant Desai, Sudhir Phadke, Hansraj Behl, Madan Mohan, and Usha Khanna.

Mangeshkar sang many raga-based songs for Naushad in movies such as ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952), ''Mughal-E-Azam'' (1960), and ''Kohinoor'' (1960). ''Ae Chorre Ki Jaat Badi Bewafa'', a duet with G. M. Durrani, was her first song for composer, Naushad. The duo, Shankar-Jaikishan, chose Mangeshkar for ''Aag'', ''Aah'' (1953), ''Shree 420'' (1955), and ''Chori Chori'' (1956). Before 1957, composer Sachin Dev (S. D.) Burman chose Mangeshkar as the leading female singer for his musical scores in ''Sazaa'' (1951), ''House No. 44'' (1955), and ''Devdas'' (1955). However a rift developed between Lata and Burman in 1957, and Lata did not sing Burman's compositions again until 1962.

Mangeshkar won a Filmfare Best Female Playback Award for Salil Chowdhury's composition “Aaja Re Pardesi,” from ''Madhumati'' (1958). In the early fifties, Lata Mangeshkar's association with C. Ramchandra produced songs in movies such as Anarkali, Albela, Asha, Pehli Jhhalak, Shin Shinkai Bublaa Boo, Azad and Amardeep. For Madan Mohan, she performed for films like Adalat, Railway Platform, Dekh Kabira Roya and Chacha Zindabad.

1960s[link]

Mangeshkar's song "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" from ''Mughal-E-Azam'' (1960), composed by Naushad and picturized on Madhubala, still remains famous . The Hawaiian-themed number "Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh" from ''Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai'' (1960) was composed by Shankar-Jaikishan and picturized on Meena Kumari.

In 1961, Mangeshkar recorded two popular bhajans, "Allah Tero Naam" and "Prabhu Tero Naam", for Burman's assistant, Jaidev. In 1962, she was awarded her second Filmfare Award for the song "Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil" from ''Bees Saal Baad'', composed by Hemant Kumar.

On June 27, 1963, against the backdrop of the Sino-Indian War, Mangeshkar sang the patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" (literally, "Oh, People of My Country") in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India. The song, composed by C. Ramchandra and written by Pradeep, is said to have brought the Prime Minister to tears.

In 1963, Mangeshkar returned to collaboration with S. D. Burman. She also sang for R. D. Burman's very first film ''Chhote Nawaab'' and later for his films such as ''Bhoot Bangla'' (1965), ''Pati Patni'' (1966), ''Baharon ke Sapne'' (1967) and ''Abhilasha'' (1969). She also recorded several popular songs for S. D. Burman, including "Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai", "Gata Rahe Mera Dil" (duet with Kishore Kumar) and "Piya Tose" from ''Guide'' (1965), and "Hothon Pe Aisi Baat" from ''Jewel Thief'' (1967).

During the 1960s, Lata Mangeshkar continued her association with Madan Mohan which included the songs "Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha" from ''Anpadh'' (1962), "Lag Ja Gale" and "Naina Barse Rim Jhim" from ''Woh Kaun Thi?'' (1964), "Woh Chup Rahen To" from ''Jahan Ara'' (1964), and "Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega" from ''Mera Saaya'' (1966).

The 1960s also witnessed the beginning of Mangeshkar's association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the music directors for whom she sang the most popular songs in her career. She sang for ''Parasmani'' (1963) which was their first film together.

She also sang several playback songs for Marathi films, composed by Marathi music directors including Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Vasant Prabhu, Srinivas Khale, Sudhir Phadke and herself (under the name ''Anandghan''). During the 1960s and 1970s, she also sang several Bengali songs, composed by music directors like Salil Chowdhury and Hemant Kumar.

In this period Lata Mangeshkar has recorded duets with Mukesh, Manna Dey, Mohammed Rafi, and Kishore Kumar.

1970s[link]

In 1972, Meena Kumari's last film, ''Pakeezah'' released. It featured popular songs including "Chalte Chalte" and "Inhi Logon Ne" sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and composed by Ghulam Mohammed. She recorded many popular songs for S. D. Burman's last films, including "Rangeela Re" from ''Prem Pujari'' (1970), "Khilte Hain Gul Yahaan" from ''Sharmeelee'' (1971), and "Piya Bina" from ''Abhimaan'' (1973).

