Film Heritage Foundation’s monumental 4K restoration of Kamal Amrohi’s landmark Hindi cinema classic, Pakeezah (1972), made a triumphant UK debut to a packed audience at a gala screening for the BFI London Film Festival on October 18.
Selected from highly competitive restorations worldwide, the masterpiece served as the prestigious closing gala screening at the BFI IMAX, the UK’s largest cinema screen. Demonstrating the immense anticipation surrounding the release, the screening sold out within a single day of booking, leaving not an empty seat in the house.
The evening commenced with an introduction by Film Heritage Foundation director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur alongside Tajdar Amrohi, actor-singer and son of Kamal Amrohi, and Rukhsaar Amrohi, the daughter of the legendary filmmaker. The conversation was moderated by Arike Oke, Executive Director of Knowledge and Collections at the British Film Institute (BFI). Also in attendance was Bilal Amrohi, Kamal Amrohi’s grandson, who collaborated closely with the Film Heritage Foundation on the restoration. In a poignant tribute to the filmmaker’s enduring legacy, 14 members of the Amrohi family travelled from India specifically to witness this historic cinematic milestone.
Introducing the film, Dungarpur said, “I first watched this film when I was three years old with my grandmother in the cinema. This film is incredibly close to my heart and will always be intertwined with my memories of her. It has been my dream to restore Pakeezah ever since I established the Film Heritage Foundation in 2014. Because we did not have the original camera negative and the surviving material was in exceptionally poor condition, seeing it back on the big screen today feels like a miracle. We spent two years painstakingly working on this restoration. The audio element proved to be a significant challenge, but I was determined to do justice to Kamal Amrohi’s magnificent vision. I am profoundly grateful to the BFI for providing such a prestigious global platform to showcase this labor of love.”
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Tajdar Amrohi delivered a poetic and moving tribute: “My Chhoti Ammi, Meena Kumari, was in a coma before she passed away. In many ways, the negative of Pakeezah was also in a coma and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur has brought it back to life. I am deeply emotional today. I arrived with so many things I intended to say, but standing before this beautiful audience, the words have left me. I simply want to breathe this moment in and restore all of you in my heart forever. Thank you all for coming; I wish I could embrace each one of you. I truly feel the presence of my father here today, blessing us. Our deepest gratitude goes out to Shivendra and the Film Heritage Foundation for their tireless devotion.”
Rukhsaar Amrohi added, “When he made Pakeezah, my father created an absolute wonder true to his name, Kamal. It is a work for which he deserves to be eternally remembered and honored. I want to thank Shivendra Singh Dungarpur for the sheer dedication that made it possible for us to stand before you today. I am entirely overwhelmed.”
The UK premiere of Pakeezah marks the crowning achievement in a historic, banner year for the Film Heritage Foundation. The foundation has achieved the rare distinction of premiering major restorations at every premier international film festival this year. The line-up began with Pradip Krishen and Arundhati Roy’s In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989) at the Berlin International Film Festival, followed by (Malayalam writer-director) John Abraham’s landmark Malayalam film, Amma Ariyan (1986) at the Cannes Film Festival and Dev Benegal’s English, August (1994) at the Venice International Film Festival.
