Partition remains a searing reality in the history of India and Pakistan. Against this backdrop, Srijit Mukherji has sought to bring to Hindi filmgoers what he had for Bengali viewers two years ago.
“The subject is very hard-hitting. Partition as an event demands that kind of treatment. While reading stories of partition and its impact on human lives by Saadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chughtai, I used to get angry and hurt. I wanted to show that in-your-face anger through Begum Jaan in these films,” Mukherji told IANS in a phone interview from Mumbai.
He did through Begum Jaan what he had earlier done through Rajkahini — tell the tale of a strong-willed woman trying to preserve a way of life in her brothel, which was being overwhelmed by fast-moving events of a nation in turmoil.
The movie’s protagonist and its dominating figure not only has a hard grip on what goes inside, she also commands a hold among the who’s who of the society, many of whom are customers of the brothel. Her house is seen as a safe haven of sorts for many destitute women who were abused at some point. But it’s a tough safe haven — the madam keeps a tight leash on her girls.
