Kamal Amrohi
Kamal Amrohi | |
---|---|
Bombay, Maharashtra, India | |
Burial place | Rahmatabad cemetery, Mumbai |
Other names | Kamal Amrohvi, Chandan. |
Occupation(s) | film director and producer, screenwriter, dialogue writer[2] |
Spouses | |
Children | 3, including Shandaar Khan Taajdaar Khan |
Awards | 1961: Mughal E Azam[3] |
Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi (17 January 1918 – 11 February 1993), popularly known as Kamal Amrohi, was an Indian film director and screenwriter. He was also an Urdu and Hindi poet.[4][2]
His Hindi films include Mahal (1949), Pakeezah (1972) and Razia Sultan (1983). He established Kamal Pictures (Mahal Films) in 1953 and Kamalistan Studio in Bombay in 1958.[3]
Early life
Kamal Amrohi was a Shia Muslim born in Amroha, United Provinces in British India (present-day Uttar Pradesh) and later took on the name Kamal Amrohi (or Amrohvi).[5] He was a first cousin to Pakistani writers Jaun Elia and Rais Amrohvi.[2]
Career
In 1938, he left Amroha to study in
He directed only four films; of these were Mahal (1949) for Bombay Talkies, Daaera (1953) with Meena Kumari and Nasir Khan, Pakeezah, which was conceived in 1958 but was not brought to the screen until 1972.[4] He also wrote the screenplay, lyrics and produced the latter. Film Pakeezah (1972) has been called one of the extraordinary musical melodramas ever made in India, although flawed but noble.[8] Meena Kumari herself, in her public comments to the press, after seeing the movie, said that it was Kamal Amrohi's tribute to her. This was followed by Razia Sultan (1983), his last film. Though, he started a film, Majnoon with Rajesh Khanna and Rakhee Gulzar as leads, however the film got shelved.[9]
He wrote scripts for the movies made by
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.
In 1958, he started Kamaal Studios for his banner Mahal Films, though it closed down after three years and later changed hands to become Natraj Studios.[citation needed]
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. Noted film maker J P Dutta was to revive the film in the late 1990s which was supposed to have been Abhishekh Bachchan's debut movie. But later Dutta scrapped the project. He was again planning to revive the film in 2007 after the debacle of his costume drama Umrao Jaan (2006) remake from the cult film from the 1980s.[citation needed]
Personal life
Amrohi married four times: His first wife was Bilkis Bano (who was a maid to
The couple then made
Kamal Amrohi got married for the fourth time with his physician. During his last years, he used to regularly visit the hospital for minor ailments. There he met his fourth wife, who was actually his doctor. After the death of Mehmoodi in 1982, Amrohi felt lonely and in order to avoid being a burden on his children, he decided to get married, drawing sharp reactions from the media.
Kamal Amrohi had three children with Mehmoodie: two sons, Shandaar and Taajdaar, both of whom worked with him in Razia Sultan, and a daughter, Rukhsar Amrohi.[2][13] He had no children with Bilkis Bano, Meena Kumari and later in his life with his fourth wife. His son Shandaar died on 21 August 2011 in Goa. He was laid to rest in Mumbai the following day.
Kamal Amrohi Studios
Kamal Amrohi Studios (Kamalistan Studios) was established in 1958, spread over 15 acre, it is situated in
Death and legacy
Amrohi died on 11 February 1993 in Mumbai,[5] twenty one years after his wife Meena Kumari's death and ten years after making his last film, Razia Sultan (1983). He was buried next to Meena Kumari in Rehmatabad Qabristan, an Indian-Iranian graveyard in Mumbai.[citation needed]
Six days after his death,
Kamal Amrohi's only daughter from his second wife, Mehmoodie, Rukhsaar Amrohi gave a newspaper interview describing her version of life-events, which she witnessed, between her father Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari.[2]
In February 2022, Music label
Filmography
Title | Year | Credited as/for | References | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Producer | Story | Screenplay | Dialogue | Lyrics | |||
Jailor[6] | 1938 | |||||||
Chhalia | ||||||||
Pukar[5][6] | 1939 | |||||||
Prem Ki Jyot | ||||||||
Main Hari | 1940 | |||||||
Bharosa | ||||||||
Pagal | ||||||||
Mazaaq | 1943 | |||||||
Phool[6] | 1945 | |||||||
Shahjehan[6] | 1946 | |||||||
Romeo & Juliet | 1947 | |||||||
Mahal[11][7] | 1949 | [17] Directorial debut | ||||||
Saqi | 1952 | |||||||
Daaera[11][6] | 1953 | |||||||
Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai | 1960 | |||||||
Won- Filmfare Best Dialogue Award[3]
| ||||||||
Zindagi aur Khwab | 1961 | |||||||
Pakeezah[11][5][6] | 1972 | Nominated-Filmfare Award for Best Director. | ||||||
Shankar Hussain | 1977 | |||||||
Majnoon | 1979 | Incomplete film | ||||||
Razia Sultan[11][5] | 1983 | [17] Last film |
Soundtrack
1998 Such a Long Journey (writer: "Thare Rahiyo")
Awards and recognition
- 1961: Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue: Mughal-e-Azam (1960)[3]
- 1972: Nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Director for film Pakeezah (1972).
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-4373-4.
- ^ a b c d e Manzoor Kureshi (30 March 2014). "In the name of father (as told by his daughter Rukhsaar Amrohi in Karachi)". DAWN newspaper. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Kamal Amrohi - Writer, Poet and Director Profile at webindia123 website, Retrieved 14 October 2023
- ^ a b c Derek Malcolm (4 August 1999). "Kamal Amrohi: Pakeezah". The Guardian (UK newspaper). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kuldip Singh (17 February 1993). "Obituary: Kamal Amrohi". The Independent (UK newspaper). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Kamal Amrohi filmography". Upperstall.com website. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Film Mahal (1949) Review". Upperstall.com website. Archived from the original on 5 September 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ a b Baradwaj Rangan (3 December 2013). "An admirer's account of Meena Kumari". The Hindu (newspaper). Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- ^ Sidharth Bhatia (4 May 2013). "Producer Kamal Amrohi was the master of old-world elegance and heartache". livemint.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Meena Kumari – Her Resting Place". YouTube. 24 August 2018. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Alan Goble. "Kamal Amrohi filmography". Complete Index To World Film (CITWF) website. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ a b Vinod Mehta (1 August 2013). "Her Story (Meena Kumari)". Outlook (magazine). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "Kamalistan sold to 3 builders for Rs 200 cr". The Times of India. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Buildings in place of Kamalistan Studios: buyer from city". 22 October 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Salman Khan takes over Kamalistan". The Times of India. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- ^ "Meena Kumari-Kamal Amrohi's intense love story on the backdrop of 'Pakeezah' to be turned into a web series". Economic Times. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ a b c Shriram Iyengar (6 June 2016). "Kamal Amrohi, interrupted". cinestaan.com website. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
External links
- Kamal Amrohi Biography
- Kamal Amrohi at IMDbwebsite