Watch Rajkahini

[Gaynelle Alnutt]

Howmuch Bhansali is too much Bhansali? One has to sit through the 8 episodes of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar to arrive at that answer. In Bhansali's eyes, the world of courtesans is filled with beauty and overwhelming grace. When the transition arrives, in the pursuit of independence, it does feel poorly realized. In that regard, there's 2015's Rajkahini, the Bengali film directed by Srijit Mukerji, which charts a similar trajectory- albeit with a widely contrasting aesthetic. The film was remade in Hindi with Vidya Balan in the lead, Begum Jaan, but it is the original film which continues to hold a greater impact. (Also read: Heeramandi review: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sprawling, sparkling debut show is blissfully free of his cinematic trappings)

Rajkahini tells the story of a group of women who live in a brothel run by Begum Jaan (Rituparna Sengupta), whose lives turn upside down when they are informed about the Radcliffe Line, which will pass right through the middle of their house. This line would demarcate the border between India and East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh). Begum Jaan resists, insisting that the same brothel is her nation where she doesn't discriminate between religions. Who sits in Delhi and makes these orders, that will not affect how she and her brothel runs their daily bread.

This daring proves to be fatal, but as Rajkahini suggests, this is a film not about consequences but the aspect of daring itself. Rajkahini is allegorical of a feminist fantasy, where the scathing reminders of the position of women in a deeply patriarchal, male-dominated society become suffocating and prominent. Rajkahini is gritty and honest about the horrors of this profession, where these women have little to no agency. In one difficult scene, Begum Jaan requests the Nawab (Rajatava Dutta) not to call in the new girl Fatima (Ridhima Ghosh) because she is not ready yet. Yet the Nawab brushes her off and tells her that any new girl in the brothel must share the bed with him first. He takes care of the brothel and makes sure that these women here stay unperturbed. It gives way to a chilling scene where Begum Jaan sings in the room, while Nawab and Fatima have sex.

While watching Heeramandi, I was constantly reminded of the contrast that Rajkahini presents, even when it seems that both share a certain kindred spirit. In the male gaze, yes. In the collision of under-written characters? Also yes. Chief among them is Mallikajaan in Heeramandi, who can be manipulative, ruthless, and conniving- but she knows her world well. These qualities recur in Begum Jaan, whose sharp and observant gaze pierces through the imminent crisis ahead. Yet, Begum Jaan leads the action with a sure-footedness that arrives in the sharp performance given by Sengupta and the rest of the cast. Things get shaky in that regard in the later half of Heeramandi.

Rajkahini is also far more frank about the profession of these women, where there is a lot of unpleasant sex involved with the customers day after day. Yet, these boisterous gang of women in the brothel also share a profound sense of love and sisterhood for one another. They play games during their brief moments of leisure and sit together for dinner. When things turn worse, they learn to hold a gun and take aim. Collectively, they share the language of revolt. Rajkahini is often crowded with characters in a single scene, jostling for space and time. There is friction and unease with which the story progresses towards a rousing end. It hurts the rhythm, but is is also this dizzying blend of chaos and confrontations, unresolved ties, and frantic images that gives Rajkahini a much-needed momentum.

Rajkahini is not obsessed with resolutions and harmony; it presents beauty alongside violence, frustrating clichs alongside a ragged sense of empathy. Where will these women go? Who remembers their stories? If Bhansali is obsessed with beauty, Mukerji is fascinated with the idea of mortality. Rajkahini attends a bit longer to the wounds that form a black layer on the ground, one that will be washed away and buried deep under the pillars of nationhood. Yet, these stories exist. For that alone, Rajkahini makes for an important, stirring watch.

Rajkahini (transl. Tale of Kings, can also be called Tale of the Raj) is an Indian Bengali-language historical drama film directed by Srijit Mukherji.[2] The shooting of the film completed in June 2015 and the film released on 16 October 2015. The film has an ensemble cast of eleven major female characters led by Rituparna Sengupta and also stars Saswata Chatterjee, Kaushik Sen, Jisshu Sengupta, Abir Chatterjee and Jaya Ahsan in other pivotal roles.[3][4] It has been remade in Hindi by Mukherji as Begum Jaan. The film was a critical and commercial success.

