Mumbai: Meena Kumari’s ‘Pakeezah’ is one such film that has stayed in the minds of cinema lovers for decades. And guess what? Music label Saregama and actor-producer Bilal Amrohi are now all set to revive the magic of the cult classic with a fictional series.
Helmed by Kamal Amrohi, the romantic-musical drama movie revolved around a courtesan called Nargis, played by Kumari, and her forbidden love. Raaj Kumar and Ashok Kumar had also featured in the movie.
The film reportedly took about 16 years to arrive on the big screen. The upcoming series will feature details of their lives and incidents surrounding the sixteen-year journey of the making of the film.
Talking more about the project, Bilal Amrohi, grandson of Kamal Amrohi said, “It will be a tall order to do justice to the vision of my grandfather. I have heard stories of his tireless perfectionism and how he even drew the set design to the last detail, ensured that the costumes of the stars and each of the supporting actors were perfect, imported chandeliers from Belgium, and spent lakhs on the exquisite carpets. The film cost almost one-and-a-half-crore rupees at the time of its making but more than the money, 16 years of my grandfather’s life was also invested in it.”
The series will be helmed under the banner of Yoodlee Films.
Vikram Mehra, MD of Saregama, India, too, spoke about the project.
He said, “The story of the making of Pakeezah is one of guts, gumption, and greatness. For us in Yoodlee, to partner on a series depicting the trials and tribulations to make Pakeezah, was a project with all the right connections. That we are embarking on something this challenging proves how serious we are about creating clutter-breaking content and leaving our stamp on the web content space.”
The series will go on the floors in 2023.
