Movie Review: Begum Jaan, Balan’s war against Patriarchy

Movie Review: Bollywood Film ‘Begum Jaan’
Rating: 2/5
Director: Srijit Mukherji
Cast: Vidya Balan, Gauahar Khan, Pallavi Sharda, Ila Arun, Naseeruddin Shah , Chunky Pandey

Begum Jaan Trailer

Begum Jaan depicts a good period and story to revisit because even 70-years after Partition, anything around it still piques interest. Then again, here the narrative deals less with the horror of the divide and serves more as an ode to the spiritedness of Begum; widowed in her childhood and sold to a brothel.

Sir Cyril Radcliffe probably didn’t think about the misery the line, which was named after him that divided Indian and Pakistan after partition, would bring upon the people living closer to it. Or, maybe the unethical British Empire saved its most potent weapon for the last.

The Radcliffe Line divided one nation into three parts: East Pakistan, West Pakistan and India. Director Srijit Mukherji’s Bengali film Rajkahini featured a group of men and women living in a house situated right in the middle of East Pakistan and West Bengal.

Vidya invests fully in Begum and her dialogue-baazi (a lot of which is raunchy). However, the writer-director’s interest level in everything else, falters. 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.

Some of the best written dialogues in the film, remain those, which are not punchlines. The exchange of dialogues between Rubina (Gauahar Khan) and Sujit (Pitobash) whilst the latter expresses his love for her is impressive.  Naseeruddin Shah’s cameo is quite average.  Chunky Pandey is superb as Kabir, the villain. His evil laugh is spot on.  Ashish Vidyarthi, Rajit Kapoor and Rajesh Sharma, are dependable actors who never fail to pull off what’s expected of them and that’s exactly what they do here.

Begum’s spunk is infectious though. She resembles a Bengal tigress whether she is defending her body or boundaries. However, trying to retell her virtues through various historical avatars in animation, is far too indulgent. Also conversations between officials of the INC and Muslim League, or for that matter between other cardboard cutouts, is superficial. The cinematographer’s effort to capture the Indo-Pak divide with close-ups in half frames, seems amiss.

The Holi number is peppy with striking visuals. Otherwise having the 11 women in one frame becomes nothing but a screech-fest. Having Vidya in a film is an asset though. She is an audacious actor, who merits an extra half star for her ability to shoulder a film.

The moment we meet Begum and watch her ruthlessly slapping a new girl, we understand that Mukherji is preparing her for a volcanic eruption. She says, “Aazaadi keval mardon ke liye hoti hai,” (Freedom is only for men) and sets the ball rolling.  Begum Jaan, at different stages showcases various shapes and forms of patriarchy. If it suggests male domination as the root cause of the problem, it also seeks a solution through the same process.

It’s going to be a fight between two genders with traitors from both sides crossing the fences. From an ageing king to meek farmers, men treat women as a mere commodity. Begum is not willing to take things lying down and thus she fights each of these men.

The side stories of Gauahar Khan-Pitobash and Pallavi Sharda-Vivek Mushran reinforce the same idea. The men in Begum Jaan do everything in their might to harass women and keep them under check.

In fact, the film begins with an elderly woman offering her body to a group of potential rapists in order to protect a younger woman in 2016’s Delhi suggesting the power dynamics haven’t changed much since Independence.

It’s an important and notice-worthy statement to make, but the efforts to present many facets of the problem at the same time takes a toll on the film. Many stories collide and fail to become one thick central line.

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