Kamal Amrohi (1918-1993) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and poet. He is the husband of the famous Indian actress Meena Kumari. On February 11, 1993, he breathed his last in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Wiki/Biography
Kamal Amrohi aka Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi was born on Thursday 17th January 1918 in British Amroha (now Uttar Pradesh, India), Agra and Odh United Provinces, India (aged 75; at time of death). His zodiac sign is Capricornus. He attends a local school in Amroha. He graduated in Persian and Urdu from the Oriental Institute of Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye Color: Brown
family
Kamal Amrohi was born into a wealthy Shia Muslim family.
Parents and siblings
His brother, Jamal Amrohi, was an assistant director and production manager.
wife and children
Bilkis Bano
As a young man, he married Bilkis Bano, who worked as a maid in Jaddan Bai; mother of Indian actress Nargis.
mehmudi
He then married a close cousin of Jamal Hassan’s daughter, Sayeda Alzira Mehmodi. Kamal and his second wife Mehmoudi have two sons, Shandar Amrohi (film director) and Tajidar Amrohi (film director), and a daughter , named Ruksa Amroshi (writer).
Photo of Kamal Amrohi’s son Tajdar Amrohi
Photo of Kamal Amrohi’s son Shandaar Amrohi
Photos of Kamal Amrohi’s daughter Rukhsar Amrohi
Meena Kumari
One day, on the sets of a Hindi film, actor Ashok Kumar introduced him to Indian actress Meena Kumari. Kamal then invited Meena to play a role in one of his films, but before the project could begin, Meena Kumari met with a car accident on May 21, 1951. She was hospitalized for a long time and suffered from depression. While in the hospital, Kamal visited her regularly and exchanged letters, which provided Mina with comfort during difficult times. After four months in the hospital, Mina was finally released and they began talking on the phone for long periods of time. Soon, they fall in love with each other. On February 14, 1952 Mina decided to marry Kamal Amrohi in a secret nikah ceremony.
Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari’s first kiss after nikah
Kamal Amroshi and Meena Kumari
Only Meena’s sister Mahliqa or Madhu was present as Meena’s family was against her marriage to Kamal. After a few years of marriage, Kamal became possessive of Meena and started imposing strict rules on her. He would ask her to go home by 6:30 pm, no one would be allowed in the dressing room, and she would have to use the car Kamal provided for her. There were also rumors that Minaj faced domestic violence. However, Kamal denied these rumors. According to Vinod Mehta’s biography of Meena Kumari, Vinod interviewed Kamal Amrohi and asked him about rumors of physical violence. He wrote in the book,
As her star started to rise, his star fell. I asked Kamal Amroshi if he really hit her like many rumors said. He completely denies it, saying that such a thing is completely against his upbringing. But six different people told me that there was physical violence in their relationships. In those days, Meena Kumari didn’t come back to see Rembrandt until late at night. “
Kamal reportedly said “talaq” three times in a fit of rage and divorced Meena. However, Kamal’s son Tajdar Amrohi refuted the claim, saying it was a false belief spread by people with ill intentions. According to some other sources, Meena was said to have performed Nikah Halala with Amanullah Khan (Zenat Aman’s father) before returning to Kamal Amrohi. After returning to Kamal, she said,
Now, after Nika Harala, what’s the difference between me and a whore? “
In 1964, Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi officially divorced. During the shoot of the film Pinjre Ke Panchhi, Meena was in the dressing room when Kamal Amrohi’s assistant Baqar Ali slapped her. Meena insisted that lyricist Gulzar should be allowed into her dressing room, but Kamal had different rules for his wife, for which Bakar slapped her. After the incident, Meena Kumari told Bakar that she would not be coming home that night. Meena Kumari felt burdened with many rules, constant surveillance of her whereabouts and strict rules. These factors contributed to her depression. Some sources claim that the problems between Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi were due to her alleged extramarital affair with Indian actor Dharmendra.
Deep Kaur
After Mina Kumari died, he lived with his second wife, Mehmodi. After Mahmoudi’s death in 1982, he married his doctor, Deep Kaur. So as not to be lonely in old age and not become a burden to children. Earlier, he had visited the hospital for a minor illness, where he met his fourth wife. Soon, they became good friends and decided to get married.
other relatives)
He is a cousin of Pakistani writers Jaun Elia and Rais Amrohvi.
Photo of Kamal Amrohi’s cousin, Rais Amrohvi
Photos of Kamal Amrohi’s cousin Jaun Elia
sign
Kamal Amrohi’s autograph
Profession
Movie
story writer
Kamal made his debut as a story writer in 1938 with the Hindi film Jailor.
jailer
He subsequently wrote stories for several Hindi films such as Pukar (1939), Prem Ki Jyot (1939), Main Hari (1939), Mahal (1949) and Pakeezah (1972).
director
Kamal made his directorial debut with the Hindi film Mahal (1949).
Mahal
Some of his other Hindi films as a director include Daaera (1953), Pakeezah (1972), Majnoon (1979; unreleased) and Razia Sultan (1983).
Kamal Amrohi on the sets of Pakeezah with Lal Bahadur Shastri
Producer
He made his debut as a producer in 1953 with the Hindi film “Daaera”.
