Filmmaker Siddharth P Malhotra recently announced his upcoming feature, Kamal Aur Meena, which will explore the secret yet celebrated love story of legendary director-screenwriter Kamal Amrohi and his third wife, ‘tragedy queen’ Meena Kumari. While casting is still under way, the movie is expected to release in 2026.
In an Instagram post, Siddharth described the project as a cinematic experience that promises to capture one of the most iconic love stories in the history of Hindi cinema. “With access to over 500 handwritten letters exchanged between Kamal Sahab and Meenaji, as well as personal journals detailing their life together, the insights and research we have in telling this story is invaluable. 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 to the creation and release of Pakeezah,” he wrote. To create Kamal Aur Meena, he is collaborating with screenwriter Bhavani Iyer, lyricist-dialogue writer Kausar Munir and lyricist Irshad Kamil, while the background score and music for the movie is composed by maestro AR Rahman. Kamal Amrohi’s grandson Bilal Amrohi is also associated with the project.
This once again brings the focus back on revered tragedienne and one of Indian cinema’s finest actresses – Meena Kumari. Her notable films included Baiju Bawra (1952), Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Foot Path (1953), Bandish (1955), Miss Mary (1957), Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960), Kohinoor (1960), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Kaajal (1965) and Phool Aur Patthar (1966), among others.
However, it’s Pakeezah – the story of the despondent courtesan, Nargis, who tries to run away from her kotha in Lucknow to find love and peace – which is often considered her best performance. Counted among the ‘most extraordinary musical romantic melodramas ever made’, the Kamal Amrohi directorial dabbles in ‘poetry, fantasy and nostalgia on an epic scale’. Although shooting for Pakeezah began in 1956, it had to be abruptly halted and shelved due to Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari’s turbulent marriage. Already suffering from chronic insomnia, the separation from her husband pushed Meena into alcoholism and subsequent liver cirrhosis. Nonetheless, the making of the film resumed in 1969 and finally completed in 1971. Pakeezah released in 1972, eventually becoming a sleeper hit.
The movie also starred Ashok Kumar and Raaj Kumar, alongside Veena, Nadira and DK Sapru in key roles. Composed by Ghulam Mohammed and Naushad, Pakeezah’s soundtrack is fondly remembered to this day. Some of its most popular songs were Chalte Chalte Yun Hi Koi, Inhin Logon Ne, Mausam Hai Ashiqana, Chalo Dildar Chalo and Thare Rahiyo O Banke Yaar. The film’s dialogues were also famous, particularly Raaj Kumar saying: Aapke Paon Dekhe Bahut Haseen Hai… in a fleeting train sequence. Just days after Pakeezah hit the theatres, Meena passed away due to her prolonged illness (in March 1972). The April edition of Filmfare put a picture of her in costume on the cover, titled: ‘A star is dead’.
Her magnificent film journey was abruptly cut off by destiny. Not many people know that Meena was also an ardent book lover, who enjoyed stories and poetry both in Hindi and Urdu. There are pictures and notes about her engrossed in reading even on film sets. Under the pen name Naaz, she also wrote poems in Urdu. According to biographers and historians, the actress used those verses as a medium to ‘criticise the industry that had brought her to public attention in the first place’.
Many also talk about the supposed friction between Meena Kumari and her contemporary, ‘venus queen’ Madhubala. However, one cannot help but notice the similarities between the two legendary actresses’ lives. Both were born in 1933 – Madhubala on February 14 and Meena Kumari on August 1. Born as Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi and Mahjabeen Bano, they were more popular by their stage names. Breadwinners for their respective families, they entered cinema as child artists. Leather Face (1939) was Baby Meena’s first film, while Madhubala began her career with the 1942 flick Basant.
Who can forget Madhubala as Anarkali in legendary filmmaker K Asif’s historical epic drama Mughal-e-Azam (1960), also starring Dilip Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor and Durga Khote. But did you know Meena Kumari was chosen as the lead in Kamal’s 1951 movie Anarkali? However, the project was laid aside as she met with a car accident before the shooting began. Interestingly, Madhubala shot to fame after appearing as the lead in Kamal’s 1949 psychological supernatural horror film Mahal, which also starred Ashok Kumar.
Despite being iconic actresses of their generation with huge fan following and several titles and awards in their name, both Madhubala and Meena Kumari were somewhat ill-fated when it comes to love and family. Amid all the fame and fortune, they led a strange half life, and died quite young due to poor health – Madhubala passed away in February 1969, at the age of 36, and Meena Kumari at 38 years, in March 1972. A rare picture of them sharing a laugh is now floating on the internet, negating any opinions on their animosity whatsoever.
(This feature was first published in The Movie Mail’s Instagram page)
