Roundabout: Courtesan culture and its portrayal on the India screen then and now

Not only did the courtesans of India make immense contribution to cinema in music and acting, but among them were competent film producers

She was a Class 8 student of St Xavier’s school with braces on her teeth in 2007 when she got the chance to play one of the cousins of Kareena Kapoor in blockbuster ‘Jab We Met’, directed by Imtiaz Ali. “It was then and there as a naive school girl, I decided to be an actor,” says Wamiqa Gabbi.

Actor Wamiqa Gabbi’s ‘Jubilee’, a web series by Vikramaditya Motwani, showcases the lives of three actors wherein she has given a sterling performance of Niloufer Qureshi, a charming courtesan who becomes a film star of the golden era of the cinema. (HT Photo (Sourced))

Every two months, she would send an email to Ali, enquiring about his welfare and reconfirming her resolve. He would kindly reply that she should come to Mumbai only after completing her education. In 2009, when Ali made ‘Love Aaj Kal’, he invited Gabbi to make a small appearance, just to give her a feel of the sets and the shooting.

Studies completed, Gabbi stood true to her resolve and started acting where she could. And then she got her first Punjabi film. More offers came and she started acting across languages -- in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well. “I did what I got because I wanted to work and since I had not done any course in acting, I was learning as I earned,” she says.

She earned recognition for her Punjabi film ‘Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22’ in which she acted along Yo Yo Honey Singh and Amrinder Gill. Throughout her career, her father Govardhan Gabbi and mother Raj Kumari remained pillars of support, honouring their daughter’s choice of profession. She was never without work but a major break came with ‘Grahan’ -- a web series inspired by a 2018 Hindi novel titled ‘Chaurasi’ by Satya Byas and based on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Released in 2021, it brought a wide mainstream appreciation of her work.

The tide changed and she featured in spy thriller series ‘Khufia’ and short film ‘Fursat’ -- both by none other than Vishal Bhardwaj. This April, ‘Jubilee’, a web series by Vikramaditya Motwani, released. It showcases the lives of three actors wherein Gabbi has given a sterling performance of Niloufer Qureshi, a charming courtesan who becomes a film star of the golden era of the cinema. In her hometown, phones are tinkling to know who this major talent from the city is? Back to her after an appraisal of the contribution of the courtesans in Indian cinema.

One has seen actors like Madhubala, Geeta Bali, Shakila, Helen and others do it with aplomb in the 50s. Of course, Madhubala could also play the dancer of Akbar’s grand durbar with equal ease. (Filmfare / Wikimedia Commons)

Paving the way for women in cinema

Not only did the courtesans of India make immense contribution to cinema in music and acting, but among them were competent film producers. Legendary singer Gauhar Jaan (1873-1990), who had remarkable talent for music with mastery over thumri, dadra, kajri and tarana with stunning good looks and luxurious lifestyle, was the first artiste to have her songs recorded for gramophone and earning the title of ‘The Gramophone Lady’.

Malika Pukhraj (1990-2004), who took the Urdu ghazal to new heights, was a singer in the court of Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir and a sought-after artiste in both India and Pakistan. Many of the courtesans were among the first female stars of the Indian cinema, paving the way for women to reach the big screen and excel. Jaddan Bai (1892-1949), mother of Nargis Dutt, is remembered as the ‘first lady’ of the Indian screen. She was among the maiden singing voices of Indian films and acted in Raja Harishchandra in 1933. She went on to become a film producer-director with several projects to her credit and, of course, the launching of Nargis as a star. The journey of Malika-e-Tarannum Noor Jehan, too, is well known -- From a singing star in Punjabi films at Lahore to the leading lady with a blessed throat and then back to Lahore (1930-1990) to enjoy a great career.

Filmmakers are never tired of making films on courtesans and audiences are never tired of seeing them. Be it the beautiful Amrapali of Vaishali dating back to 600-500 BC or Anarkali -- the slave girl in Akbar’s court in medieval India who was bricked alive for loving the prince. Then came Umrao Jaan Ada of Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s novel of 19th century -- even though it is not certain if she existed for real or not. Moving from life and literature to cinema, besides the performer of the kothas (brothels), the ‘bad girls’ with good hearts were crooners in dimly lit cabaret halls or dark dens of the mafia. One has seen actors like Madhubala, Geeta Bali, Shakila, Helen and others do it with aplomb in the 50s. Of course, Madhubala could also play the dancer of Akbar’s grand durbar with equal ease.

And now, in the spring of 2023, comes a mint-fresh actor Gabbi, singing a cabaret number in ‘Jubilee’. What has followed is appreciation and acceptance. When asked how does it feel, she says: “I have been working hard for a decade for recognition and now that it has come from within the industry and outside, I feel a little melancholy, wondering what do I struggle for.” Not to worry, there is much more that will come to this girl who has struggled hard. She is shooting for another web series now with Vishal Bhardwaj, based on a novel by Agatha Christie, ‘Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley’ through which the seasoned director makes a debut on OTT.

The happy endnote is that our friend and her dad Govardhan Gabbi also plays a small role in it!