Lata Mangeshkar's most notable songs in 1970s were composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal (Laxmi-Pyare) and Rahul Dev Burman. She recorded several songs composed by Laxmi-Pyare in 1960s and 1970s, many of them written by the lyricist Anand Bakshi. She also recorded many hit songs with Rahul Dev Burman in the films ''Amar Prem'' (1972), ''Caravan'' (1971), ''Kati Patang''(1971), and ''Aandhi'' (1975). The two are noted for their songs with the lyricists Majrooh Sultanpuri, Anand Bakshi and Gulzar.

In 1973, she won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Beeti Na Bitai" from the film ''Parichay'', composed by R. D. Burman, and written by Gulzar. In 1974, she sang her only Malayalam song "Kadali Chenkadali" for the film ''Nellu'', composed by Salil Chowdhury, and written by Vayalar Ramavarma. In 1975, she again won the national award, this time for the song "Roothe Roothe Piya" from the film ''Kora Kagaz'', composed by Kalyanji-Anandji.

From 1970s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar has also staged many concerts in India and abroad, including several charity concerts. Her first concert overseas was at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1974. She also released an album of Mirabai's bhajans, ''Chala Vaahi Des'', composed by her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar. Some of the bhajans in the album include "Saanware Rang Raachi" and "Ud Jaa Re Kaaga". In the early 70s, she released other non-film albums, such as her collection of Ghalib ghazals, an album of Marathi folk songs (koli-geete), an album of Ganesh aartis (all composed by her brother Hridaynath) and an album of ''abhangs'' of Sant Tukaram composed by Shrinivas Khale.

In late 1970s and early 1980s, she worked with the children of composers she had earlier worked with. Some of these composers included Rahul Dev Burman (son of Sachin Dev Burman), Rajesh Roshan (son of Roshan), Anu Malik (son of Sardar Malik), and Anand-Milind (sons of Chitragupt).

1980s onwards[link]

From 1980s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar worked with music directors including Shiv-Hari, Ram Laxman, and A. R. Rahman. She recorded some non-film songs, including ghazals with Jagjit Singh.

In 1990, Mangeshkar launched her own production house for Hindi movies which produced the Gulzar-directed movie ''Lekin...''. She won her third National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her rendition of the song "Yaara Sili Sili" from the film, which was composed by her brother Hridayanath. During the 1990s, she recorded with music directors including Jatin-Lalit and Nadeem-Shravan. She has sung for Rajshri Productions, including ''Maine Pyar Kiya'' (1989) and ''Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!'' (1994).

Mangeshkar has sung for almost all the Yash Chopra films and films from his production house Yash Raj Films at that time, including ''Chandni'' (1989), ''Lamhe'' (1991), ''Darr'' (1993), ''Yeh Dillagi'' (1994), ''Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'' (1995), ''Dil To Pagal Hai'' (1997) and later on ''Mohabbatein'' (2000), ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge'' (2002) and ''Veer Zaara'' (2004).

A. R. Rahman recorded a few songs with Mangeshkar during this period, including "Jiya Jale" (''Dil Se..''), "Khamoshiyan Gungunane Lagin" (''One Two Ka Four''), "Ek Tu Hi Bharosa" (''Pukar''), "Pyaara Sa Gaon" (''Zubeidaa''), "Lukka chuppi" (''Rang de Basanti'') and "O Paalanhaare" (''Lagaan''). She made an appearance in the film ''Pukar'' singing this song.

In 1999, Lata Eau de Parfum, a perfume brand named after her, was launched.

In 1999, Mangeshkar was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha. However, she did not attend the Rajya Sabha sessions regularly, inviting criticism from several members of the House, including the Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah, Pranab Mukherjee and Shabana Azmi. She stated the reason for her absence as ill-health; it was also reported that she had not taken a salary, allowance or a house in Delhi for being a Member of Parliament.

In 2001, Lata Mangeshkar was awarded Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. In the same year, she established the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune, managed by the Lata Mangeshkar Medical Foundation (founded by the Mangeshkar family in October 1989). In 2005, she designed a jewellery collection called Swaranjali, which was crafted by Adora, an Indian diamond export company. Five pieces from the collection raised £105,000 at a Christie's auction, and a part of the money was donated for the 2005 Pakistan earthquake relief. Also in 2001, she recorded her first Hindi song with the composer Ilaiyaraaja, for the film ''Lajja''; she had earlier recorded Tamil and Telugu songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

Lata Mangeshkar's song "Wada Na Tod" is in the film ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004) and on the film's soundtrack.

