Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi, popularly known as Kamal Amrohi (17 January 1918 – 11 February 1993), the legendary filmmaker, writer, & poet was born in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. achieved a cult status. With an eye for detail and acute visual sense Amrohi harnessed the full power of cinema to examine themes like prostitution, reincarnation and adultery.
I hope to create a film which would be worthy of her as an actress, and worthy of the love I felt for her as a woman.
Kamal Amrohi on Making Pakeezah for Meena Kumari
In 1938, he left Amroha to study in Lahore, now part of Pakistan, where he met legendary singer K. L. Saigal, who took him to Mumbai (Bombay) to work for Sohrab Modi’s Minerva Movietoon film company, where he started his career working on films like Jailor (1938), Pukar (1939), Bharosa (1940), A.R.Kardar’s film Shahjehan (1946) and K.Asif’s Phool.
The Faulty Genius
The iconic film Mahal (1949), starring Madhubala and Ashok Kumar, marked the beginning of his illustrious career, The film which has music of Khemchand Prakash became a musical blockbuster, with songs by Lata Mangeshkar (“Aayega Aanewala”) and Rajkumari Dubey (Ek Teer Chala Dil Pe Laga”).
After Mahal, he made Daera (1953) with Meena Kumari and Nasir Khan about a 16-year-old girl forcibly married to an older man who falls in love with a teenaged neighbour. The movie includes elements of his own love story with Meena Kumari. Although acclaimed as a film far ahead of its time, it proved a disaster at the box office.
Pakeezah, which was conceived in 1958 but was not brought to the screen until 1972, remains a cinematic gem, showcasing his nuanced storytelling and poetic vision.
This was followed by his magnum opus, Razia Sultan (1983), his last film. Though, he started a film, Majnoon, with Rajesh Khanna and Rakhee as leads, the film got shelved. It was mentioned that the last movie he wanted to make was called Aakhri Mughal. He had written a substantial portion of the script. But it went into oblivion after his death.
As a director, he developed a style that combined a stylised direction with minimalist performances. This style was different from the one with expressive acting that was common in Indian cinema of his period.
He wrote scripts for the movies made by Sohrab Modi, Abdul Rashid Kardar and K. Asif. He was one of the four dialogue writers for the latter’s famous 1960 movie, Mughal-e-Azam, for which he won the Filmfare Award. He also wrote H. S. Rawail ‘s Saqi (1952″) starring Premnath, Madhubala, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai(1960) which he also produced, Zindagi aur Khwab(1961) and Pradeep Kumar starrer Shankar Hussain(1977) which has the evergreen Rafi classic “Kahin ek masoom nazuk si ladki” also written by him.
Kamal wrote the lyrics to Sohrab Modi’s Pukar (1939), which had songs like “Zindagi Ka Saaz Bhi Kya Saaz Hai”, “Geet Suno Woh Geet Saiya,” & “Dil Me Tu, Aankho Me Tu, Saanso Me Tu.” For Pakeezah, he wrote “Mausam Hai Aahiqana” also cowrote the “Thade Rahiyo” with Majrooh Sultanpuri.
In 1958, he started Kamal Amrohi Studios (Kamalistan Studios), It continues to run, managed by Amrohi’s son and daughter, Tajdar Amrohi & Rukhsar Amrohi.
Amrohi’s first wife was Bilkis Bano, who died early after her death, He married Sayeda Al-Zehra Mehmoodi, the mother of his three children Shandaar, Tajdar and Rukhsar Amrohi.
He met Meena Kumari during the filming of Tamasha. Veteran actor Ashok Kumar introduced them. They fell in love and married on February 14, 1952, in a private ceremony. Only Amrohi’s friend Baaqar Ali and Meena Kumari’s younger sister Madhu were aware of this development. They lived together for a total of 11 years. Both have many common interests but the problems started because of their very different personalities. Amrohi was very possessive and highly self-respecting; on the other hand, Meena ji was also very particular and highly successful, whole world seems to be in awe of her. The tensions between the couple ultimately led to a mutual separation in March 1964.
They reconciled in the last stages of her life, and completed Pakeezah. They remain in love with each other despite their bitter separation.
Kamal Amrohi’s artistic prowess extended beyond cinema, with a notable collection of Urdu poetry. Kamal Amrohi’s enduring impact on Indian cinema cements his legacy as a visionary storyteller and cultural icon.
