1 hr ago
Pakeezah 4K Restoration Set for Lyon and London Premieres
Pakeezah is a famous Indian movie released in 1972.
Its colors and film materials became badly damaged over time.
Film Heritage Foundation spent two years carefully rebuilding the movie in 4K.
The original camera negative was almost melted, so the team used other surviving film copies.
They also studied old pictures and asked Kamal Amrohi’s children for help matching the original colors.
The movie took about 15 years to make and was directed by Kamal Amrohi.
It starred Meena Kumari and includes celebrated songs and elaborate sets.
The restored version will first be shown at a film festival in Lyon and then at the London Film Festival.
This will help new audiences see the movie on the big screen again.
Film Heritage Foundation’s two-year 4K restoration of Pakeezah will premiere at Festival Lumière in Lyon and screen at the BFI London Film Festival.
The restoration used an interpositive, a CinemaScope print and a color reversal internegative after the original camera negative was found almost melted and unusable.
Archivists used original stills and memories from Kamal Amrohi’s children, Tajdar and Rukhsaar Amrohi, to guide color grading and visual restoration.
The 1972 film took about 15 years to make and starred Meena Kumari, whose family describes the project as Kamal Amrohi’s life mission.
The restored film will be presented in London by Film Heritage Foundation director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and members of the Amrohi family.
- Who
- Film Heritage Foundation, director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and the Amrohi family are presenting the restoration of Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah.
- What
- A 4K restoration of the 1972 film Pakeezah will have its world premiere and receive a gala screening.
- Where
- The premiere will take place in Lyon, France, followed by a gala screening at the BFI IMAX in London.
- When
- The film was originally released on February 4, 1972; the restoration is scheduled for the upcoming Festival Lumière and BFI London Film Festival screenings.
- Why
- The restoration aims to preserve and bring back to audiences a major work of Indian cinema whose surviving film materials were severely damaged.
Key facts
- Film
- Pakeezah
- Original release
- February 4, 1972
- Director
- Kamal Amrohi
- Lead performer
- Meena Kumari
- Restoration organization
- Film Heritage Foundation
- Restoration duration
- Two years
- Premiere venues
- Festival Lumière in Lyon and the BFI London Film Festival
- Audio restoration
- A 5.1 surround sound mix made from surviving sound materials
Quotes
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
Director of the Film Heritage Foundation and leader of the restoration
“Restoring Pakeezah has been a long-held dream and I am so grateful to Bilal Amrohi for being the moving spirit and encouraging the family to support the restoration and bring the film back to life.”
deccanchronicle.com
“I couldn’t have asked for a better showcase for the restored Pakeezah than the Festival Lumiere in Lyon, the birthplace of cinema followed by a gala screening at the London Film Festival.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
Related news
Restored Pakeezah Set for France and UK Festival Premieres
BFI London Film Festival Spotlights South Asian and MENA Cinema
'1942: A Love Story' Gets Limited Release Over Projection Limits
Restored 1942: A Love Story to Re-Release August 21
South Asian Film Festival UK Brings Hindi Classics to Cinemas
Bachchan Recalls 2,000 Italians Watching Sholay Till 3 am
Tamil Nadu Boosts Khadi Weavers' Welfare Fund
Lounge Loves: Film Wit, Print History and Thai Noodles
