The legacy of Meena Kumari, the legendary actress has lived on. This is despite the fact that Sharmin Segal, who had been starring in a series known as Heeramandi which was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, received a lot of criticism for not doing well but the series itself be successful. In an earlier interview with Filmfare, she said that her character in Heeramandi was inspired by Meena Kumari’s “nothingness” in Pakeezah a cult film. But Meena Kumari’s stepson Tajdar Amrohi does not agree with this.
But Tajdar Amrohi thinks otherwise. “Zameen aasman ka fark hai between ‘Heeramandi’ and Pakeezah (There is a difference of earth and sky between them),” he told Zoom TV. “Why compare? Nobody can make Pakeezah again. Neither Meena Kumari nor Kamal Amrohi can ever be born again.”
Additionally, he said that “since Bhansali is my dad’s big fan I can’t say so much about this.” With every movie he makes, Bhansali tries to replicate my father’s way of shooting scenes”. Once when he came to Kamalistan studio, he asked about where my Dad used to sit or walk around. And showing great respect for him, Bhansali touched the ground over which his father sat”. That was 15 years back and till date I have never seen him at all after that. I must say here that each one of us has individual taste. But it is just my opinion only though there might be someone who likes Heeramandi more than Pakeezah”.
He ended by saying,”I don’t know Sharmin”. However, Sharmin once stated during an interview with ETimes that, “Meena Kumari was one of my inspirations. I tried to embody Meena Kumari’s nothingness from Pakeezah in my character in Heeramandi.”
In the same breath, Heeramandi is a Netflix show set against the backdrop of India’s independence struggle that delves into the lives of courtesans dwelling in Heera Mandi, Lahore during pre-partition times. Moreover, this star-studded series includes Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha and Aditi Rao Hydari among others whose second season has been confirmed.
