Pakeezah

Kamal Amrohi's 1972 Indian film follows Sahibjaan, bound to a life she cannot leave by choice. A forest ranger falls in love with her, but his family opposes the union and her past confronts her at every step. The production ran fourteen years. Shooting began in 1956, the end of the marriage between the director and his lead halted it, and the film was completed only in 1972. Differences in image and appearance between scenes are visible as a result. Meena Kumari died a few weeks after the release, which directly shaped how the film was received. The music, the costumes and the sets are among the most cited in Indian cinema, and the songs took on a life apart from the film. Who it's for: those who like classic Indian melodrama and musical narrative. Who it's not for: viewers looking for a fast-moving story; the film is long, heavy and deliberately ceremonial.