Poverty, in India, was gender neutral. But, as seen by Hindi movies, it forced men into menial jobs, but it forced women to the oldest profession on earth. So, poor men in Hindi movies would sing such songs as “Main rickshawwala, main rickshawala, main char ke barabar main do taang wala, kahan chaloge babu, kahan chaloge lala?”
Only real music aficionados like me would remember such songs that portrayed dignity of labour whilst being poor.
Poor women, in Hindi movies, had absolutely no choice but to become prostitutes. They were forced, but their songs were super-hits. Indeed, all heroines had to pass the litmus test of being in the kotha to be considered as serious actresses: Meena Kumari, Nargis, Suchitra Sen, Vyjayanthimala, Padmini, Mumtaz, Smita Patil, Rekha, and Hema Malini. Their songs competed with one another’s, eg, Suchitra Sen’s Rehte the kabhi jinke dil mein with Nargis’s Yun hasraton ke daag, and so on.
There were hardly any actresses who were not forced into it but actually enjoyed their profession. Shashi Kapoor’s Utsav and Lekh Tandon’s Amrapali were different. Those two brought out how courtesans were actually respected in our ancient culture.
However, over centuries, it became such a hated profession that Rajinder Singh Bedi’s Dastak portrayed the turmoil of a couple who rented a room in a red-light area.
Lastly, men falling in love with prostitutes was a common theme and resulted in the producers laughing all the way to the bank. Pyaasa, Devdas, Kala Pani, and Amar Prem are some examples. Prostitutes were always shown as golden hearted. There was no other kind.
Many people regarded the rain dance in the saree as the ultimate titillation. But, I can prove that nothing was more profitable for the producers than prostitution. Both kinds of songs could be there: one, depicting her art, eg, Jab chhaye mera jaadu, koi bach na paaye, Yeh hai reshmi zulfon ka andhera na ghabrayiye, and Jaata kahan hai deewane sab kuchh yahan hai! Two, the miserable ones: Rehte the kabhi jinke dil mein, and Jaana tha hamse door bahane bana liye.
Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (it nearly won an Oscar) tried to depict the Indian woman in her poverty, trying to fight her destiny through honesty and hard work. But, by that time, the ubiquitous picture of poor Indian woman choosing prostitution to beat poverty had already done the damage.
Q.E.D.
Movies are supposed to depict real life. This is one instance of movies changing real life.
Song #1
Jaata kahan hai deewane sab kuchh yahan hai sanam
This song was censored from the 1956 movie C.I.D. It was a Guru Dutt production directed by Raj Khosla.
It was the debut movie of Waheeda Rehman, the first of the five movies that Guru Dutt signed Waheeda Rehman for after seeing her in a college in Hyderabad. He was preparing her for her role as a golden hearted prostitute in his 1957 iconic movie Pyaasa.
The song was censored due to her openly soliciting as a prostitute as also for the use of the slang “fifi” in the song. It was made to look like as if “fifi” was an innocent Goan slang. However, it came out that “fifi” had become popular as an effeminate man as also to refer to a female part.
The song couldn’t see the light of the day during those days. However, these days, such songs would be totally acceptable.
The song was penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by OP Nayyar. It was sung by Guru Dutt’s wife Geeta Dutt whom he married on the 26th of May 1953.
Song #2
Yun hasraton ke daag muhabbat mein dho liye
Prostitutes and courtesans were always a very profitable theme for the Hindi movies. But, the success of C.I.D. and Pyaasa with debutante Waheeda Rehman as a golden-hearted prostitute threw the floodgates open for prostitutes in the Hindi movies. Rajinder Krishan, the lyricist, wrote the story and the screenplay for the 1958 movie Adalat directed by Kalidas.
Nargis who was fighting poverty and unfortunate circumstances in the 1957 Mehboob Khan movie Mother India acted as a prostitute one year later. Whilst Mother India tried to correct the image of Indian woman as the hard-working, self-sacrificing woman, Adalat and subsequent movies confirmed that they were ill treated to the extent of being sold in brothels. Hindi movies’ makers loved this latter image and laughed all the way to the banks just as commercial Hindi movies on poverty made the film-makers rich.
Rajinder Krishan made sure that his best lyrics were penned for the songs of the movie. The songs were composed by the maestro Madan Mohan who excelled to such an extent that OP Nayyar, in later life, said that two of the songs of the movie (this and Unako yeh shikayat hai ki hum kuchh nahin kehte) composed were better than all his works.
As an aside, I bring out that Nargis’s lover in the movie, before she was forced into a brothel, was a barrister to show the contrast between his most respectable profession and her latter day status. It is because of the utmost respect earned by Mahatma Gandhi as a barrister. Nowadays, in India, between the two professions there isn’t a contrast; earn money whichever way.
