Trama

In Lucknow at the turn of the century, a dancer and courtesan believes that her pure soul and body will enable her to find true love and honor.

Pakeezah is the story of a beautiful courtesan named Sahibjaan who is unable to break away from the cycle of prostitution until a young forest ranger named Salim falls in love with her enthralling beauty and innocence. Unfortunately, his wealthy parents are against their union.

A girl, whose mother dies of sorrow from her husband's family's rejection, grows up singing and dancing like her mother. She works as a dancing girl and is courted by a prince, but can think only of a man she has never met, who left her a message on the train. She dreams of him and cannot dance, becomes frightened and runs into the night—William Kennedy <william.kennedy@spl.org>

This movie is about the pure of heart (Pakeezah) Nargis (Meena Kumari) who was brought up by brothel madame Nawabjaan (Veena). Unable to break away from the vicious circle, Nargis grows up and becomes a beautiful and popular dancer/singer Sahibjaan. Aristocratic Salim Ahmed Khan (Raaj Kumar) is enthralled by Sahibjaan's beauty and innocence, and eventually convinces her to elope with him, which she does. But trials and tribulations await Sahibjaan as she is recognized by men wherever she goes in the company of Salim. When Salim re-names her "Pakeezah" and takes her to a priest to be legally married, she refuses, and returns to the brothel. Salim eventually decides to marry someone else, and invites Sahibjaan to dance at his wedding, Sahibjaan agrees to this, not knowing that many secrets will be revealed at this wedding. This movie is also memorable for its songs: "Chalo dildar chalo chand ke par chalo, hum hai taiyar chalo...."; "Chalte chaltey yunhi koi mil gaya tha sar raha chalte chaltey..."; "Inhi logon ne le liya dupata mera...."; "Tharey rahiyo o banke yaar tharey rahiyo..."; "Aaj hum apni dhuaon ka asar dekhenge, teera nazar dekhenge, zakhmi jigar dekhenge....".—rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Set in the Muslim Quarter of Lucknow at the turn of the 20th century, the movie centers on the mental plight of a Tawaif and her longing to be loved, accepted and respected by society.

In the eponymous role, Nargis (Meena Kumari), dreams of marrying the man she loves, Shahabuddin (Ashok Kumar). However, the patriarch of Shahabuddin's family, Hakim Saab (D.K. Sapru) rejects this alliance, as he finds it unacceptable to welcome a Tawaif in his respected family. Dejected, Nargis flees to a nearby cemetery and lives there. Shahabuddin keeps looking for Nargis across all brothels of the town. Ultimately, Nargis dies, giving birth to a daughter. On her deathbed, she writes Shahabuddin a letter asking him to come for his newborn daughter. Nargis' sister, Nawabjaan (Veena), a brothel madam, finds the Nargis at the cemetery (dead) and then brings her daughter back to the Kotha. She never finds the letter Nargis had written for Shahabuddin as it was kept inside a book that was in her possession. Nawabjaan gives the stuff to a maid to sell off.. When Nargis' book is sold several years later, a book lover finds the letter in her book and posts it. Shahabuddin comes to collect his now adult daughter, Sahibjaan (also played by Meena Kumari). Shahabuddin meets Nawabjaan, who tells Shahabuddin to come the next day to collect his daughter, as for now she has already sat on Mujra. But Nawabjaan takes her niece and flees by train to another town, before Shahabuddin arrives.

While traveling by train, a dashing young man enters Sahibjaan's compartment by happenstance. He is struck by her beauty and leaves her a note with the famous lines: "Aapke Paon Dekhe, Bahut Haseen Hain. Inhein Zameen Par Mat Utariyega... Maile Ho Jaayenge [I saw your feet - they are very beautiful. Please don't step on the ground, as they will get dirty]. Sahibjaan falls in love with this mysterious stranger and yearns to meet him. Nawabjaan and Sahibjaan reach the Kotha in another town, run by Nawabjaan's elder sister. Nawabjaan knows she cannot put Sahibjaan on Mujra anymore and wants a Haveli for refuge. So she decides to purchase a mansion being auctioned by Madame Gauhar Jaan (Nadira), who is neck deep in debt. Meanwhile Nawabjaan's sister also arranges for Sahibjaan to live with Guahar, as her niece, till the threat from Shahabuddin abates. The note gives Sahibjaan hope even as she avoids unwelcome attention from her patrons (while performing at Gauhar's Kotha) while entertaining them.

One particular patron, the aggressive Nawab Zafar Ali Khan (Kamal Kapoor) (from Panipat), wishes to own Sahibjaan (he shoots at the other patrons when Sahibjaan performs at the Kotha of Gauhar Jaan. He later also showers her and Gauhar with the most expensive and exquisite gifts). Sahibjaan is now officially the talk of the town and becomes really famous due to the Nawabs favors on her. Gauhar is too much in debt to refuse the gifts from Zafar and agrees to his terms that Sahibjaan be sent to him for the night. Zafar takes her to his boat for the night. The boat is attacked by elephants and Sahibjaan is carried away by the fast flowing river in a broken boat. As fate would have it, she is taken to the riverside tent of a forest ranger, Salim Ahmed Khan (Raaj Kumar). Alone with his diary, she reads how he was the same man who had earlier left her a note on her feet, and left for her to read it while traveling in the same compartment. Sahibjaan finally meets the stranger, but feigns amnesia to avoid telling him her true identity. Sahibjaan loves Salim, but is afraid that he identity as a Tawaif will come in the way of Salim accepting her as an equal. Before sunset, Nawabjaan tracks Sahibjaan and brings her back to the Kotha.

Sahibjaan is smitten in love and does not perform Mujra when Guahar orders it. Gauhar sells Sahibjaan's virginity to a contractor, but a cobra in Sahibjaan's room protects her and allows her to escape. But her dress is caught on a railway line and she is saved as the train stops in time. Incidentally Salim was travelling on the same train and takes custody of her.

Salim takes Sahibjaan to his home. Sahibjaan is accepted by the family, since Salim introduces her as a homeless person, who doesn't remember her own name. Salim's home turns out to be the house of Hakim Saab and his son Shahabuddin. Salim wants to marry Sahibjaan, but Hakim Saab stands in the way of Salim's wishes. He objects to Salim marrying an unknown person with no knowledge of their ancestry. Salim and Sahibjaan plan to elope to live peacefully, but trials and tribulations await Sahibjaan (she reveals to Salim that she is a Tawaif), as she is recognized by men wherever she goes in the company of Salim. When Salim anoints her "Pakeezah" (Pure of Heart) to legally marry her, but she refuses (she runs away terrified that she will ruin Salim's life with this wedding) and returns to the brothel.

Although heartbroken, Salim eventually decides to marry someone else, and invites Sahibjaan to perform a Mujra at his wedding, to which Sahibjaan agrees. During this event, Nawabjaan recognizes Shahabuddin and calls him to witness the irony of the situation; his own daughter dancing and entertaining his family. Shahabuddin's father tries to shoot Nawabjaan to silence her, but instead ends up killing Shahabuddin. With his dying breath, Shahabuddin asks Salim to marry Sahibjaan. Finally, Salim's Doli (palanquin) defies all conventions and arrives at Sahibjaan's Kotha, thus fulfilling her wishes and leading to a happy, emotion-charged ending.