Character Spotlight: Begum Para (Dedh Ishqiya)

Dedh Ishqiya is one of my most favorite Hindi films in recent years. It follows the protagonists of Ishqiya, Khalujaan/Iftekhar and Babban in their new adventure. In the tradition of sequels, it opts for a new female lead. But since both the films are actually stories about the women and how Khalujaan & Babban inadvertently become pawns in the games they play, one should really not complain about this aspect. Dedh Ishqiya has two female leads instead of one. Madhuri Dixit as Begum Para and Huma Qureshi as her handmaid/ friend/ lover Muniya. I feel that the character of Begum Para & La Dixit's performance are both overlooked. Also I have been wanting to discuss, through this blog, about the works women over 40 are doing in Hindi cinema. Hence this post.

Most of the film is set in this place called Majidabad. Begum Para is the lady of the estate. Apparently her late husband's last wish was for her to remarry and instate a Nawab in the estate as they were childless. But his wish came with a twist. The Begum must marry a poet. So to fulfill the wish of the late Nawab, Begum arranged what in simple terms can be called a poetry contest. Poets from all around came to participate and win the lucrative double prize, the estate and its majestic lady.

We first meet Begum Para when Khalujaan reaches the estate, but not face to face. Begum Akhtar's 'Humari Atariya Pe' is playing on the gramaphone and Begum checks out the new arrival through a closed window. Khalujaan senses someone watching and looks up. We get a view of the Haveli. It's grand, but there's a sense of decay. It clearly has seen better days. A clue for the keen eyes?

The evening party though was opulent. It had to be. After all, Begum presents herself for the first time in front of the contestants and potential grooms. It's Muniya who introduces her to the audience. She warns them of Begum's fragility. If you stare at her long enough she'll suffer from evil eye akin to blots on a paper. She's so soft you're prohibited from breathing deeply and sighing heavily also!

With Begum Para in the frame, the setup finally seems complete. She is not just a character, she is very much part of the setting. And as things unfold we get to know that she is the last remaining vestige of nobility when Majidabad is concerned. That's why Madhuri Dixit's presence in the film was almost mandatory. Director Abhishek Chaubey wanted to place Khalujaan and Babban in a world of manners & cultural refinement. Dixit brings to this film her body of work which stands testament to her old world charms and credentials of an artist and a connoisseur. Those coupled with her majestic presence makes her almost the only choice for a part like this. The credibility of the whole setup hinges on the actress who plays Begum Para. She doesn't just enact her role, but sells the whole setup. Director Abhishek Chaubey spoke on this in an interview,

"The one thing that attracted me to the story is that we were creating an alternate world in 'Dedh Ishqiya'. Unlike the original, which was rooted in reality, this film is a flight of fancy. We have created this world through the character of begum Para (Madhuri) who is extremely desirable, beautiful,
cultured and sophisticated but yet there is a mystery to her."

Begum Para is a woman of many faces. Maybe she's no different from us in this aspect. Being Begum is a job for her, and at work, she's very different from who she is with people she trusts (the list of which isn't very long). At the 'mushaira' she has to operate from a position of power despite being broke in reality. She has to make marrying her and inheriting the estate a good proposition for the wealthy men whom she needs to con. She maintains a sense of opulence and finery. Jaan Mohammad who's in it more for the position than the money knows of her economic conditions and helped her out in the past on several occasions. Begum practically is in his debt and it's apparent that Jaan Mohammad wants to leverage this advantage to get close to Para which she obviously distastes. Among many other things it's Jaan she perhaps wants to get away from the most. In one round of the tournament, Jaan ensures her that he doesn't want his money back from her. In reply she says, "But I want my breaths back". Later in the same sequence Jaan openly threatens to kill anyone who may come in his way to marry Begum. To his face she maintains her smile but breaks down as soon as the car moves forward.

The journey from Para to Begum had been through a loveless marriage. The late Nawab had no interest in her or any other woman for that matter. Years of neglect had left her barren, ill. Begum had almost forgotten the existence of a Para who danced with abandon. Iftekhar kindles in her a spark when he reminds her of that Para. In a deeply moving scene later, she crosses out her faces from all her old pictures with her husband, symbolically denying that period of time further power over her life. At Iftekhar's consistent request she wears her "ghungoor" and once again becomes dance. Even Muniya, who's her constant companion hasn't seen her let go like this before

Begum too helps Iftekhar overcome an obstacle. Her tender touch during the film's final moments cures Iftekhar of his long time ailment. That particular ailment actually brought him in the first place at the doorstep of Begum as a healer told him it's the manifestation of regrets from his past and only by immersing himself in love can he be cured. When they meet for the first time at the jalsa, Begum says the she remembers him from somewhere. To this he says that she should let him know him if she remembers. Because he's searching for himself for a long time. Iftekhar had earlier said to Babban than he's spent his life for other people. He said he wants to live life just for himself now. He hoped that would treat his ailment. But in the end, after being totally selfless in love and being loved back just a little is what that cured him.

Begum, in her own words though says she's beyond romantic love. In the jalsa, before announcing the winner, she says that she neither has the age nor the health for marriage. Then again when she tries to explain to Iftekhar the reasoning for her actions, she says, she can be a will-wisher to someone, a friend, a confidant but not a lover. While the first statement can be discarded as mere building of public image the second one is made during a confession to someone she cares about. This clashes with the hints given in the film about a non-platonic relationship between Begum & Muniya.

Begum confesses to Iftekhar that her life is indebted to Muniya. She is the one who helped ease Begum's ailment by being a sister, a friend, a reason to live. The most talked about scene from the movie takes place when Iftekhar & Babban are held captive by begum & Muniya. In the frame we see the two men sitting with their backs to a wall. On the wall we see something of a shadow play of Begum and Muniya. We hear them having fun, laughing. Iftekhar says to Babban whether he's cold and needs a 'lihaaf' (quilt). This is apparently a reference to a famous Urdu short story named 'Lihhaf' by Ishmat Chugtai that chronicles a story much similar to Begum Para's own and created a big controversy when it was published (back in 1942) for its suggestion of a same-sex relationship. (Follow this link to know more.)

There are some more nods to the nature of their relationship. Muniya catches Babban in one sequence, lurking at night looking for something to steal and end up having sex. The next morning we see Muniya go and hug Begum from behind. Begum immediately senses something different. She asks Muniya whether everything is alright & sends her to take a bath. Her expressions after Muniya leaves is a peek into her feelings. In the immediate next scene we see Begum getting close to Iftekhar under the shade of a tree. Muniya at first is happy seeing Begum & Iftekhar together. But a second later the language of her face changes. Was it Begum's way of getting back at Muniya? Or did she genuinely feel affection for Iftekhar at that moment. We'll never know as a lot is left to our imaginations.

While it was brave of the makers and a major mainstream star like Madhuri Dixit to allude to a lesbian relationship in a movie targeted mainly at the mainstream audience, you could also argue that we have not come very far from 1942 to 2014 if we're still alluding to it. But then again, film-making as a medium is at its most interesting when it conveys themes without spelling it out for everyone. Leaving things to your imaginations and interpretations is artistically more fulfilling. The slight ambiguity in their relationship may also be meant for us to help look at love beyond our surface level idea of it. In a scene, Khalujaan tells Babban about the seven stages of love: dilkashi (attraction), uns (attachment), mohobbat (love), akidat (trust), ibadat (worship), junoo (madness) followed by maut (death). Maybe we're like Babban, who after Khalu's proclamation exclaims "Par isme to sex hai hi nahi!"