Film Heritage Foundation announced that a 4K restored edition of director Kamal Amrohi's 1972 classic drama Pakeezah will premiere internationally.
Led by foundation director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the restored film will make its world debut at the Festival Lumière in Lyon before heading to the BFI London Film Festival for a gala screening at the BFI IMAX. The meticulous restoration project took two painstaking years to complete after archivists recovered melted original camera negatives, faded prints, and damaged elements.
The international premiere marks a major milestone for Indian archival cinema on the global festival circuit alongside recent restored screenings in Berlin, Cannes, and Venice.
Originally conceptualised in the mid-1950s as a tribute to Amrohi's wife and muse, lead actress Meena Kumari, the production endured a protracted 15-year creation period. Filming initially commenced in black-and-white in 1956 before transitioning to Eastmancolor in 1958 under German cinematographer Josef Wirsching. Most sequence filming took place on Floor No. 3 at Mumbai's Filmistan Studios.
The iconic feature eventually premiered at the Maratha Mandir cinema on February 4, 1972, shortly before Kumari's death. Presenting the new restoration alongside Amrohi'schildren Tajdar and Rukhsaar and grandson Bilal, the foundation salvaged the masterpiece using historical production stills, archival reference materials, and original set memories.