Kumari made history at the 10th Filmfare Awards (1963) by receiving all three of the Best Actress nominations, and won for her performance in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam.

Kumari's father was a Sunni Muslim named Master Ali Bux who had migrated from Bhera (now in West Punjab, Pakistan).

Duniya Ek Sarai (1946), Piya Ghar Aaja (earlier titled Jalan) (1948) and Bichchade Balam (1948) were some of her early films in which she not only acted but also sang songs.

Veer Ghatotkach (1949), Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950), Laxmi Narayan (1951), Hanuman Patal Vijay (1951) and Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag (1952) were films in which she is credited.

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, a film produced by Guru Dutt and directed by Abrar Alvi featured Kumari in the role of Chhoti Bahu.

The film is also noted for its cinematography by V. K. Murthy and the songs "Na Jao Saiyaan Chhuda Ke Baiyan" and "Piya Aiso Jiya Mein", both sung by Geeta Dutt.

For Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, to give the heavy appearance associated with excessive consumption of alcohol, she applied concentrated Eau de Cologne under her nose.

Pakeezah had a grand premiere on 3 February 1972 at Maratha Mandir theatre in central Bombay, and the prints were carried on a decked-up palanquin.

As a heroine, she sang for films like Duniya Ek Sarai (1946), Piya Ghar Aaja (1948), Bichchade Balam (1948)[38] and Pinjre Ke Panchhi (1966).

Years later, on the sets of Tamasha, Ashok Kumar introduced him to Kumari,[8] who later offered her a lead role in his upcoming film Anarkali.

[40] Such rumours found their base on the mahurat of Pinjre Ke Panchhi where Amrohi's assistant, Baqar Ali had a violent argument with Kumari.

After returning from London, Kumari for the first time purchased her own home, which was on the eleventh floor of a building called "Landmark", situated at Carter Road, Bandra.

[48] Javed Akhtar points out that women in the 1950s used to follow her sober and dignified fashion trends ranging from the hair bun to the traditional bindi.

Her floral or traditional Banarasi silk and Kanjeevaram saris have never gone out of fashion and continue to be a favourite of designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

[52] On 24 February 2016, Kumari's original publicity material and memorabilia, including paintings and portraits of her films, were displayed at the Womanhood Festival at Osianama Liberty, Mumbai, India.

[53] Due to the contrast between her stardom and troubled private life, Kumari is closely linked to broader discussions about modern phenomena such as mass media, fame, and consumer culture.

[54] Every year, on her birthday, numerous articles are printed and television programmes aired to commemorate her, and modern magazines continue to publish stories on her personal life and career.

[66] Indian Film Critic Bhawana Somaaya said: "There was a time when top heroes were not willing to work with Meena Kumari, because she played the powerful roles".

"[52] Vinod Mehta (writer of Meena Kumari – The Classic Biography) was told by a director: "Even Dilip Kumar (the tragedy king) found it difficult to keep his calm in front of her".

[77][78] Actress Alia Bhatt also mentioned watching Kumari's films for preparing for the role of a brothel madame in Gangubai Kathiawadi.

[81] On the day that Kumari died, her 1952 film Baiju Bawra was re-released at Bombay's Super cinema, drawing a full audience, which wept copiously while remembering the actress.

[90] In May 2018, Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh, a play depicting her life was staged at Rangayan auditorium of Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur.

[92] Google commented: "Kumari captivated audiences with her beautiful, expressive eyes and portrayed strong yet vulnerable women who made their own way through life, often devastated by romance.

[93] In 2023, an exhibition at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, named "Sitaare Zameen Par", had portraits of Kumari that were captured by JH Thakkar.

In 2004, a modern-day adaption of her film Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam was to be made by Pritish Nandy Communications in which Aishwarya Rai and later Priyanka Chopra[99] were to portray her role of Chhoti Bahu.

[101] In 2015, it was reported that Tigmanshu Dhulia was to make a film on her, which was to be a screen adaptation of Vinod Mehta's book, "Meena Kumari – The Classic Biography".

[103] Various other actresses including Richa Chadha,[104] Jaya Prada,[105] Janhvi Kapoor,[106] Karishma Sharma,[107] Anupriya Goenka,[108] Bhumi Pednekar,[109] Divya Dutta,[110] Kriti Sanon,[111] Nithya Menon,[112] Tripti Dimri,[113] and Rasika Duggal[114] have also expressed their wish to be cast as Kumari in her biopic.

In 2018, producer and former child artist Kutty Padmini announced a biopic on Kumari in the form of a web series along with singer Mohammed Rafi and actor-director J.P. Chandrababu.

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.

[127] In 2023, a Pakistani remake of the film Pakeezah was also announced in which actress Meera Jee was confirmed to play the central character, which was portrayed by Kumari in the original.