Throwback to when the late veteran filmmaker Sawaan Kumar Tak spoke about his muse Meena Kumari

Yeh chirag bujh rahein hain,
Yeh chirag bujh rahein hain …
Mere saath jalte jalte…

Her lyrical longing in Pakeezah, in tandem with composer Ghulam Mohammed’s frenzied tabla, only to be silenced by a train whistling through the night, could well be the metaphor of Meena Kumari’s life … and perhaps death.  Tragedienne on screen, mimic in real life. Poetess in pursuit of love or masochist celebrating pain? Mahjabeen to family, Manju to husband Kamal Amrohi and Meena…