MAP Bengaluru presents digital experience ‘Tawaif — Tracing the Courtesan in the History of Cinema’

How much of history is ‘his’ story and how of it is ‘her’? The more aware we become of the sources of our knowledge about our past, the more we realise so much of what we consider the truth are usually versions of stories by men, often elitist and sometimes, white — at least in the Indian context. These systematically erased stories of how women contributed in shaping the country to what it is today, be it as a queen or as a tawaif, is something that has been discussed a lot recently.

Whether you’ve watched the viral gajagamini walk from Heeramandi on loop or have been reading excerpts from Nautch Girls Of The Raj widely circulating on the internet — you must have noticed the growing curiosity about tawaifs among youth in India in recent times. Taking cues, Museum of Art & Photography Bengaluru has come up with its latest offering, a digital experience, Tawaif — Tracing the Courtesan in the History of Cinema. But what exactly can we expect from the exhibition? Who were these tawaifs? And why the sudden re-emergence in the country’s pop-culture consciousness? To know about this and more, we talk to curator of the exhibition, Dr Saumya Mani Tripathi. Excerpts:

Tell us a bit about Tawaif — Tracing the Courtesan in the History of Cinema?

The evolution of the courtesan figure in Hindi cinema can be traced from being a royal courtly dancer in service of the king and God (Utsav, Mughal-e-Azam) to the woman of the bazaar and kotha (brothel) who threatens the stability of the feudal home (Mandi, Mere Mehboob). Gradually, the tawaif evolved into the modern figure as a feminist, lover, artiste, poet and a rebel. The exhibition displays film ephemera from the MAP collection to present a holistic worldview of the courtesan figure in Hindi cinema. This includes posters, lobby cards, vinyl records, music booklets, promotional brochures, banners and other materials produced for film’s production and marketing.

How did the idea of the exhibition come about?

I had previously worked on this idea, compiling all mujra performances in a playlist. I also did a talk around it. With the release of Heeramandi, Gangubai and the debates it sparked in public domain — be it where the viral gajagamini walk or scholars claiming historical photographs as evidence that the portrayal of tawaifs was wrong in these films. Both these groups needed education in history and cinema respectively. So, I decided to educate the public about it through this exhibition as well as engage public interaction with film ephemera archives.

What are the events in the near future planned as part of this series?

The Sasken digital story, Tawaif: Tracing the History of Courtesans in Hindi Cinema, is displayed in the Sasken Multimedia Gallery permanently and is accessible free of cost for everyone. We’re planning for further programming around different moments in Hindi cinema, with film scholars and authors. We’re also planning a two-day festival around the theme in Hindi cinema.

So, how did tawaifs evolve with time?

After their glorious period during the dynastic era, a century of British morality, nationalistic fervour and a flurry of prostitution laws reduced tawaifs’ status from gatekeepers of tehzeeb to the dancing ‘nautch girls’ as the Britishers would call them. The only resolve to sustain their livelihood was to join the emerging gramophone industry (like Begum Akhtar, Rasoolan Bai) or move to Mumbai to work in Parsi theatre and the film industry. Notable tawaifs in early Hindi cinema include Fatma Begum’s daughter Zubeida, who had acted in India’s first talkie Alam Ara; and former tawaif Jaddanbai, mother of filmstar Nargis.

From the craze around series’ like Heeramandi to the launch of books like Ganika, tawaifs have emerged prominently in the Indian pop-culture consciousness again. What do you think is the reason behind this?

The figure of the tawaif has historically emerged in Hindi cinema during times of crisis in the socio-political context of the nation. As the figure of tawaif is a harmonising force in terms of caste, class, gender and religion, she is the counter cultural method to bring balance in times of extremities. For example – the figure of Anarkali in Mughal-e-Azam enshrines the concept of merciful justice that a slave grants its ruler (Akbar) and stands for the fight for true divine love on the face of orthodoxy. Anarkali also performs both the Hindu bhajan (Mohe Panghat Pe) and Islamic naat (Khuda Nigehbaan Ho) embodying a secular artistic persona as a character. The tawaif is a figure that has been on the receiving end of moral policing, violence and censorship from the State, the feudal patriarchy and the religious orthodoxy. Hence, reemergence of tawaif figures and films always bring back a feminine voice of revolt, which gives voice to the oppressed and marginalised.

Entry free. Till September 22, 2026, 10 am onwards. At Museum of Art & Photography Bengaluru, Kasturba Road.

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