On June 21, 2007, she released an album ''Saadgi'', featuring eight ghazal-like songs written by Javed Akhtar and composed by Mayuresh Pai.

Lata Mangeshkar records songs for Madhur Bhandarkar ''Kitne Ajeeb Rishte Hain Yahan Par'' for ''Page 3'' (2005), ''Daata Sun Le'' for ''Jail'' (2009) and, ''Kyun Yahan Hota Hai'' was recorded years ago for ''Corporate'' (2006), but is only being used in ''Heroine'' (2012).

Non-singing career[link]

Music direction[link]

Lata Mangeshkar composed music for the first time in 1955 for Marathi movie ''Ram Ram Pavhane''. Later in 1960s, she composed music for following Marathi movies under the pseudonym of ''Anand Ghan''.

1960 - ''Ram Ram Pavhana''

1963 - ''Maratha Tituka Melvava''

1963 - ''Mohityanchi Manjula''

1965 - ''Sadhi Manase''

1969 - ''Tambadi Mati''

She won Maharashtra State Government's Best Music Director Award for the film ''Sadhi Manase''. The song "Airanichya Deva Tula" from the same film received best song award.

Production[link]

Lata Mangeshkar has produced four films:

1953 - ''Vaadal'' (Marathi)

1953 - ''Jhaanjhar'' (Hindi), co-produced with C. Ramchandra

1955 - ''Kanchan'' (Hindi)

1990 - ''Lekin...'' (Hindi)

Awards and recognitions[link]

Lata Mangeshkar has won several awards and honors, including Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award), Padma Bhushan (1969), Padma Vibhushan (1999), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1989), Maharashtra Bhushan Award (1997), NTR National Award (1999), Bharat Ratna (2001), ANR National Award (2009), three National Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. She has also won four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards. In 1969, she made the unusual gesture of giving up the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award, in order to promote fresh talent. She was later awarded Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.

In 1984, the State Government of Madhya Pradesh instituted the ''Lata Mangeshkar Award'' in honour of Lata Mangeshkar. The State Government of Maharashtra also instituted a Lata Mangeshkar Award in 1992.

In 1974, The Guinness Book of Records listed Lata Mangeshkar as the most recorded artist in the history, stating that she had reportedly recorded "not less than 25,000 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in 20 Indian languages" between 1948 and 1974. Her record was contested by Mohammed Rafi, who was claimed to have sung around 28,000 songs. After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of World Records stated Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings", but also stated Rafi's claim. The later editions of Guinness Book stated that Lata Mangeshkar had sung no fewer than 30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987.

Although the entry has not been printed in Guinness editions since 1991, several sources claim that she has recorded thousands of songs, with estimates ranging up to figures as large as 50,000. However, even the earliest Guinness claim of 25,000 songs (between 1948–1974) was claimed to be exaggerated by several other sources, with one of them stating that the number of songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Hindi films till 1991 was found to be 5250. Mangeshkar herself stated that she does not keep a record of the number of songs recorded by her, and that she did not know from where Guinness Book editors got their information. In 2011 Asha Bhosle was officially acknowledged by ''Guinness'' as the most recorded artist in music history, surpassing Mangeshkar.

See also[link]

Playback singer

Asha Bhosle

List of Indian playback singers

Bollywood songs

References[link]

Further reading[link]

. A collection of articles written by Lata Mangeshkar since 1952. . . A collection of articles written by Lata Mangeshkar since 1952.

External links[link]

Category:1929 births Category:Indian female singers Category:Indian film singers Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Living people Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Marathi people Category:Kollywood playback singers Category:People from Indore Category:Marathi playback singers Category:Telugu playback singers Category:Kannada playback singers Category:Hindi-language singers Category:Marathi-language singers Category:Bengali-language singers Category:Gujarati-language singers Category:Tamil-language singers Category:English-language singers Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:Recipients of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award Category:Malayalam playback singers Category:Bhojpuri cinema

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name	Meena Kumari
birth name	Mahjabeen Bano
birth date	August 01, 1932 Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
death date	March 31, 1972
death place	Bombay, Maharashtra, India
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1939–1972 }}

Meena Kumari (1 August 1932 – 31 March 1972), born Mahjabeen Bano, was an Indian movie actress and poetess. She is regarded as one of the most prominent actresses to have appeared on the screens of Hindi Cinema. During a career spanning 30 years from her childhood to her death, she starred in more than ninety films, many of which have achieved classic and cult status today.

