Did you know Meena Kumari charged a single rupee for her cult film 'Pakeezah'?

Meena Kumari is known to be one of the legendary actors of Bollywood who died at the age of 38. Her career reportedly began at the age of 4 and she worked till 33. Over the years, the actor got herself the tag of ‘Tragedy Queen’. She worked for several big projects in Bollywood and has also been a part of several classic films. Meena Kumari starred in a Bollywood cult film called Pakeezah and charged ₹1 as her fee.

Meena Kumari had charged ₹1 for 'Pakeezah' 

In her career over three decades, Meena Kumari was a part of several cult films and was always critically acclaimed for her performance. Some of her best performances were seen in films like Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, Pakeezah, Mere Apne, Aarti, Biju Bawra, Parineeta and many others. Although being one of the highest-paid actors back then, the legendary star had charged only a single rupee for her film Pakeezah. The money she charged was as a token of appreciation for her classics. The film Pakeezah also featured Ashok Kumar and Raj Kumar along with Meena Kumari. Back then, Pakeezah had become a commercially successful film and is considered as a cult film in India.

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According to reports, the team began shooting for the film Pakeezah on July 16th, 1956 and made it on the big screen on February 4th, 1972. These dates were decided according to a ‘Shubh Muhrat’. Pakeezah was Meena Kumari’s second last film, for which she also won an award. Initially, when the film released, it was not considered that great. But Pakeezah impressively picked up pace afterwards. It is believed that the tragic death of Meena Kumari pushed the film at the box office. The songs from the movie are also considered as classics. The song 'Inhin Logon Ne' is one of the best songs from the film. 

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Actor Meena Kumari died a month later after her second last film Pakeezah released. The actor was suffering from liver cirrhosis. It was also said that due to some issues in her personal life, the actor suffered insomnia and alcoholism. The actor marked her presence in the film industry and cemented her status as a legendary and irreplaceable actor and it was unfortunate for her fans to believe she was gone too soon.

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