To be very honest, there is only one woman in this world to whom I have genuinely have crush, and she is no one else but the legendary actress, tragedy queen Meena Kumari. I have never seen any of her movies on big screen as even last of her movie might be released one decade before I born. But I still like her, the way she acts one can be easily confused that is she really acting or living her role.
I have seen Pakeezah at least dozen times, and I still can watch dozen another times. It is my all time favorite movie, portraying the Lucknow culture as never before. Sometime I wonder that who is on screen Sahib Jan or Meena kumari, and especially tragic scenes in the movie, the ultimate beauty, the poetry and a feel that straight goes in your heart.
She has given many great performances, and one I wanted to mention is choti Bahu in Sahib bibi and gulamThe sequence where Chhoti Bahu dresses for her husband singing Piya Aiso Jiya Main is a poignant exploration of a woman’s expectations and sexual desire without making it vulgar, same is true in the song sequence of Na jao saiyan chuda ke baiyan.
Life was never easy to meena kumari who was lovingly called Mahjabeen, and she too was not comfortable with life. There was not much difference between her on screen and off screen life. She married kamal Amarohi, much older to her and then they separated in six years. She never had child and sooner became addicted to alchohal, heavy drinking, troubled relationships, deterioting health all lead to her early death.
But still now she is unforgettable tragedy queen, no actress could take her place and adept his mesmerizing dialogue delivery. Few scenes of Pakeezah were shot when she was critically ill, in the song sequence, chalo dildar chalo chand ke par chalo , she was so ill that her face was not shown in whole of song, most of the song is picturised by showing her in back or shoot with double .
Meanwhile this is not a review and I am writing about my own observation about my favorite actress so concluding with few lines and lines that was the best poetry I have heard and watched on screen.
Aap to aankh milane se bhi ghabrate ho.
Aaap to Dil ke dhadkne se bhi dar jate ho
Uspe jid hai ke jakhme jigar dekhenge.