Pakeezah
(; ) is a 1972 Indian Hindustani-language musical romantic drama film that was written, directed, and produced by Kamal Amrohi. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, and Raaj Kumar. It tells the story of Sahibjaan, a Lucknow-based tawaif. While asleep on a train, Sahibjaan receives a note from a stranger praising her beauty. Later, evacuating from a broken boat, she takes shelter in a tent and finds out its owner, a forest ranger named Salim, wrote the letter. Sahibjaan and Salim plan to get married, causing conflicts with Sahibjaan's professional background. Amrohi, to whom Kumari was married, wanted to make a film dedicated to his wife; he began conceiving the story after the release of their collaborative film Daaera (1953). Production lasted 15 years. principal photography commenced in 1956 under the German cinematographer Josef Wirsching. The film faced many obstacles, particularly Amrohi and Kumari's separation in 1964 and Kumari's addiction to alcohol, which often made her unable to perform. After being postponed for many years, filming resumed in 1969 and finished in November 1971. The film's soundtrack, which became one of the highest-selling Bollywood soundtracks of the 1970s, was composed by Ghulam Mohammed and finished by Naushad, who also composed the background score. Pakeezah, which was made on a budget of  to , premiered on 4 February 1972 and garnered a mixed response from critics. It was criticised for its extravagance and plot. Nevertheless, it was the highest-grossing Indian film of the year, collecting  after a theatrical run of over 50 weeks. Trade analysts said its popularity might have been due to Meena Kumari's death a month after its release. Meena Kumari was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and won a special award at the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards; the film also received nominations for Best Film and Best Director (Amrohi), and won N. B. Kulkarni a trophy for Best Art Direction at Filmfare. The film is known for its lengthy production time and is considered to be a milestone of the Muslim social genre. Although initial critical reception to the film was unfavourable, it greatly improved in the years after its release. The film earned widespread praise for its luxurious, sophisticated sets and costumes. is also known for being Meena Kumari's last film to be released during her lifetime; her performance in it has been regarded as one of the best of her career. has often been included in listings of the best works of Indian cinema, including a poll conducted by the British Film Institute in 2007. Plot 
Nargis is a tawaif based in the Muslim quarter of Lucknow. She dreams of marrying Shahbuddin, the man she loves, but his family's patriarch Hakim Saab strongly opposes their relationship because he finds it unacceptable to welcome a tawaif as a daughter-in-law into his respected family. Dejected, Nargis flees to a nearby qabristan (cemetery) and lives there, giving birth to a daughter before dying. On her deathbed, Nargis writes Shahbuddin a letter asking him to come for his newborn daughter. Nargis' sister Nawabjaan is buying jewellery when she finds a piece that is similar to one owned by Nargis. She asks the jeweller its origin and is led to the cemetery. She finds Nargis' body and her daughter, whom she takes back to her kotha (brothel). When Nargis' belongings are sold several years later, a man finds Nargis' letter and delivers it to Shahbuddin. Shahbuddin tracks down Nargis' now-adult daughter Sahibjaan's whereabouts and finds her working as tawaif at Nawabjaan's brothel. Nawabjaan, however, does not want him to take Sahibjaan away, and takes her niece and flees to another town. While travelling by train, a young man enters Sahibjaan's compartment and seeing her sleeping. Struck by her beauty, he leaves her a note. After arriving at her destination, Sahibjaan wakes up and finds the note. She reads it and falls in love with the stranger. A brothel patron named Nawab wishes to own Sahibjaan and takes her to his boat for a night. The boat, however, is attacked by elephants and Sahibjaan is carried away by the fast-flowing river in the broken boat. She is taken to the riverside tent of Salim, a forest ranger. Sahibjaan reads Salim's diary and learns it was him who had left her a note on the train. Sahibjaan has finally met the stranger but feigns amnesia to avoid telling him of her profession. Before sunset, Nawabjaan finds Sahibjaan and takes her back to the brothel. Sahibjaan keeps thinking about Salim and runs away from the brothel. Without realising, she runs along the railway and gets her gharara (clothing) stuck there. Upon seeing an approaching train, Sahibjaan panics, stumbles and faints. The train stops before running over her and people come to help her. One of them is Salim, who takes her to his home. Salim and Sahibjaan plan to elope to live peacefully but her profession as a tawaif makes her doubtful of the plan. When Salim anoints her to marry her, she refuses and decides to return to the brothel. Salim, who is heartbroken, eventually decides to marry someone else at his family's request and invites Sahibjaan to perform a mujra at his wedding. During the event, Nawabjaan recognises Shahbuddin, Salim's paternal uncle, and calls him to witness the irony of the situation: his own daughter dancing and entertaining his family. Shahbuddin's father tries to shoot Nawabjaan to silence her but instead kills Shahbuddin while trying to protect her. With his dying breath, Shahbuddin asks Salim to marry Sahibjaan. Salim's doli (wedding palanquin) defies convention and arrives at Sahibjaan's brothel, fulfilling Shahbuddin's wishes. 