Kamal Amrohi

Career In 1938, he left Amroha to study in Lahore, now part of Pakistan, where singer K. L. Saigal discovered him and took him to Mumbai (Bombay) to work for Sohrab Modi's Minerva Movietone film company, where he started his career working on films like Jailor (1938), Pukar (1939), Bharosa (1940), A. R. Kardar's film (Shahjehan 1946). He made his debut as a director in 1949, with Mahal, starring Madhubala and Ashok Kumar, which was a musical hit, with songs by Lata Mangeshkar and Rajkumari Dubey.

He directed only four films; of these were Mahal (1949) for Bombay Talkies, Daaera (1953) with Meena Kumari and Nasir Khan, , which was conceived in 1958 but was not brought to the screen until 1972.

He wrote scripts for the movies made by Sohrab Modi, Abdul Rashid Kardar and K. Asif. He was one of the four dialogue writers for the latter's famous 1960 movie, Mughal-e-Azam, for which he won the Filmfare Award. Amrohi developed this project parallel to K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam, another film on similar subject matter, for which Amrohi wrote the dialogue. Amrohi was later compelled by Asif to shelve Anarkali and focus unilaterally on Mughal-e-Azam. Sayyad (mid-1950s), starring Prem Nath, directed by Amrohi and produced by Ataullah Khan and Madhubala. The film was shelved midway, causing major financial losses for the producers. Aakhri Mughal (late 1960s), conceived by Amrohi as a starring vehicle for Dharmendra. The film remained incomplete. In the 1990s, J. P. Dutta unsuccessfully tried to revive the production featuring actor Abhishek Bachchan. Majnoon (1979), one of the final projects of Amrohi's career, starring Rajesh Khanna and Rakhee Gulzar. He met Meena Kumari during the filming of Tamasha. Veteran actor Ashok Kumar introduced them. They fell in love and married on 14 February 1952, on Valentine's Day in a much private ceremony. Only Amrohi's friend Baaqar Ali and Meena Kumari's younger sister Madhu were aware of this development.

The couple then made Daera (1953 film), Raaj Kumar was roped in, as by that time, Ashok Kumar- the original lead was too old to portray the hero of the film.

Kamal Amrohi got married for the fourth time with his physician. During his last years, he used to regularly visit the hospital for minor ailments. There he met his fourth wife, who was actually his doctor. After the death of Mehmoodi in 1982, Amrohi felt lonely and in order to avoid being a burden on his children, he decided to get married, drawing sharp reactions from the media.

Kamal Amrohi had three children with Mehmoodie: two sons, Shandaar and Taajdaar, both of whom worked with him in Razia Sultan, and a daughter, Rukhsar Amrohi.

Kamal Amrohi Studios Kamal Amrohi Studios (Kamalistan Studios) was established in 1958, spread over 15 acre, it is situated in Jogeshwari East, off Jogeshwari – Vikhroli Link Road in Mumbai. It continues to run, managed by Amrohi's son and daughter, Tajdar Amrohi & Rukhsar Amrohi; despite 2010 news reports of it being sold,

Death and legacy

Amrohi died on 11 February 1993 in Mumbai, In September 2024, director Siddharth P. Malhotra, announced Kamal Aur Meena, an official biopic focusing on the tumultuous relationship between Amrohi and his wife Meena Kumari in collaboration with the Amrohi family. The film which will be written by Bhavani Iyer and Kausar Munir with lyrics penned by Irshad Kamil and music by A. R. Rahman, is expected to release in 2026.

Filmography

Soundtrack 1998 Such a Long Journey (writer: "Thare Rahiyo")

Awards and recognition 1961: Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue: Mughal-e-Azam (1960) 1972: Nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Director for film (1972).