Film Heritage Foundation’s 4K restoration of Kamal Amrohi’s 1972 classic Pakeezah, starring Meena Kumari, is set to receive its global premiere at France’s Festival Lumière in Lyon, followed by a gala screening at the BFI London Film Festival. The restoration marks a significant step in preserving one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated films.
Pakeezah 4K Restoration to premiere at Festival Lumière and BFI London Film Festival; Meena Kumari classic gets new lease of life
The restoration has been undertaken by Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) in association with the Amrohi family. The screening at the BFI IMAX in London will be presented by FHF director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur along with Kamal Amrohi’s children Tajdar and Rukhsaar Amrohi and grandson Bilal Amrohi.
The restoration took two years and presented several technical challenges, as the original camera negative was found to be almost melted and unusable. FHF subsequently worked with an interpositive, a CinemaScope print and a colour reversal internegative preserved by the NFDC-National Film Archive of India. Original film stills and memories shared by Tajdar and Rukhsaar Amrohi were also used to help recreate the colour palette and visual consistency of the film.
Speaking about the restoration, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur said, “Restoring Pakeezah has been a long-held dream, and I am so grateful to Bilal Amrohi for being the moving spirit and encouraging the family to support the restoration and bring the film back to life. Pakeezah is a film that has been etched in my memory since I was a child when I watched it for the first time with my grandmother in a darkened cinema in Dumraon, Bihar. The restoration of Pakeezah took two years. It has been one of the most exciting yet one of the most challenging restorations I have worked on. When I went to inspect the original camera negative and saw that it had almost melted, my heart sank. And the other film elements we had to work with were not in good condition with faded colours, scratches and mould. In my mind’s eye, I could see each frame like a painting saturated with colours, the opulent sets and the luminous beauty of Meena Kumari and the songs of Ghulam Mohammed were ringing in my ears as if it was yesterday, but not a single cast or crew member survived from the film and I wondered how I would be able to restore Kamal Amrohi’s original vision with what I had to work with. During our research we discovered original film stills which helped a great deal and I also consulted Tajdar and Rukhsaar Amrohi who had visited the sets and had vivid memories from the making of the film. I couldn’t have asked for a better showcase for the restored Pakeezah than the Festival Lumiere in Lyon, the birthplace of cinema followed by a gala screening at the London Film Festival.”
Tajdar Amrohi recalled his association with the film and his father’s dedication to the project. He said, “I was at the grand premiere of Pakeezah in 1972 with my father and Choti Ammi (Meena Kumari) and the film cans arrived at Maratha Mandir in a palanquin. I never imagined that I would be presenting the restored film with my family at the gala premiere in London fifty-four years later. I would like to thank Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and Film Heritage Foundation for restoring the film with so much passion and meticulous care and for bringing my father and his greatest work back to life so that new generations will see the unforgettable Meena Kumari and enjoy the beauty of the film. I remember when I was a child, my father was deep into the making of Pakeezah. Everything in our lives revolved around Pakeezah. My father had put in everything he had in the film and whenever we asked him for anything as children, his response would always be, “After Pakeezah.” Pakeezah was his life’s mission. I have so many memories of the film as I would regularly visit the sets on Floor No. 3 at Filmistan where much of the film was shot. The film has influenced generations of filmmakers and even today I am sometimes asked how he achieved some of the shots.”
Rukhsaar Amrohi also reflected on her father’s connection with the film and Meena Kumari. She said, “Pakeezah was my father’s obsession, his dream, his oxygen that gave meaning to his life. No one else could have played the role of Pakeezah, but Choti Ammi (Meena Kumari). She was Pakeezah. My father nurtured the film for over fifteen years like a child till it was fully matured and ready to be presented to the world. As a thirteen-year-old, I witnessed the countless sacrifices my father made and the relentless dedication and perfectionism in the face of almost insurmountable challenges to make his vision a reality. I have preserved every bit of his legacy that remains in Amroha, but for years, I felt that my father’s legacy as a great master of cinema had been forgotten. I would like to thank Shivendra Singh Dungarpur for taking the initiative to restore Pakeezah with so much love and care. I only wish my father were alive to see his creation restored and reborn for the world to see fifty-four years after it was released. I cannot wait to see the restored film back on the big screen and I will be travelling to London to present the film.”
Pakeezah, which was released on February 4, 1972, underwent a production journey spanning nearly 15 years. Originally conceived in the 1950s, the film began shooting in black-and-white before moving to Eastmancolor. The production was interrupted several times, including after Amrohi and Meena Kumari separated, before being revived in 1969.
The film went on to become one of the defining works of Indian cinema, with Meena Kumari’s performance as Sahibjaan becoming central to its enduring legacy. She passed away on March 31, 1972, just weeks after the film’s release.
The restored version of Pakeezah is presented in 4K with a 5.1 sound mix. The film runs for 153 minutes and features Meena Kumari alongside Ashok Kumar, Raaj Kumar and Nadira. The restoration was carried out by Film Heritage Foundation at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in association with Bilal Amrohi of Lionheart Cinema.
More Pages: Pakeezah Box Office Collection
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