Kumari gained a reputation for playing grief-stricken and tragic roles, and her performances have been praised and reminisced throughout the years. Like one of her best-known roles, Chhoti Bahu, in ''Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'' (1962), Kumari became addicted to alcohol. Her life and prosperous career were marred by heavy drinking, troubled relationships, an ensuing deteriorating health, and her death from liver cirrhosis in 1972.

Kumari is often cited by media and literary sources as "The Tragedy Queen", both for her frequent portrayal of sorrowful and dramatic roles in her films and her real-life story.

Early life[link]

Meena Kumari was the third daughter of Ali Baksh and Iqbal Begum; Khursheed and Madhu were her two elder sisters. At the time of her birth, her parents were unable to pay the fees of Dr. Gadre, who had delivered her, so her father left her at a Muslim orphanage, however, he picked her up after a few hours.

Her father, a Shia Muslim, was a veteran of Parsi theater, played harmonium, taught music, and wrote Urdu poetry. He played small roles in films like ''Id Ka Chand'' and composed music for films like ''Shahi Lutere''.

Her mother was the second wife of Ali Baksh. Before meeting and then marrying Ali Baksh, she was a stage actress and dancer, under the stage name, Kamini.

Career[link]

Early work[link]

When Mahjabeen was born, Ali Bakhsh aspired to get roles as an actor in Rooptara Studios. At the urging of his wife, he got Mahjabeen too into movies despite her protestations of wanting to go to school. Young Mahjabeen is said to have said, "I do not want to work in movies; I want to go to school, and learn like other children."

As Mahjabeen embarked on her acting career at the age of 7, she was renamed Baby Meena. ''Farzand-e-Watan'' or ''Leatherface'' (1939) was her first movie, which was directed for Prakash Studios by Vijay Bhatt. She became practically the sole breadwinner of her family during the 1940s. Her early adult acting, under the name Meena Kumari, was mainly in mythological movies like ''Veer Ghatotkach'' (1949), ''Shri Ganesh Mahima'' (1950), and fantasy movies like ''Alladin and The Wonderful Lamp'' (1952).

Breakthrough[link]

Meena Kumari gained fame with her role as a heroine in Vijay Bhatt's ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952). This heroine always negated herself for the material and spiritual advancement of the man she loved and was even willing to annihilate herself to provide him the experience of pain so that his music would be enriched. She became the first actress to win the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1953 for this performance.

Meena Kumari highly successfully played the roles of a suffering woman in ''Parineeta'' (1953), ''Daera'' (1953), ''Ek Hi Raasta'' (1956), ''Sharda'' (1957), and ''Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi'' (1960). Though she cultivated the image of a tragedienne, she also performed commendably in a few light-hearted movies like ''Azaad'' (1955), ''Miss Mary'' (1957), ''Shararat'' (1959), and ''Kohinoor'' (1960).

One of her best-known roles was in ''Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'' (1962), which was produced by Guru Dutt. Kumari played Chhoti Bahu, an alcoholic wife. The film was a major critical and commercial success, which was attributed by critics to Kumari's performance, which is regarded as one of the best performances of Hindi Cinema. The role was famous for its uncanny similarity to Meena Kumari's own life. At that time, she herself was on a road to gradual ruin in her own personal life. Like her character, she began to drink heavily, though she carried on. In 1962, she made history by getting all the three nominations for Filmfare Best Actress Award, for her roles in ''Aarti'', ''Main Chup Rahungi'', and ''Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam''. She won the award for ''Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam''. Upperstall.com wrote about her performance,

Later work[link]

For four more years, Kumari performed successfully in ''Dil Ek Mandir'' (1963), ''Kaajal'' (1965), and ''Phool Aur Patthar'' (1966), all of which earned her Filmfare nominations, with ''Kaajal'' garnering her a fourth and last win of the Best Actress award. However, after divorcing her husband in 1964, her addiction to alcohol became stronger, and she often dulled her senses with liquor. She also relied more and more on intimate relationships with younger men like Dharmendra. Her subsequent releases, including ''Chandan Ka Palna'' and ''Majhli Didi'' did not do well.

Kumari's heavy drinking had badly damaged her liver, and in 1968 she fell seriously ill. She was taken to London and Switzerland for treatment. Back home, she started settling her debts and made peace with her estranged sister, Madhu, whom she had not spoken to for two years. Because of her heavy drinking, she increasingly lost her good looks, and when she returned, she began playing character roles in movies like ''Jawab'' (1970) and ''Dushmun'' (1972).