Song #3
Rehate the kabhi jinke dil mein
Once the Hindi movies’ makers get hold of a cash cow, they don’t let it go until they have milked it dry. Take the case of an honest man turned dacoit in Dilip Kumar’s only production, Gunga Jumna. In latter films heroes from Sunil Dutt to Vinod Khanna vied with one another to play the dacoit. So also with becoming prostitutes. In the 1966 Asit Sen movie Mamta, Krishan Chander merely rejigged Rajinder Krishan’s story of Adalat and passed it off as a remake of the 1963 Bengali movie Uttar Falguni.
In this song Majrooh Sultanpuri writing for Roshan and Lata Mangeshkar singing for Suchitra Sen brings out her condition due to unfortunate circumstances that made her choose the brothel.
Song #4
Beqasi hadd se jab guzar jaaye
Even when OP Nayyar praised Madan Mohan for the 1959 movie Adalat’s two songs, he himself came up with this gem in Raag Desh in the 1960 RK Rakhan movie, in which Padmini played the role of a courtesan and surprised (shocked) her lover Ashok Kumar. The lyrics of the song by Jan Nisar Akhtar point towards her helplessness in being forced into the role. None of OP Nayyar’s songs were sung by Lata Mangeshkar. This too was sung by Asha Bhosle.
The highlight of the song is also Padmini’s histrionics:
Song #5
Neel gagan ki chhaon mein
Lets change scene from being forced into prostitution to being proud of being a courtesan. Take the 1966 Lekh Tandon movie Amrapali, for example. The story of the movie draws from our culture. Amrapali, played by Vyjayanthimala, was a nagarvadhu (courtesan) in Vaishali (Bihar). Her excellence in her art made her the rajnartaki (the favoured courtesan of the kingdom). She nursed Ajatashatru (played by Sunil Dutt) when he was wounded and he fell in love with her. Little did she know that he was the emperor of Magadha. He destroyed Vaishali in order to get her.
The songs of the movie were penned by Shailendra and composed by Shankar Jaikishan so well that these are still considered some of the best. Credit must also go to Vyjayanthimala for carrying the movie almost entirely on her shoulders.
Please enjoy in Raag Bhupali, this beautiful song sung by Lata Mangeshkar and outstandingly danced in the king’s court by Vyjayanthimala:
Song #6
Jab pyar kiya to darna kya?
The actual story of Amrapali took place in 500 BC. Nearly 2000 years later, in the court of Mughal-e-Azam, Akbar, a courtesan named Anarkali has his only prince Salim fall in love with her. Akbar imprisons her and Salim rebels against his own father with a battle against him so as to rescue the love of his life.
Such was our culture regarding the importance of courtesans; and it was not restricted to the Mughals. In the 1984 Shashi Kapoor movie Utsav (based on Sanskrit play Mrichakatika (The Little Clay Cart) by Shudrika of ancient times (some evidence points to his being an Ahira king!), in ancient Ujjain, courtesan Vasantsena (played by Rekha), in the court of the king. She is respected and idolized by the king’s subjects. She has a chance meeting with a Brahmin Charudutt. In the song Man kyun behka re behka aadhi raat ko (it won two Filmfare awards: one for the lyricist Vasant Dev and the other for the singer Anuradha Paudwal), Charudutt’s wife Aditi (played by Anuradha Patel) is grateful to the courtesan Vasantsena for reigniting sexual desire in her husband!
Anyway, lets get back to Pyar kiya to darna kya penned by Shakeel Badayuni, and composed by Naushad Ali in Raag Durga. This song sung by Lata Mangeshkar for Madhubala as Anarkali is actually the most iconic song ever in Hindi films performed by a courtesan in the emperor’s court:
This movie, shot in black and white was the first movie to be digitally colorised at phenomenal cost.
Song #7
Jaa jaa re jaa balamwa
Talking about courtesans in the king’s or emperor’s courts, lets talk about the 1956 movie Basant Bahar, Raja Nawathe’s answer to Vijay Bhatt’s 1952 movie Baiju Bawra. In Baiju Bawra, Naushad had all 13 soundtracks based on one raag or the other. Shankar Jaikishan came up with similar soundtracks in Basant Bahar and actually excelled in Ketaki gulab juhi champak bana phule (in Raag Basant Bahar), for example. In this, Manna Dey had the ignominy of defeating Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi in a singing competition. Duniya na bhaye by Mohammad Rafi in Raag Todi, Punjabi Theka is a favourite, too.
