Worlds Apart: Meena Kumari’s Stepson Strongly Reacts to Sharmin Segal’s Comments on Pakeezah Actress’ ‘Nothingness’ as Inspiration for Heeramandi

Ziya Khan June 11, 2024Last Updated: June 11, 2024

The enduring legacy of legendary actress Meena Kumari continues to generate discussions. Sharmin Segal, known for her role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s series “Heeramandi,” faced criticism for her performance despite the show’s overall success. In a previous interview, Sharmin mentioned Meena Kumari’s portrayal of “nothingness” in the classic film “Pakeezah” as an inspiration for her character in “Heeramandi.” However, Meena Kumari’s stepson, Tajdar Amrohi, strongly disagrees with this comparison.During an interview with Zoom TV, Amrohi emphasized, “There is a difference of earth and sky between ‘Heeramandi’ and ‘Pakeezah.’ Don’t compare the two.

Nobody can make ‘Pakeezah’ again. Neither Meena Kumari nor Kamal Amrohi can ever be born again.”He further shared, “I don’t want to say much about this since Bhansali is a big fan of my father Kamal Amrohi. In every film of his, Bhansali tries to take shots in a very similar way as my father did. Once, he had come to Kamalistan Studio, he asked where my Dad used to sit, where my Dad walked. Out of great respect, he touched the ground where my Dad sat. That was 15 years ago, and after that, I never met him again. I must say here that each one of us has an individual taste. This is all my opinion.

There might be people who have liked ‘Heeramandi’ more than ‘Pakeezah.'”He concluded by stating, “I don’t know Sharmin. But, no, I can’t relate to her statement on nothingness.” It is worth mentioning that Sharmin, in an interview with ETimes, had expressed that “Meena Kumari was one of my inspirations. I tried to bring Meena Kumari’s nothingness from ‘Pakeezah’ into my character in ‘Heeramandi.'”As for the Netflix show itself, it is set against the backdrop of India’s independence struggle and explores the lives of courtesans in Heera Mandi, Lahore, during the pre-partition era. With a star-studded cast including Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, and Aditi Rao Hydari, the series has been renewed for a second season.