She developed an attachment to writer-lyricist Gulzar and acted in his directorial debut ''Mere Apne'' (1971). Kumari presented an acclaimed portrayal of an elderly woman who got caught between two street gangs of frustrated, unemployed youth and got killed, her death making the youth realise the futility of violence.

''Pakeezah'', starring Kumari and directed by her ex-husband Kamal Amrohi, took 14 years to reach the silver screen. First planned by Amrohi in 1958, the film went on the studio floors in 1964, but the shooting came to a standstill after their separation in March 1964, when it was more than halfway complete. In 1969, Sunil Dutt and Nargis previewed some reels of the shelved film and convinced the estranged Amrohi and Kumari to complete it. ''Hindustan Times'' described the meeting which Dutt had organised between the two: Gravelly ill, Kumari was determined to complete the film and, well aware of the limited time left for her to live, went out of her way to complete it at the earliest. Despite her rapidly deteriorating health, she gave the finishing touches to her performance. Initially, after its release in February 1972, ''Pakeezah'' opened to a lukewarm response from the public; however, after Meena Kumari's death less than two months later, people flocked to see it, making it a major box-office success. The film has since gained a cult and classic status, and Kumari's performance as a golden-hearted Lucknow prostitute drew major praise. She posthumously received her twelfth and last Filmfare nomination.

Throughout her life, Kumari had a love-hate relationship with movies, and besides being a top-notch actress, she was a talented poetess, and recorded a disc of her Urdu poems, ''I write, I recite'' with music by Khayyam.

Death[link]

Three weeks after the release of ''Pakeezah'', Meena Kumari became seriously ill, and died on 31 March 1972 of liver cirrhosis. At her death, she was in more or less the same financial circumstance as her parents at the time of her birth: It is said that when she died in a nursing home, there was no money to pay her hospital bills. She was buried at Rahematabad Qabristan located at Narialwadi, Mazgaon, Mumbai.

Relationship with Kamal Amrohi[link]

In 1952, on the sets of one of her films, Meena Kumari fell in love with and married film director, Kamal Amrohi, who was fifteen years elder than her and was already married. She wrote about Amrohi:

''"Dil saa jab saathi paya'' ''Bechaini bhi woh saath le aaya"'' (When I found someone like my heart He also brought sorrow with him)

Soon after marriage, Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari produced a film called ''Daera'' (1953), which was based on their love story. They also planned another film, ''Pakeezah''. However, it took sixteen years (1956 to 1972) before ''Pakeezah'' reached the silver screen. (The scenes in Pakeezah's popular song, Inhi logon ne, were originally filmed in black and white, and were later reshot in color.)

It is said that Amrohi did not want children with Meena Kumari because she was not a Syed. They raised Kamal Amrohi's son, Tajdaar, who was greatly attached to his ''chhoti ammi'' (younger mother).

Due to their strong personalities, however, Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi started to develop conflicts, both professionally and in their married life. Their conflicts led to separation in 1960, and ultimately divorce in 1964. Highly affected Meena Kumari, who, once a happy woman, became depressed and found solace in heavy drinking. They remarried, but Meena Kumari had become an alcoholic by then.

She expressed her sorrows prominently in her poetry. About Kamal Amrohi she wrote:

''"Tum kya karo ge sun kar mujh se meri kahani'' ''Bay lutf zindagi ke qissay hain pheekay pheekay"'' (Why do you want to listen to my story: Colourless tales of a joyless life)

At the time of the divorce, she wrote:

''"Talaaq to day rahay ho'' ''Nazar-e-qehar ke saath'' ''Jawani bhi meri lauta do'' ''Mehar ke saath"'' (You are divorcing me with rage in your eyes Return to me, also, my youth along with the alimony!)

Filmography [link]

''Gomti Ke Kinare'' (1972) .... Ganga

''Pakeezah'' (1972) .... Nargis/Sahibjaan

''Dushmun'' (1971) .... Malti R. Din

''Mere Apne'' (1971) .... Anandi Devi/Auaji (Aunt)

''Jawab'' (1970) .... Vidya

''Saat Phere'' (1970)

''Abhilasha'' (1968) .... Mrs. Meena Singh

''Baharon Ki Manzil'' (1968) .... Nanda S. Roy/Radha Shukla

''Bahu Begum'' (1967) .... Zeenat Jahan Begum

''Chandan Ka Palna'' (1967) .... Shobha Rai

''Majhli Didi'' (1967) .... Hemangini 'Hema'

''Noorjehan'' (1967)

