JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Meena Kumari’s stepson says, ‘Heeramandi aur Pakeezah me zameen asmaan ka farq hai’ as he reacts to Sharmin Segal’s remark involving late actor
Meena Kumari’s stepson Tajdar Amrohi has opened up on Sharmin Segal’s 'nothingness' remark about the late actor and opined that 'Heeramandi aur Pakeezah me zameen asmaan ka farq hai’. Read on!
Kamal Amrohi created a whole new world of period drama in Indian cinema and very few other filmmakers took his legacy forward. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is one of them who’s leading the baton. The man redefined period drama that has stood the test of time, one of which was released recently titled Heeramandi.
Actress Sharmin Segal who played a central character in the show had once shared that Meena Kumari’s character inspired her in Amrohi’s Pakeezah. The late actress’ stepson Tajdar Amrohi has now strongly disagreed with her remark.
Tajdar Amrohi on Heeramandi’s comparison with Pakeezah
“Zameen aasman ka fark hai”, said Kamal’s son to Zoom TV adding that the duo shouldn’t be compared ideally. Tajdar added, “Nobody can make Pakeezah again. Neither Meena Kumari nor Kamal Amrohi can ever be born again.” He further shared that he wished not to say much about this because Bhansali is a fan of Amrohi.
He believes that SLB tries to take shots in a very similar way as his father did. Recalling the time when Bhansali visited Kamalistan Studio, Tajdar recalls being asked ‘where my Dad used to sit, where my Dad walked. Out of great respect, he touched the ground where my Dad sat. That was 15 years ago, and after that, I never met him again.’
The Jr Amrohi further added that he believes everyone has an individual taste and there might be a chance that somebody would have liked Heeramandi more than Pakeezah. For the unversed, Tajdar himself hasn’t seen the entire series yet.
Tajdar Amrohi reacts to Sharmin Segal’s ‘nothingness’ remark
In an old interview with ETimes, the Malaal actress had said, “Meena Kumari was one of my inspirations. I tried to bring Meena Kumari’s nothingness from Pakeezah into my character in Heeramandi.” Reacting to this, Amrohi shared, “I don't know Sharmin. But no, I can't relate to her statement on nothingness.”
When Richa Chadha said she paid tribute to Meena Kumari with her Heeramandi dance performance
In a media statement, the actress who played the character of Lajjo in the series admitted that she carefully observed and took lessons from Kumari’s Pakeezah character. She added, “In Pakeezah, Meena Kumari’s character has a certain tragic depth and complexity that resonated with Lajjo. I worked on the voice and diction, while studying Meena ji’s work, to the point of imitation sometimes.”
Richa Chadha added, “I felt like I was walking in the footsteps of a cinematic legend, and it was an honor to pay tribute to Meena Kumari ji through my portrayal of Lajjo.”
During a Netflix event last year, Sanjay Leela Bhansali himself admitted that his debut series Heeramandi is a tribute to Bollywood classics Mehboob Khan’s Mother India, K Asif’s Mughal-E-Azam and Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah.
More about Heeramandi
Set in pre-Independent India, this 8-episodic Netflix series also starred Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Manisha Koirala, and Sanjeeda Sheikh in key roles alongside an ensemble of a few of the finest actors onboard. Adapted from the story of Moin Baig, Heeramandi chronicled the life and struggles of courtesans in Lahore’s Heera Mandi.
Coming back to Pakeezah, the Mangum Opus took 8 years to be made and was released on February 4, 1972. Just 56 days later Meena Kumari breathed her last leaving the world with a movie that holds a lot of emotion for cinema lovers.
Latest Articles
