Tawaifs in Bollywood's twisted tale, from Pakeezah to Heeramandi

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Hindi cinema often stereotypes tawaifs (courtesans), depicting them as mere dancers or ones who are out to woo men for sex. The latest to fall into the trap is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi. Here's the story of tawaifs that is rarely shown on screen, and the reason Bollywood shouldn't be taken as a history guide.

From Rekha in Umrao Jaan to Aditi Rao Hydari in Heeramandi, courtesans have been stereotyped in Hindi cinema.

When we think of tawaifs (courtesans), we think of women in flowing, ornate dresses giving elaborate dance performances or wooing men with sexual favours. We think of polished dance performances akin to Rekha's on 'Dil Cheez Kya Hai', and an alluring Madhubala dancing to 'Jab Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya'. Or, most recently, we think of the stunning Aditi Rao Hydari's popular Gaja Gamini walk in Heeramandi.

But Hindi cinema's portrayal of courtesans of India isn't even half of what they were. And this depiction of tawaifs in Hindi cinema hasn't gotten any better since the early 19th century.

"Ninety-eight per cent of the films stereotyped courtesans. You show whatever you want to show because tawaifs (courtesans) are dead and there is nobody to question you," Manjari Chaturvedi, Director and Choreographer, and Restorer of the Dance of Courtesans told IndiaToday.in.

The movies based on the lives of courtesans or with characters of tawaif vastly under-represent them and portray them as inferiors in society.

In movies like Mughal-e-Azam (1960) by K Asif, Pakeezah (1971) by Kamal Arohi, Khilona (1970) by Chandan Bohra, or Tawaif by BR Chopra (1985), you often see a 'mujra' sequence and a woman who has a heart of gold and is willing to give up everything for the man she loves. Madhubala in a still from Mughal-E-Azam by K Asif.

"In the films, whenever they wanted a titillating dance, or they wanted something like an item number, they brought in a tawaif. If they wanted a negative character, they introduced the character of a tawaif. If they wanted to show a hero with a broken heart, he would go to a tawaif. All these ended up stereotyping the image of a tawaif," Chaturvedi said.

Think of Bunty Aur Babli's 'Kajra Re', Ram Leela's 'Ram Chaahe Leela Chaahe', Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani's 'Ghagra', or Agent Vinod's 'Dil Mera Muft Ka', and how they showed the over-the-top, sexualised and raunchy performances by courtesans, and one would understand what Chaturvedi is referring to.

Watch | Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 'Kajra Re'

Historically, courtesans were women who were well-read and immensely talented. They used to learn and write poetry under the watch of their ustaads (teachers). As per Awadhi mythology, courtesans were skilled individuals, who taught men to enjoy music, dance, etiquette, and refined their tastes.

When Veena Talwar Oldenburg, Professor of History at Baruch College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, met the courtesans of Lucknow, she learnt that they loved reading newspapers. "They were used to reading newspapers, they were literate women. Jhagde ho jaate the kaun pehle padhega... (They used to fight among themselves who would read the newspaper first)," Oldenberg told IndiaToday.in.

Rekha's Umrao Jaan is true to history

This aspect of their lives is correctly represented in Muzaffar Ali's 'Umrao Jaan'. In the film, Rekha performed Kathak with the utmost grace and perfection on 'In Ankhon Ki Masti Mein' and 'Dil Cheez Kya Hai'.

"Umrao Jaan, to a large extent, is very true to history because it is based on a 1905 Urdu novel 'Umrao Jaan Ada' by Mirza Hadi Ruswa. It was a straight story of the life of a tawaif. In that story, Rekha and other dancers are learning Kathak from ustaads. There are shots of Rekha writing poetry and her ustaad sitting next to her, correcting her. She is discussing language. So it seemed realistic that they were artists who were involved in their art," said Manjari Chaturvedi. Rekha radiated elegance in Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan.

In an interview, while talking about his film, Muzaffar Ali explained, "A tawaif is more than just her profession. Umrao Jaan is the journey of a poetess. She is a woman of pure feeling. She finds, rediscovers and reinvents herself - she is a Sufi."

Another film which came close to the actual representation of the tawaif culture was K Asif's Mughal-E-Azam, which completed 60 years in 2020.

The imagery of Madhubala as Anarkali in Mughal-E-Azam is so deeply ingrained in our memory that we often overlook the fact that films based on the same storyline, originating from a 1922 play called Anarkali by Imtiaz Ali Taj, had been produced three times before Mughal-E-Azam. Sulochana, a star of the silent era, portrayed Anarkali twice (in 1928 and 1935), while in the 1953 adaptation, Bina Rai took on the role of the captivating courtesan. All the adaptations were a hit among the audience.

Chaturvedi says Umrao Jaan and Mughal-E-Azam became cultural touchstones, paving the way for the inclusion of tawaif characters in the sub-plots of film, for instance, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Do Anjaane (1976), The Burning Train (1980), and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985).

