Following Meena Kumari’s death on March 31, 1972, her contemporary and close friend Nargis wrote a poignant open letter. Titled “Maut Mubarak Ho (congratulations on your death),” the letter published in now defunct Urdu magazine Shama, recalls Kumari once confiding in Nargis: “Baji (elder sister), resting is not in my destiny. I will rest just one time.”The legendary film actor Meena Kumari or Mehjabeen Bano (1933–1972) rests at Rahmatabad, the Shia cemetery at Mazgaon. And city-based playback singer Sanjeevni Bhelande will lead the legend’s commemoration by National Gallery of Modern Art, Fort with a free and non-commercial show on July 27.In a short life of 39, Kumari packed a panorama of events: forced by parents to become child artiste , solitude, romance, marriage with and separation from filmmaker Kamal Amrohi, stardom with classics like Sahab Biwi Aur Ghulam and Pakeezah, her battle with alcoholism-caused liver cirrhosis which eventually claimed her life.
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Some of these episodes from her eventful life feature in Bhelande’s show. “Meenaji’s photograph at an exhibition at NGMA drew me to to this great actor. I began researching her life. As I dug deep, a fascinating figure emerged. I decided to do a show combining anecdotes associated with some of the songs from her landmark films and the times which shaped her,” says Bhelande, famous for hit numbers like Chori chori nazrein mili and Nikamma kiya iss dilne in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film Kareeb.Giving context to some of the songs from Kumari’s films, celebrated as part of Hindi cinema’s golden age, Bhelande also discusses the sur and taal, their intrinsic qualities as well as reasons for their popularity.Take the song Ajeeb dastan hai yeh in the classic romantic drama Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960). Penned by Shailendra and sung by Lata Mangeshkar, the song beautifully captures the unexplained tension and complex relationship between Dr. Sushil Verma (Raj Kumar) and nurse Karuna (Meena Kumari). “I quote Lataji on the show saying that this song is an honour to her own sur or musical notes,” says the singer.She also discusses the song Inhi logon ne… from Pakeezah (1972), Kumari’s final masterpiece. A poignant portrayal of the courtesan Sahibjaan (Meena Kumari), the film crystallised her status as Bollywood’s Tragedy Queen and the song Inhi logon ne…acquired became an emblem for the portrayal of courtesans in popular culture.“Though from the Sunni background, she was buried at Rahmatabad in Mazgaon according to her husband Kamal Amrohi’s wish. Amrohi too is buried beside her. I remember Shia scholar Maulana Abbas Rizvi talking fondly about her,” says businessman Javed Shroff.
