Music
label
Saregama
and
actor-producer
Bilal
Amrohi
on
Tuesday
announced
a
fictional
series
based
on
the
iconic
Meena
Kumari-starrer
“Pakeezah”.
The
news
comes
days
after
the
50th
anniversary
of
the
Kamal
Amrohi
directorial,
which
was
released
on
February
4,
1972.
The
romantic-musical-drama
movie
revolved
around
a
courtesan
called
Nargis,
played
by
Kumari,
and
her
forbidden
love.
The
film,
also
featuring
Raaj
Kumar
and
Ashok
Kumar,
went
on
floors
in
1956
and
reportedly
took
about
16
years
to
arrive
at
the
big
screen.
“Pakeezah”
opened
to
lukewarm
response
from
the
critics
but
was
praised
by
the
audience.
But
Kumari's
untimely
death
on
March
31,
1972
due
to
liver
cirrhosis,
led
to
the
film
becoming
one
of
the
top
grossers
of
that
year.
The
actor,
known
as
the
tragedy
queen
of
Bollywood,
was
39
when
she
died.
Amrohi
and
Kumari
had
married
in
1952,
but
their
relationship
soured
later.
In
a
press
statement,
Saregama
said
they
have
collaborated
with
Bilal
Amrohi,
grandson
of
the
celebrated
filmmaker
Kamal
Amrohi,
on
a
fictional
series
that
will
capture
the
intense
love
story
between
the
director
and
Kumari,
his
muse,
that
played
out
against
the
backdrop
of
the
creation
of
this
iconic
film.
The
series
will
be
made
under
the
banner
of
Yoodlee
Films,
the
studio
production
arm
of
Saregama,
and
will
feature
details
of
their
lives
and
incidents
surrounding
the
sixteen-year
journey
of
making
of
the
film,
it
said.
Bilal
Amrohi
said
having
heard
stories
of
his
grandfather’s
eye
for
perfectionism,
it
will
be
a
tall
order
to
do
justice
to
the
vision
of
the
filmmaker
through
the
upcoming
series.
“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.
It
is
daunting
to
narrate
the
story
of
the
making
of
the
classic
for
today's
audience.
“Yoodlee
Films
is
as
passionate
about
the
project
as
we
are.
Together,
we
will
hopefully
pay
the
perfect
tribute
to
the
filmmaker
whose
obsession
for
perfection
produced
one
of
the
landmark
films
of
India,”
Bilal
Amrohi
said
in
a
statement.
Vikram
Mehra,
MD
of
Saregama,
India,
said
they
are
excited
and
humbled
to
bring
out
a
treasure
trove
of
a
story
to
today’s
audience.
“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,”
Mehra
said.
“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,”
he
added.
Yoodlee
Films
will
soon
be
announcing
the
director
and
the
cast
for
the
series,
which
will
go
on
the
floors
in
2023.