Sometimes a talented artists’ solitary performance becomes larger than life and makes the character-performed immortal. But it is only possible when one adds his/ her liver’s blood in the act.
Meena Kumari, the legendary Bollywood actress of seventies has nailed it with her incredible performance in the movie “Pakeeza”: a complete romance- thriller – end to end.
To be honest, taking the challenge to write a review of the movie is too difficult to handle for me; I doubt to find appropriate words to describe it. Therefore, I decided to review just one song of the movie i.e. “Thare Rahiyo”
This song is the soul of the entire film.
Friends, woman is a greatest mystery on earth, if only, one dares to solve it! She can lose her heart over just one word of love as sometimes, she is as thirsty for it, as a desert for a drop of rain. Imagine, a single sentence can haunt her for the rest of her life!
The story is not different for this moon-faced, rose-lipped, courtesan. Dressed in a pine-green frock embroidered with loads of golden work and burgundy pyjamas, wearing ghungroos underneath, the stage is all set for “Sahib Jaan” to put the hearts of the watchers on fire.
On the right side, Nawab Jafar Khan is resting on a bolster pillow. Next to him is sitting “Gohar Jaan” the renowned and pretentious prostitute of the time. Center is occupied by the love-bitten ‘Sahib Jaan’; spelled under her unseen love and drowned in deep imagination, she is contemplating her lover coming from the front gate of the ‘Kotha’. Next to her, is kneeling the chief pimp with wide mustaches, and the musicians are seated on the far left side of the dancing court.
The moment has arrived. The titans of the Indian Film Industry of the time are all set on the background to create a masterpiece to be seen for centuries to come. Kamal Amrohi the writer, director and producer of the film is not ready to accept less than perfect. Song was written by the great poet Majrooh Sultanpuri; sung by the magnificent, the one and the only, Madam Lata Mangeshkar, under the composition of the most celebrated musician of the time: Ghulam Muhammad.
That night, another flamboyant Nawab i.e. Zafar Ali Khan (Kamal Kapoor) was among the chief guests of ‘Gohar Jaan’.
As earlier said, haunted by the following single sentence of Nawab Saleem Ali Khan (Raj Kumar), ” I Saw your feet; they are very beautiful, never put them on earth; they may get dusty”, she dared to love a man, and that act is in fact forbidden for a dancing girl of a “Kotha”.
On the light notes of ‘satar’ (an eastern music instrument) ‘Sahib Jaan’ (Meena Kumari) starts her performance of the night. Raising her right hand up to her face then moving it slowly from left to right, and finally signalling towards the front door, she smiles and stands while looking towards her ghungroos, tide on her both feet, one by one; she extends her both arms in opposite directions and takes a killing stretch.
At this moment ‘tabla’ steps in, and with its each stroke she makes some mind-blowing spins and takes around 10 steps forward, followed by a few peacock dancing steps; she has not only startled the guest of the night but stunned the house full audience of Indian Cinema houses on February 4, 1972: the film’s release day.
The film has already touched its pre-climax.
Every playboy sitting at the “Kotha” of ‘Gohar Jaan’ was illusioned as if ‘Sahib Jaan’ is singing for him. But all her melancholy moves were, in fact, for her unseen love. While addressing her lover she says, ” wait, I am coming; just allow me to put some kajal in my eyes and place some roses in my braid. Look, the night is too short and my ghungroos are too restless to dance for you, only”.
Drowned in imagination, she dances incessantly. Nawab Zafar Ali Khan drooled on her beauty, showers lots of money in her feet. Another lusty ‘new money’ starts competing with Nawab which hurts the pride of the Nawab prompting him to shoot directly on the hand of that ‘new money’.
One can witness a lot of glamour, drama, and action, throughout the song. Very delicate feelings, pride and egos of the then ‘Lakhnavi Culture’ has been portrayed during the act. I leave the rest of the action to be witnessed by yourself on Youtube.
Film “Pakeeza” took 16 years to complete. People say it was a tribute presented by a husband( Kamal Amrohi) to his wife (Meena Kumari). The story of her love-life is another chapter that can’t be covered here. This was her last films as only after weeks of its release, she died. During the making of this film that was very much resembling to her own love-story, she melted like a candle. It was only due to her deteriorating health that a few dance-steps of the last song “teerey nazar” had to be performed by another actress, in double veils. proving to be a true artist, she justified with her professional responsibilities despite severe differences with her husband (Kamal Amrohi): the writer, producer and director of the film.
She nourished this film with her liver’s blood.
She was an actress of legendary fame.
You doubt!
Just Youtube “Pakeeza” or its song “Thare Rahiyo”.
“A tribute to the Indian Film Industry from the neighbourhood.”
Lifewithj 