Daela
He also worked as a producer on several other Hindi films such as “Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai” (1960), “Pakeezah” (1972) and “Majnoon” (1979; unreleased).
Kamal Amrohi on the set of the movie
screenwriter
He made his screenwriting debut with the Hindi film Pukar (1939).
Pukar
He wrote scripts for several Hindi films such as Prem Ki Jyot (1939), Main Hari (1940), Mahal (1949), Pakeezah (1972) and Razia Sultan ” (1983).
dialogue writer
He made his debut as a dialogue writer in 1938 with the Hindi film Chhalia.
Chalya
He also worked as a dialogue writer in several other Hindi films such as Mazaaq (1943), Phool (1945), Saqi (1952), Mughal-E-Azam (1960) ) and “Shankar Hussain” (1977).
lyricist
He made his debut as a lyricist in the 1939 Hindi film Pukar. He wrote the lyrics for two more films, “Pakeezah” (1972) and “Shankar Hussain” (1977). In 1998, he served as one of the lyricists of the song “Thare Rahiyo” in the Indo-Canadian film “So Long a Journey”.
Kamal Amroshi Studio
In 1958 he founded Kalmar Studio. However, the studio was closed after three years and subsequently acquired by Natraj Studios.
Kamal Photos
Kamal Amrohi dreamed of creating a world-class film studio catering to all aspects of film production. In 1958, Kamal Amrohi turned his dream into reality by establishing Kamal Amrohi Studios in addition to the film production company Kamal Pictures (Mahal Films) he founded in 1953.
kamal studio
The studio, located in the Jogeshwari East area of Mumbai, spread over 15 acres, was one of the largest and best-equipped studios of its time. Soon Kamal Amrohi Studios became a center of film production. The studio’s state-of-the-art facilities include multiple sets, soundstages, post-production suites and outdoor filming locations, making it the first choice for filmmakers to bring their visions to life. Apart from being a renowned film studio, Kamal Amrohi Studios is also a cultural and creative hub nurturing talents and aspiring artists in various fields of film production. Many legendary actors, directors, writers and technicians honed their skills at this famous studio. Over time, the dynamics of the film industry changed, and new studios and filmmaking trends emerged. Kamal Amrohi Studios faced financial challenges and the business gradually shrank. After his death, ownership of the studio passed to his children, who later sold the property to builders.
Kamal Amrohi’s studio
dispute
accused of domestic violence
According to sources, he was accused of domestic violence by his third wife Meena Kumari. Kamal Amrohi reportedly uttered the word ‘talaq’ (divorce) three times in a fit of rage when he got divorced from Meena Kumari.
awards
- 1961: Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue for Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
- 1972: Nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Director for Pakeezah (1972)
die
He died in Mumbai on February 11, 1993. The cause of his death is not yet known. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried next to the grave of his third wife Meena Kumari at Rehmatabad Qabristan, an Indo-Iranian cemetery in Mumbai.
The graves of Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi
Facts / Trivia
- He is also known as Chandan. His name is also spelled Kamal Amrovhi or Kamaal Amrohi.
- His second wife Memhmoodi used to call him Maalik.
- When Kamal Amrohi was in school, he discovered his passion for writing short stories in Urdu. He dreams of turning these stories into movies. However, his father had other plans for him, wanting him to manage the family business and urging him to give up his dream of becoming a film producer.
- As a child, Kamal was very naughty and one day, when his brother got fed up with his antics, he slapped Kamal. This incident deeply affected Kamal, and in a rage, he ran away from home. At 16, he decided to elope and move to Lahore, which was then part of British India (now Pakistan). In order to buy a train ticket, he even sold his sister’s gold bracelet. In Lahore, he began writing short stories for an Urdu magazine, but eventually lost interest in the work. He then decided to move to Bombay (then Bombay) where he had the opportunity to meet veteran Indian actors such as Sohrab Modi and KL Saigal.
- Over time, he became fluent in multiple languages, including Urdu, Hindi, Persian and Arabic, which greatly influenced his work as a writer and poet.
- Before entering filmmaking, Amrohi was already well-known as a well-respected poet and writer.
- In his last days, Kamal Amrohi had a vision of making a film called “Aakhri Mughal”. He wrote a large portion of the script, but the project was shelved after his death. Filmmaker JP Dutta considered reviving the film for Abhishek Bachchan’s directorial debut in the late 1990s, but the plan was not carried out.
- Kamal is often spotted smoking and hookah.
Kamal Amrohi smoking
- He often insisted that Lata Mangeshkar dub for songs in his films. He used to treat her like his own daughter.
Kamal Amrohi and Lata Mangeshkar
- The British daily The Independent published Kamal Amrohi’s obituary six days after his death. Described in his obituaries as having a “Mughal” figure, he was a towering figure who had presided over the Hindi film industry for more than fifty years.
- In 2013, India Post issued a commemorative stamp in his honor.
Postage stamps of Kamal Amroshi
- In February 2022, music label Saregama and actor Bilal Amrohi (grandson of Kamal Amrohi) announced the launch of a web series that will tell the love story of Amrohi and Meena Kumari against the backdrop of the production of the movie “Pakeezah”.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education