Tawaifs shaped Hindi cinema

Whether we like it or not, movies define our knowledge of history. And that's why it becomes important to know that real-life tawaifs were among the first to shape Hindi cinema. Trained in classical dance and singing, these female performers were among the first actors, playback singers, choreographers, producers, directors, and music directors in Hindi films.

Ruth Vanita in her book, Dancing with the Nation: Courtesans in Bombay Cinema (2017), wrote, "Jaddan Bai, mother of Nargis and grandmother of Sanjay Dutt, was a daughter of courtesan Daleepbai of Allahabad. Jaddan was a pioneer in Bombay cinema, working as an actor, singer, music composer, director, and producer of films. Fatima Begum, actress in silent films and the first woman director was from a tawaif family, and had a long-term relationship with a Nawab. Bibbo, actor, singer, and music director in the 1930s and 1940s, was the daughter of courtesan Hafeezan Bai of Delhi."

'Bollywood cannot be your history chapter'

However, filmmakers have failed to present a multi-dimensional insight into the lives of courtesans. In the name of artistic liberty, they let go of authenticity and glamourised tawaifs, whose only purpose in life, as per them, is to look pretty, wear exquisite clothes and jewellery, and dance to earn money and a man for themselves. The most recent examples are Mira Nair's 'A Suitable Boy' (2020) where Tabu plays courtesan Saeeda Bai and 'Kalank' (2019) with Madhuri Dixit as Bahaar Begum, who, throughout the film, bears the anguish of losing her lover Balraj Chaudhry (Sanjay Dutt). Tabu and Ishaan Khatter in Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy.

Chaturvedi argues that filmmakers steer away from telling the story of courtesans like Jadan Bai as her story lacks melodrama.

"Jadan Bai was the biggest singer of her time. She was the first woman music director in Hindi cinema and ran a production house before Independence. But Jadan Bai did not have a scandal in her life, so you are not interested in telling her story. She only had art with her. So, Bollywood cannot be your history chapter. It has a commercial aspect to it. Filmmakers make films to sell tickets and bring audiences to cinema halls," she opined.

Kamal Amrohi's Pakeezah, starring Meena Kumari as Lucknow-based tawaif, Sahibjaan, which seems to be a Bible of sorts for contemporary filmmakers, also tries to portray courtesans as people constantly wanting to escape from their lives to more "respectful" marriage. But, when Veena Talwar Oldenburg met some of the Lucknow-based courtesans and asked them about Meena Kumari's on-screen portrayal of them, they told her, "Arre bewakoof, peene lagi, marne lagi... (Oh it's stupid, she started to drink and sobbing for a man)." Meena Kumari in a still from Pakeezah.

Instead, these women asked Oldenburg to re-watch Pakeezah after hearing their side of the story, and she complied, only to realise, "I saw the credibility of their perspective".

In Hindi cinema, courtesans are portrayed as more intriguing characters before they fall in love and desire marriage. Take Sultana in Tawaif, for instance. Initially, she appears as a spirited individual, uninterested in men and their affairs. Likewise, Chand (Mumtaz) in Khilona and Vasantsena (Rekha) in Utsav are depicted as confident and independent professionals before their romantic involvement reduces them to vulnerable figures, caught in the throes of love.

Chaturvedi does not want Bollywood filmmakers to turn into history teachers. However, after watching Heeramandi, she only wants them not to attach history to their fictionalised version of what happened in the past. "You are free to make a female version of Animal (Ranbir Kapoor's latest hit), but don't add history to it, especially women's history. Don't confuse the audience," she urged.

And, if at all they pick up a historical subject, they must show the facts right, unlike Heeramandi, where Alamzeb's (Sharmin Segal) wish to learn poetry is curbed by her mother Mallikajaan (Manisha Koirala). Manisha Koirala played the role of Mallika Jaan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi.

"I was appalled to see how the tawaif who wants to learn poetry, her books and diary is burnt, and she is discouraged from it and is told that you are only to have sex. What is this? Tawaifs were the most well-read women of their times. There was Mallkajaan who wrote her 'Dewan' (a collection of poetry). There was Janki Bai who wrote poetry. If they were illiterate women, only for sex, would they be able to read that much poetry and perform it?" asked Chaturvedi.

The word tawaif today is used as a profanity. But that wasn't always the case. Hence, we as an audience hope that filmmakers also someday celebrate the art of courtesans and credit them for their rich contribution to the country's dance, music and poetry.

In Heeramandi, Manisha Koirala's character, Mallikajaan, resoundingly declares, "Jise aap tawaif kehte hain woh fankaar hai (You call us tawaif, we are artists)."

This poignant proclamation underscores the depth of talent and artistry in the courtesans. Therefore, filmmakers must shift their focus towards celebrating their artistry, acknowledging the multifaceted talents and narratives of these characters. And refrain from projecting fiction as history.

Published By:

Arushi Jain

Published On:

May 18, 2024