Music of Pakeezah

Although, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Ghulam Mohammad are credited as the lyricist and composers of the song respectively, this particular lyric is actually a folklore melody. What is even more interesting is that this ‘song’ has been sung and used in many movies before Pakeezah. It was ultimately Pakeezah that popularised the track and became synonymous with Meena Kumari and Pakeezah. Similar versions of this song with minor differences were used in the films Himmat and Aabroo with Shamshad Begum singing in the former and Yakub in the latter. Both of these versions were composed by Pt. Gobind Ram.[1]

Majrooh Sultanpuri is credited as the lyricist of this song. However, in an interview given to Ameen Sayani, Meena Kumari revealed that the opening lines of this song are written by Kamal Amrohi and not Sultanpuri.[9] This song is based on Raga Maand which has its roots to Rajasthan.

"Chalte Chalte yunhi koi" got its lyrics from Kaifi Azmi. One of the most celebrated songs of the film, it was composed by Ghulam Mohammad who made Pt. Ram Narayan, his Sarangi master, to give 21 takes for the desired effect. [4] This song was used much later as a reprised version in the 2018 film Mitron and was sung by Atif Aslam.[10]

When the film was resumed in 1969, Mausam Hai Aashiqana was the first song which was shot. But by the time the shooting has resumed, Meena Kumari had lost her former beauty due to her addiction to alcohol and had a bloated stomach. Thus, in order to camouflage that, Kamal Amrohi made her wear a comfortable kurta and lungi. This later on became a fashion trend.[3] Based on raga Yaman, simple instrumentation makes this song an easy listen, and Ghulam Mohammed even employs western instruments like the harp and Hawaiian guitar to convey the mood.

This song comes in the climax of the film. By the time it was recorded, Meena Kumari's condition had worsened to such an extent that while performing, she collapsed. Keeping in mind her medical condition, a body double was brought. Actress Padma Khanna played her body double in this song as she was an adept Kathak dancer which was an urgent requirement of the song. Meena Kumari personally trained her for the scene, and the song was filmed with the majority of the dancing done under a veil in order to hide her face.[2]

The song was composed by Naushad. During the production of the film, Naushad found Rajkumari, one of the first female playback singers of India, singing in the chorus to make her ends meet. Deeply pained, Naushad gave an entire song to her as a mark of respect. In the film, the song plays in the background when the protagonist goes to meet her ill friend. [2]

Mohammed Rafi rendered his voice to the words of Majrooh Sultanpuri. Composed prominently in Raga Yaman, this melody was created by using instruments like Sitar, Harmonica, Guitar and even flute[1]

A qawwali is a regular feature of Muslim social films. This qawwali gets its lyrics from Kaif Bhopali. Shamshad Begum and Mohammed Rafi lend their voices to this song.[1]

Meena Kumari recited the introductory couplet of this song. Sung by Suman Kalyanpur, this song got its lyrics from Kaif Bhopali. Instruments such as tabla, sarangi and sitar are used in this song.[1]

Chalo Dildaar Chalo which was used as a romantic duet in the film, was also sung solo by Lata Mangeshkar. Made from fast-paced Raga Pahadi, the song was written by Kaif Bhopali and released in 1977.[1]