Pakeezah is a story of family, of values, of pride, but mostly of love. It is a story of the love between two people. And the misguided love of fathers for their sons. Or is it love?
SPOILERS
When the son of a rich man falls in love with a prostitute, he looks beyond her past and marries her. But as loving as he is, that is how stubborn and unforgiving his father is. He rejects his new daughter-in-law who as a broken woman, takes up residence in a cemetary where she lives for only one purpose. To give birth to her child. After the child, a girl, is born, she dies and the child is brought up by her mother's sister who runs the brothel where her mother used to work. The girl, Pakeezah, ends up dancing in this brothel just as her mother before her. One day while travelling by train a stranger, Salim, accidentally wanders into her compartment. He is immediately enchanted by this wonderful creature though mostly by her feet (fetishist?). He writes her a note and she instantly falls in love with the man who wrote this note. Ironically as fate would have it, Salim is the nephew of Pakeezah's father. History is about to repeat itself. Or is it?
A story about an impossible love. A story about destiny. Pakeezah is considered by many to be a cinematic masterpiece. As a novice to classic Bollywood movies it's difficult to put this film in its context. Comparing it to other movies, however, I can't help but wonder whether its fame is a hype or not. Undoubtedly it's a beautiful story. But it's also extremely long and at times tedious. A story strung together by unrealistic coincidences. Maybe this is a sign of destiny at work. Or perhaps it is a sign of a weak script!
I'm glad I watched it, but I infinitely enjoyed movies such as Bobby (with Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia) and Kudrat (with Hema Malini and Rajesh Khanna) more and those are also classics in their own right.
Pakeezah despite any flaws it might have remains interesting if not for its story then for its history. Pakeezah took fourteen years to complete. Its production was thwarted by the passing of Meena Kumari who plays the main role. Another actress was sought to finish filming this movie and she was meticulously weaved into the story. On another interesting note, some might have noticed that Meena Kumari always hides her left hand. The reason for this is that she was very conscious about the fact she didn't have a pinky finger.
Finally, a word about the music. The songs in Pakeezah are absolutely beautiful and they alone already make this movie worthwile.
***/5 stars
SPOILERS
When the son of a rich man falls in love with a prostitute, he looks beyond her past and marries her. But as loving as he is, that is how stubborn and unforgiving his father is. He rejects his new daughter-in-law who as a broken woman, takes up residence in a cemetary where she lives for only one purpose. To give birth to her child. After the child, a girl, is born, she dies and the child is brought up by her mother's sister who runs the brothel where her mother used to work. The girl, Pakeezah, ends up dancing in this brothel just as her mother before her. One day while travelling by train a stranger, Salim, accidentally wanders into her compartment. He is immediately enchanted by this wonderful creature though mostly by her feet (fetishist?). He writes her a note and she instantly falls in love with the man who wrote this note. Ironically as fate would have it, Salim is the nephew of Pakeezah's father. History is about to repeat itself. Or is it?
A story about an impossible love. A story about destiny. Pakeezah is considered by many to be a cinematic masterpiece. As a novice to classic Bollywood movies it's difficult to put this film in its context. Comparing it to other movies, however, I can't help but wonder whether its fame is a hype or not. Undoubtedly it's a beautiful story. But it's also extremely long and at times tedious. A story strung together by unrealistic coincidences. Maybe this is a sign of destiny at work. Or perhaps it is a sign of a weak script!
I'm glad I watched it, but I infinitely enjoyed movies such as Bobby (with Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia) and Kudrat (with Hema Malini and Rajesh Khanna) more and those are also classics in their own right.
Pakeezah despite any flaws it might have remains interesting if not for its story then for its history. Pakeezah took fourteen years to complete. Its production was thwarted by the passing of Meena Kumari who plays the main role. Another actress was sought to finish filming this movie and she was meticulously weaved into the story. On another interesting note, some might have noticed that Meena Kumari always hides her left hand. The reason for this is that she was very conscious about the fact she didn't have a pinky finger.
Finally, a word about the music. The songs in Pakeezah are absolutely beautiful and they alone already make this movie worthwile.
***/5 stars