Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A 4K restored version of Meena Kumari-starrer 1972 classic Pakeezah is set to have its world premiere at Festival Lumiere in Lyon, France, before heading to the BFI London Film Festival. The restoration of the Kamal Amrohi-directed film was spearheaded by the not-for-profit Film Heritage Foundation, which spent two years working to bring the film back to its original glory.
The premiere in Lyon will be led by Cannes and Lumiere chief Thierry Frmaux. From France, the film will travel to London for a gala screening at the BFI IMAX, to be presented by Film Heritage Foundation director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur alongside Amrohi’s children, Tajdar and Rukhsaar, and grandson Bilal Amrohi, as reported by Hindustan Times.
advertisement
Praised by the late film critic Derek Malcolm as “one of the most extraordinary musical melodramas ever made”, Pakeezah has long been associated with a production-plagued history that mirrors the high drama and heartbreak of its onscreen narrative.
Conceptualised in the mid-1950s as a tribute to the beauty of Amrohi’s wife and muse, Meena Kumari, the project endured a gruelling 15 years in production. Filming began in black-and-white in 1956 before shifting to Eastmancolor in 1958, with acclaimed German cinematographer Josef Wirsching behind the camera.
During their research, the Film Heritage Foundation team discovered original film stills that aided the restoration process. Dungarpur also consulted Kamal Amrohi’s children, son Tajdar and daughter Rukhsaar, who had visited the sets and retained vivid memories of the making of the film, Hindustan Times reported.
The restoration, undertaken by the Film Heritage Foundation in association with the Amrohi family, also caps a significant year for the foundation on the international festival circuit.
Over the past 12 months, FHF has placed a restored classic at every major global film festival, including Berlin with In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, Cannes with Amma Ariyan and Venice with English, August. With its screenings in Lyon and London, the restored Pakeezah is now set to continue that run.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
