It takes an altogether different route as it focuses solely and completely on the fight waged by a handful of prostitutes to save their brothel.īEGUM JAAN has its share of shining moments. But BEGUM JAAN does not document what actually transpired between the two communities then. The communally tense atmosphere during the partition has left scars that are difficult to heal. Oh yes, the appalling episode does have its connection with the plot and as you exit the auditorium, you realize that the mindset remains unchanged to this date. Although it sets the tone of the film, a doubt crosses your mind as it unfurls: How pertinent and significant is this episode vis-à-vis the story Srijit intends narrating? I mean, weren't we prepared to watch a period film set in the 1940s? Was the sequence merely incorporated for shock-value? Srijit obviously knows what he's talking and answers the query only towards the final moments of the film. Srijit startles you at the outset itself: A shocking incident in present-day New Delhi makes you uncomfortable. Begum Jaan and the inhabitants clash with the officials amidst the changing political scenario during partition. My body, my house, my rules is her motto in life. She's defiant and rebels against the move to relocate elsewhere. The politicians, representing their respective governments, go about doing their job earnestly, but their work hits a roadblock as they discover that a brothel - run by the shrewd and sharp Begum Jaan - is positioned right at the border.īegum Jaan refuses to vacate the premises, despite being served an official notice. She is an audacious actor, who merits an extra half star for her ability to shoulder a film.Cyril Radcliffe is entrusted with the task of drawing the border that would split Punjab into two parts: a portion for India and the other for Pakistan. Having Vidya in a film is an asset though. Otherwise having the 11 women in one frame becomes nothing but a screech-fest. The Holi number is peppy with striking visuals. The cinematographer’s effort to capture the Indo-Pak divide with close-ups in half frames, seems amiss. Also conversations between officials of the INC and Muslim League, or for that matter between other cardboard cutouts, is superficial. However, trying to retell her virtues through various historical avatars in animation, is far too indulgent. She resembles a Bengal tigress whether she is defending her body or boundaries. A sense of deja-vu pervades as one watches a prostitute staring sightlessly at the celling when "entertaining" a customer or when sex-workers get sentimental over a child, "because all of them are mothers first and whores later." Surely these women needed to be fleshed out with more finesse.īegum’s spunk is infectious though. However, the writer-director’s interest level in everything else, falters. Vidya invests fully in Begum and her dialogue-baazi (a lot of which is raunchy) will get ceetis. Till, Radcliffe draws the Lakshman-Rekha. Coming back to our protagonist – kings, administrators and commoners are hooked onto the pleasures provided by her girls, so Begum with her guile manages to rule.
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