Meena Kumari Style: the Tragedy Queen
Meena Kumari style is one of the most memorable in the history of Bollywood, like Zeenat Aman retro look and Sadhana retro look. Known as the tragedy queen, her biography still attracts curiosity, and her beauty is still celebrated today. Everything from Meena Kumari eye makeup to Meena Kumari hairstyle was unique. The most celebrated character she impersonated is undoubtedly Pakeezah. Meena Kumari Pakeezah style, and especially Meena Kumari Pakeezah jewellery, are imitated by many. In this The Indian Rose tutorial we will discover all about how to copy Meena Kumari style, as well as some curiosities about her biography.
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What Does Meena Kumari Complex Mean
Why Meena Kumari Is Tragedy Queen
Why Meena Kumari Hid Her Left Hand from Camera
Meena Kumari Pakeezah Style
The most memorable image of Meena Kumari style in Pakeezah is when she wears her green dress with gold finishing in Chalte Chalte. You can copy it by wearing an anarkali or shahra suit in the same color.
If you like Pakeezah, have a look at our list of the best Bollywood movie based in the royal family
Meena Kumari Pakeezah Jewelry
Go heavy on traditional golden and diamond kundan jewelry such as a jhoomar, a maang tikka, a big golden nose ring, haath phool almost covering the whole hand, and heavy anklets. Meena Kumari Pakeezah jewelry is the most important detail of Meena Kumari Pakeezah style after the green dress.
Meena Kumari hairstyle
Meena Kumari hairstyle in Pakeezah is all about hair accessories, as she is wearing a veil. The hair is parted in the middle and a few curls are left lying around the face. She wears jhoomar and maang tikka in gold and diamonds.
Meena Kumari hairstyle in other movies is quite similar: wavy long hair parted in the middle.
Meena Kumari makeup
Her skin is very fair with peachy cheeks and her lips are covered by a light red peachy lipstick. However, the most important part is Meena Kumari eye makeup, as she was said to be able to speak with her eyes. The eyebrows are painted and well defined, quite short in length and a bit round. The upper lid is covered with a golden glittery layer. The crease is intensified by a brown-bronze eye-shadow. You can then apply a thick layer of liquid liner on the upper lid, and continue the line towards the outer part of the eye, but do not wing the line upwards, as you want a real Meena melancholic look. Apply minimal kohl on the lower lid. Meena Kumari eye makeup must be deep and intense.
Now that we covered Meena Kumari style, let’s start with the curiosities…
What Does Meena Kumari Complex Mean
Meena Kumari complex is an expression that came into use to describe the tendency by some people of feeding unhappiness and sometimes building their own unhappiness altogether. For many, Meena Kumari complex also means the artistic inclination to chase sorrow as a way of deepening life experiences. Meena Kumari complex is also used by extension to define anyone who has sad story.
Why Meena Kumari Is Tragedy Queen
Meena Kumari is referred to as the tragedy queen both for the roles she often played in her movies, and for her personal life experience.
Meena Kumari is said to have been born into a poor family that forced her into the movie industry when she was still a child. Later, she fell in love with, and married, movie maker Kamal Amrohi . Their relationship was full of conflict, sorrow and regrets. They eventually separated only to remarry later on. Meena Kumari is tragedy queen because she drowned her sorrow in alcohol, which eventually killed her. How old was Meena Kumari when she died? Only 38! She also used to express her depression through sad poetries. Isn’t it quite a tragic life? Now you understand why Meena Kumari is tragedy queen?
The second reason why Meena Kumari is tragedy queen is the dramacity of the roles she often played. In Pakeezah she is the tragic courtesan whose beauty is a condemn; In Phool Aur Patthar she is the widow no one wants; in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam she plays an alcoholic wife; in Bahu Begum she is forced into an unhappy marriage; in Parineeta she is used as currency; she also plays the role of woman is sorrow in Daera, Sharda, and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi. This is the second reason why Meena Kumari is tragedy queen.
However, do not forget that Meena Kumari was exceptionally beautiful and talented, and the media used to feed on exaggerating the scale of her sorrow. People loved her role as the tragedy queen, but of course that’s not all there is about her life.
Why Meena Kumari Hid Her Left Hand from Camera
Meena Kumari often hid her left hand from camera behind her dupatta during movie shootings. The reason why Meena Kumari hid her left hand from camera is that she had suffered from injury during a car accident in the early 50s. Her little finger was seriously hurt and became quite round after that, so she preferred to hide it.
We explored lots of details about Meena Kumari style, including Meena Kumari eye makeup, and Meena Kumari style in Pakeezah. We also discovered some curiosities about her life, such as what does Meena Kumari complex mean and why Meena Kumari is tragedy queen. We hope this tutorial was useful both for people who want to draw inspiration from Meena Kumari style, and for those who just want to remember this great actress, known as the tragedy queen of Indian cinema.