Archive · 3 Sep 2026
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.
- 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.
- Where
- The premiere will take place in Lyon, France, followed by a gala screening at the BFI IMAX in London.
- Why
- The restoration aims to preserve and bring back to audiences a major work of Indian cinema whose surviving film materials were severely damaged.
- 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