pakeezah

in all her tragic glory, meena kumari makes the perfect filmi courtesan. i think all portrayals since of kothas and tawaifs cant help but refer directly and indirectly to this film. i am thinking of madhuri dixit soaking her hair in water as she whispers lovingly to shah rukh in the overblown devdas. speaking of bhansali, he does try so hard, poor man, to be able to create the same intoxicating splendor of unreal sets within which the stories take place- but never seems to have the ease of this film; languid in pace, languid in pose, lovingly shot, beautifully acted – and i mean raj kumar too. the story might have one too many ridiculous coincidences- but in the world of labyrinthine fluorescent interiors and screens where the mujras happen, or even in the odd luminous forests where the lovers meet, anything is possible. like in hindi films. and then there is the music- lata mangeshkar at her prime- her voice like crystal in the halls of pleasure (‘inhi logon ne’, ‘chalte chalte’, ‘teere nazar’- the blood on the dance floor song or my favourite ‘thare rahiyo’)- and like a distant bird in the forest (‘mausam hain aashiyaana’, ‘chalo dildar chalo’- rafi the lone male voice is overwhelmed). and if meena kumari cant really dance it does not matter because her melancholia is the film.