Grandchildren of Pritam deny permission to make film.
By Jasmine Raskoti
NEW DELHI: The relationship between writer Amrita Pritam and lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi may not have remained for eternity but Pritam’s autobiography is a testament to the love she had for him.
With the season of biopics, producer Ashi Dua decided to revive the love story of Pritam and Ludhianvi. The film was said to be directed by Jasmeet Reen. But it seems the decision has not gone down well with family members of Pritam. Her partner Imroze and grandchildren have expressed disappointment over the decision.
Her family says that Pritam never wished her life to be showcased on celluloid and are just abiding by her wish. Her grandchildren Aman and Shilpi Kwatra claimed that they did meet the makers but never gave permission to convert the autobiography into film.
Aman says that despite his efforts to convince the makers to shelve the film, they carried on with the project and even finalized the cast. He curtly maintains that since they have the rights to her autobiography, they will not let her life be commercialized.
Pritam’s grandchildren now have sent legal notice to the makers of the biopic.
However, Dua claims that they have received all the necessary permissions and they are not aware about the legal tangles.
Pritam was a popular writer of her time. She wrote poems in Punjabi and Hindi. Her novel Pinjar was made into a feature film starring Urmila Matondkar and Manoj Bajpai. The film received appreciation and accolades including National Award for Best Film on National Integrity. She married Pritam Singh in 1935 and got separated in 1960. After that she had a long relationship with Ludhianvi which ended when Sudha Malhotra (actress and singer) entered his life.
After she separated from Ludhianvi, Pritam lived with Imroze. Ludhianvi was a Hindi lyricist and Urdu poet. He penned songs for films like Pyasa, Kabhie Kabhie, Dhool Ka Phool and Daag, among others. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1971. The Government of India honored him with the commemorative stamp on his 92th birthday in 2013.