Mumbai: Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt on Wednesday shared a glimpse of 'The Tragedy Queen' Meena Kumari and filmmaker Kamal Amrohi's poignant love story that will be revisited soon in a feature film, which will be helmed by Siddharth P Malhotra. The Hindi film will chronicle their 20-year journey, culminating with the 1972 masterpiece, Pakeezah, which also stars Raaj Kumar and Nadira.
Sanjay took to Instagram, where he shared a teaser of the film, which begins with letters featuring their pictures and a voice-over saying: "Mere adeeb, mere mirsha, mere shehzaade, meri rubayi. A Filmmaker, a muse… their star-crossed love story… A dream that refused to die… A love that went beyond the grave… Kamal Aur Meena."
The iconic number Chalte Chalte Yun Hi Koi from the 1972 film Pakeezah could be heard playing in the background. Sanjay captioned: "Dear Saachi and Bilal, all the best for your new venture. May it be a successful one! Love always, from Sanjay Mamu. It's a must-watch. @saachikumaramrohi @bilalamrohi."
Director Siddharth P Malhotra said in a statement: "It's a profound privilege to direct this incredible true story, though the responsibility is immense. Their relationship was one of deep love and artistic collaboration, spanning over 20 years—from their first meeting when she was just 18 and he was 34, from the creation to shoot and release, The legacy of Pakeezah; Their story gives me an opportunity to create a cinematic world where love, passion, emotion and music plays a huge part."
He further wrote, "I'm glad to be allowed to get a stellar team of Bhavani Iyer and Kausar Munir along with Irshad Kamil and the maestro himself AR Rahman sir to score the music of the film. Kamal sir and Meena ji have long been idols of mine, not only for their unmatched contributions to cinema but also for the indomitable spirit they brought to their craft. I'm beyond excited to bring their story to life on the silver screen. Bilal Amrohi, the grandson of the two icons, said it was a great honour to bring to the screen the untold love story and the struggle behind the making of the film."
"Their story is a beautiful yet tragic chapter in the legacy of Indian cinema. With access to over 500 handwritten letters exchanged between my grandparents Kamal Sahaab and Meenaji as well as personal journals detailing their life together thanks to my Aphua, Rukhsaar Amrohi who has selflessly preserved them and my father Tajdar Amrohi who has lived so closely with them both on and off film shoots, I would like to show the world audience the real heart wrenching story which no else knows. May I end by quoting, 'Jo chup rahegi zabaan-e-khanjar, lahoo pukarega aasteeń ka," he added.
However, no details were shared about the film, which was announced by Saregama & Lionheart Cinema. Amrohi and Meena met during the filming of the 1952 film Tamasha through veteran actor Ashok Kumar. The two fell in love and got married in the same year. According to reports, only Amrohi's friend Baaqar Ali and Meena Kumari's younger sister Madhu were aware of this. The two then worked on films such as Daera in 1953, which traced their love story, however, the movie tanked at the box office.
The two have also worked together in the iconic film Pakeezah, which hit the screens 14 years after it first began. Weeks after the release of the film, Meena Kumar fell ill and later slipped into a coma. Two days later, she passed away in 1972 aged 38. It was reported that the cause of her death was determined to be liver cirrhosis. Amrohi died in 1993, twenty-one years after his wife Meena Kumari's death and ten years after making his last film, “Razia Sultan” in 1983. He was laid to rest next to Meena Kumari in Rehmatabad Qabristan.
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