Page 40 - Seniorstoday June 2024 Issue

Films

The Tawaif:

Tragic or Romantic?

The classical golden period of the tawaif faded out during the British era—
and yes, many did participate in and support the freedom movement, writes
Deepa Gahlot

The series by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, on wealthy men who patronised them,
may not have set the streaming world but were not necessarily sex workers.
on fire, but Heeramandi did bring into The women of Shyam Benegal’s Mandi
focus the tawaif, who used to be a staple (1983) or Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi
of mainstream Hindi cinema at one time. (2003) were not tawaifs, but prostitutes.
If not as a romantic, vampish or tragic Chitralekha (1964), Amrapali (1966)
character, she appeared as the ‘item girl’ of and Vasantsena of Utsav (1984), were
those days, as filmmakers found excuses courtesans, but not tawaifs. The leading
to add mujra into their films for oomph or ladies of Devdas (several), Vyjayanthimala
popular appeal. As Hindi cinema got more in Sadhna (1958), Nargis in Adalat (1958)
urbanised or westernised, she was replaced
by the cabaret dancer and later by the bar
dancer, and now by the heroine who is
willing to gyrate in skimpy costumes.
The term courtesan is used as a catchall to
describe tawaifs, devdasis, nagarvadhus,
or women who used either performing arts
or sexual wiles to entertain and entice men.
The tawaif culture, however, had its own
ethos and style of dance and music. These
women, usually forced into the profession
by birth or circumstances, did depend

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