''Phool Aur Patthar'' (1966) .... Shanti Devi

''Pinjre Ke Panchhi'' (1966) .... Heena Sharma

''Bheegi Raat'' (1965)

''Jadui Angoothi'' (1965)

''Kaajal'' (1965) .... Madhavi

''Purnima'' (1965) .... Purnima V. Lal

''Maain Bhi Ladki Hun'' (1964) .... Rajni

''Benazir'' (1964) .... Benazir

''Chitralekha'' (1964) .... Chitralekha

''Gazal'' (1964) .... Naaz Ara Begum

''Sanjh Aur Savera'' (1964) .... Gauri

''Akeli Mat Jaiyo'' (1963) Seema

''Dil Ek Mandir'' (1963) .... Sita

''Kinare Kinare'' (1963)

''Aarti (film)'' (1962) .... Aarti Gupta

''Main Chup Rahungi'' (1962) .... Gayetri

''Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'' (1962) .... Chhoti Bahu

''Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan'' (1961) .... Geeta, Shyam's wife

''Pyaar Ka Saagar'' (1961) .... Radha/Rani B. Gupta

''Zindagi Aur Khwab'' (1961) .... Shanti

''Bahaana'' (1960)

''Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai'' (1960) .... Karuna

''Kohinoor'' (1960)

''Ardhangini'' (1959) .... Chhaya

''Chand'' (1959)

''Char Dil Char Raahein'' (1959) .... Chavli

''Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan'' (1959) .... Ratna

''Jagir'' (1959)

''Madhu'' (1959)

''Satta Bazaar'' (1959) .... Jamuna

''Shararat'' (1959)

''Farishta'' (1958)

''Sahara'' (1958) .... Leela

''Savera'' (1958)

''Yahudi'' (1958) .... Hannah

''Miss Mary'' (1957) .... Miss Mary/Laxmi

''Sharada'' (1957) .... Sharada Ram Sharan

''Bandhan'' (1956)

''Ek-Hi-Rasta'' (1956) .... Malti

''Halaku'' (1956) .... Niloufer Nadir

''Mem Sahib'' (1956) .... Meena

''Naya Andaz'' (1956)

''Shatranj'' (1956)

''Adl-E-Jahangir'' (1955)

''Azaad'' (1955) .... Shobha

''Bandish'' (1955) .... Usha Sen

''Rukhsana'' (1955)

''Baadbaan'' (1954)

''Chandni Chowk'' (1954) .... Zarina

''Ilzam'' (1954)

''Daera'' (1953) .... Sheetal

''Dana Paani'' (1953)

''Do Bigha Zamin'' (1953) .... Thakurain

''Foot Path'' (1953) .... Mala

''Naulakha Haar'' (1953) .... Bijma

''Parineeta'' (1953) .... Lalita

''Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag'' (1952)

''Baiju Bawra'' (1952) .... Gauri

''Tamasha'' (1952) .... Kiran

''Hanumaan Pataal Vijay'' (1951)

''Lakshmi Narayan'' (1951)

''Madhosh'' (1951) .... Soni

''Sanam'' (1951)

''Anmol Ratan'' (1950)

''Hamara Ghar'' (1950)

''Magroor'' (1950)

''Shri Ganesh Mahima'' (1950)

''Veer Ghatotkach'' (1949) .... Surekha

''Bichchade Balam'' (1948)

''Piya Ghar Aaja'' (1947)

''Bachchon Ka Khel'' (1946)

''Duniya Ek Sarai'' (1946)

''Lal Haveli'' (1944)

''Pratiggya'' (1943)

''Garib'' (1942)

''Bahen'' (1941) (as Baby Meena) .... Bina

''Kasauti'' (1941)

''Nai Roshni'' (1941)

''Ek Hi Bhool'' (1940)

''Pooja'' (1940)

''Leatherface'' (1939)

Filmfare Awards[link]

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards[link]

Meena Kumari has won several awards at the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards (BFJA)

1963 Best Actress (Hindi): ''Aarti''

1965 Best Actress (Hindi): ''Dil Ek Mandir''

Special Award: ''Pakeezah''

Biography[link]

One of the first biographies of Meena Kumari was written just after her death by Vinod Mehta in the year 1972. It was simply titled ''Meena Kumari''.

References[link]

External links[link]

Meena Kumari at Manas: Culture of India

Collection of verses by Meena Kumari

Category:Indian film actors Category:1932 births Category:1972 deaths Category:Deaths from cirrhosis Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian Muslims Category:Indian actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:People from Mumbai

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