But, my all time favourite is this one by Lata Mangeshkar. Indeed, I have selected it as her Top Song #2 in her five of my favourite songs by her. This is in Raag Jhinjhoti, Tintal. It was penned by Shailendra and composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Kumkum as the courtesan Radhika performed it for the Emperor Chandra Shekhar played by Chandrashekhar:
Song #8
Woh chup rahen to mere dil ke daag jalte hain
Lets turn to the sub-theme of men jilted in love either visiting courtesans on their own or taken there by their well-wishers. There are hundreds of songs in this genre’, too. My vote goes to this classic one from the 1964 Vinod Kumar movie (his debut attempt) Jahan Ara.
Shahjahan’s daughter Jahan Ara (played by Mala Sinha; she nearly won the Filmfare Award for her role) is in love with Mirza Yusuf Changezi (Bharat Bhushan) since childhood. However, Mumtaz, Shahjahan’s favourite wife (one of his four) had taken a dying promise from her that she (Jahan Ara) would look after her father, Shahjahan, and not marry.
So, Yusuf is a jilted lover. In order to get over his separation from Jahan Ara, he is coaxed into visiting a courtesan Roshan Ara (played by Minoo Mumtaz).
The song she sang to make him forget his sad silence is one of the best and most difficult of Lata Mangeshkar’s. It was penned by Rajinder Krishan and composed in Raag Ramdasi Malhar by Madan Mohan. Indeed, Minoo Mumtaz perfected this role. In another movie, the 1961 movie Chhote Nawab, she has Mehmood visiting her as a courtesan rather than being with his beloved, Ameeta. Her song, in that case, expressed Ameeta’s feelings: Ghar aaja ghir aaye badra saanwariya, composed by RD Burman in Raag Malgunji, his first with Lata Mangeshkar.
Anyway, please enjoy the Jahan Ara song:
Song #9
Raina beeti jaaye Shaam na aaye
What about hero falling in love with the courtesan? Once again, there are hundreds of songs in this sub-theme. But, there is none to beat Shakti Samanta’s 1972 movie Amar Prem. It called it as Eternal Love the relationship between Sharmila Tagore as courtesan and Rajesh Khanna as a kind hearted drunkard Anand who is used to visiting kothas. He, in a song tries to question the double standards of the society by comparing her to goddess Sita: “Hamne unako bhi chhup chhup ke aate dekha inhin galiyon mein.”
His first encounter with her is this song by Lata Mangeshkar singing for Sharmila Tagore in Raag Todi. This, too, has been listed under the most difficult songs of Lata Mangeshkar:
Song #10
Chalte chalte yunhi koi mil gaya tha
Now, in the end, lets turn to two movies that were made on the lives of two courtesans; ie, these didn’t have courtesans as breaks in between but as the whole movie.
The first one is the 1972 Kamal Amrohi movie Pakeezah (The Pure One or The Chaste One). Kamal Amrohi wanted to make a movie as a dedication to his wife, Meena Kumari. The movie was the longest in the making Hindi movie that was completed in 15 years. During this period, Ghulam Mohammad, the original music director of the movie died and some of the movie and its songs were then completed by Naushad Ali.
Nargis (Meena Kumari) is a courtesan of Lucknow. She dreams of marrying Shahbuddin (Ashok Kumar), but, it is opposed by Shahbuddin’s father on the grounds that his son cannot marry a tawaif (courtesan). She gives birth to a daughter and dies. This girl grows up into another tawaif (courtesan) Sahibjaan (also played by Meena Kumari). In a train journey, Raj Kumar as Salim Ahmed Khan sees her naked feet and falls in love with her. In the end of the movie, Shahbuddin accepts her as his daughter and she and Salim are happily married.
This song was penned by Kaifi Azmi, composed by Ghalam Ahmad and sung by Lata Mangeshkar. It has reference to Meena Kumari and Raaj Kumar’s encounter in the train:
Song #11
Dil cheez kya hai aap meri jaan leejiye
Finally, lets turn to the 1981 Muzaffar Ali movie Umrao Jaan in which the actress Rekha excelled to such an extent that she won both the National and Filmfare awards. Indeed, her portrayal of the courtesan Amiran in the movie is quoted as the most impressive performance by an actress in such a role.
In the year 1840 Amiran was kidnapped from her home in Faizabad (UP) and is sold into a kotha in Lucknow. She emerges as an extraordinary poet and courtesan. The movie is about all her poetry performed by her as songs.
The very first one is this: Dil cheez kya hai aap meri jaan leejiye. It was penned by Shahryar, composed by Khayyam and sung, for a change, by Asha Bhosle. Khayyam, too, won both the awards. Asha Bhosle, for this song, won the National Award:
Hindi movies’ makers obsessions with courtesans is unlikely to die in a hurry. Heroines, even today, are keen to do such roles.
In addition, thanks to Sunny Leone’s efforts in popularising pornography in India, it is unlikely that the one of its kind projection of Indian woman as Mother India would register with the West. As projected in Hindi movies, the courtesans and the golden hearted prostitutes are the ones that are the representative image of the Indian woman.
