Gulzar remembers Meena Kumari’s detoriating health during 'Mere Apne': "she was in the last stage of her.."

Lyricist and writer Gulzar recently shared a heartfelt memory of late actress Meena Kumari, recalling how she agreed to work in his directorial debut 'Mere Apne' (1971) despite being severely unwell.
In a conversation with The Quint, he revealed that she was in the final stages of her illness when the film was released.
'Mere Apne', written by Gulzar, was a remake of the National Award-winning Bengali film 'Apanjan', directed by Tapan Sinha. The film holds a special place in Indian cinema, as it was one of Meena Kumari’s final performances before her untimely death at the age of 38 due to liver cirrhosis.
How Meena Kumari came on board
Gulzar shared that while Chhaya Devi, who played the elderly woman in Apanjan, was fluent in Hindi and could have reprised her role, producer Sippy Saab was keen on casting actress Nimmi instead. Gulzar, however, felt strongly that Chhaya Devi was a more suitable choice. “With due respects, I disagreed and insisted that Chhaya Devi would be more appropriate,” he recalled. When asked to consider someone else for the role, Gulzar suggested Meena Kumari. He added, “NC Sippy’s elder son Romu, who preferred to be on the production side, was instrumental in persuading Meenaji to be in the project though she was grievously ill those days.”
Meena Kumari’s final days on the sets of 'Mere Apne'
Gulzar reflected on how 'Mere Apne' turned out almost exactly as he had envisioned, except for one regret: they couldn’t film the song 'Roz Akeli Aaye Roz Akeli Jaaye', 'Chand Katora Liye Bhikaran Raat' with Meena Kumari. She was too unwell to return to the sets. “She was in no condition to come to the sets; she was in the last stage of her illness,” he shared. Gulzar also believed that 'Mere Apne' was likely the last film she actually shot for.
He fondly remembered her playful spirit even in those difficult times. “She would often joke with the young actors, ‘This director is pushing you so hard, at least you can ask him to host you a beer party.’ Alas, that party never happened because she was gone,” he added with sadness.
The film, which went on to become a hit, featured Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha in prominent roles. The ensemble cast also included well-known names like Deven Verma, Asit Sen, Asrani, Danny Denzongpa, Keshto Mukherjee, A.K. Hangal, Dinesh Thakur, Mehmood, and Yogeeta Bali, adding depth and variety to the storytelling.