Pakeezah returns to big screen with 4K restoration at London Film Festival

The 1972 Bollywood classic Pakeezah, starring Meena Kumari, is returning to the big screen following a new 4K restoration. The film will receive a gala screening at the BFI IMAX as part of the 70th BFI London Film Festival.

Directed by Kamal Amrohi, the musical romantic drama follows a courtesan navigating social prejudice and a search for love. The restoration was a two-year project conducted by the Film Heritage Foundation in collaboration with the Amrohi family. Because the original camera negative had deteriorated, technicians utilized surviving 35mm materials, including an interpositive, a CinemaScope print, and a color reversal internegative from the National Film Archive of India.

The restored version features a 5.1 sound mix and aims to recreate the film’s original visual appearance using archival references and original film stills. Pakeezah was Meena Kumari’s final completed film, released shortly before her death in 1972. Its inclusion in the London Film Festival is part of a broader celebration of South Asian cinema.