In June 1947, the British passed a bill regarding the partition of Bengal. Delving into the grim history of the Partition, Srijit's movie Rajkahini is weaved around a border between the two nations that runs through a brothel housing eleven women. Bengal was broken up twice (1905, and then during Independence) - officially for demographic reasons and ease of administration - but actually, it was a strictly political move to curtail Bengal politics. The narrative follows the erection of the Radcliffe Line as the boundary between the newly formed nations of India and East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh). As both the Congress and the Muslim League battle it out in courtrooms as to which side of Bengal will get which territory, in another part of Bengal is a brothel, situated right in the middle of Debiganj and Haldibari districts, which is the home and the world to eleven women and two men. Begum Jaan (Rituparna) is the boss, while the other women work under her as prostitutes. Begum's faithful bodyguard is Saleem Mirza (Nigel Akkara), a Pathan, and Sujan (Rudranil Ghosh) as their man-servant and entertainer. Begum Jaan is not concerned about Hindustan or Pakistan, her only concern is her business, which is running badly because of the partition and resulting riots. The local master and Congress worker (Abir Chatterjee) visits the brothel time to time with gifts for everyone.

Meanwhile, the political sky is darkening. The Radcliffe line passes between Debiganj and Haldibari, the former being placed in East Pakistan, and the latter remaining in India. Mr. Profullo Sen (Saswata Chatterjee) from Congress and Mr. Ilias (Kaushik Sen) from Muslim League (who were childhood friends but now separated) meet and discuss about the relocation of the people of the two districts. They discover that in its course, the boundary line has been drawn right through the middle of Begum Jaan's brothel. They meet Begum Jaan and tell her to evacuate her brothel along with her women, who refuses to budge. Meanwhile, the Nawab of Rangpur (Rajatava Dutta) was relocating with his family and followers to West Bengal, where he stayed at the brothel for a night. Begum Jaan complained to him about Mr. Sen and Mr. Ilias, to get them out of their respective parties. After visiting Delhi for the meeting of the rulers of the Princely States, he informed Begum that he is not an influential person anymore, and the Princely States were being integrated in the Indian Union, and the titles were being abolished. Begum decided to fight her own battle.

Exasperated at the futile attempts to evict Begum and her women from the house, Prafulla and Ilias turn to Kabir (Jisshu Sengupta), leader of a criminal gang, for help. Kabir and his gang commits all kinds of heinous crimes in these turbulent times of riots and violence. They chase Sujan and three other girls who were returning from the market. While Sujan manages to save the girls and help them escape, he himself gets butchered by Kabir. Sujan's death adds fuel to the fire in Begum's heart and they decide to have a final confrontation. Meanwhile, after being rejected by Begum Jaan, Master manages to trap a girl (Parno Mittra) into his schemes of getting back at Begum. He joins forces with Kabir and Prafulla. Ilias was dissatisfied with Kabir's ways but accepted the events as necessary for getting the job done.

That night, Kabir and his gang set fire to the brothel. The women, trained to use rifles by Saleem, put up a brave fight. Most of them get killed, however Saleem himself dies the most horrifying death. After the bloodbath, the remaining women including Begum enter the inferno of the house and willingly accept their death in their own "country", while being narrated the story of the legendary Rani Padmini of Rajputana.

When dawn breaks, the house and its inmates have been burnt to dust. The film ends with Ilias, Prafulla, Master and lakhs of refugees from Debiganj and Haldibari coming together to see the remains of Begum Jaan's brothel, as Bharata Bhagya Bidhata plays in the background.

The film received critical acclaim on its release, despite a few reviewers pointing out cinematic flaws. Upam Buzarbaruah, reviewing for the Times of India commented that "...Rajkahini's flaws don't take away from the beauty of the concept or its execution".[5] Shomini Sen of IBNLive concluded that "Despite its glaring flaws and over stretched climax it [Rajkahini] makes for a compelling watch".[6] The film also got a fantastic reception in the Film Festival circuit. It was the official selection at the International Film Festival of India at Goa in the Indian panorama section, Mumbai International Film Festival (MAMI), Imagine India Film Festival at Madrid, Hidden Gems Film Festival in Calgary, Sydney Indian Film Festival, Chennai International Film Festival, All Lights International Film Festival at Kochi, I-Views International Film Festival at Delhi, International Film Festival of Trichur, Habitat International Film Festival at Delhi and competitive sections at the New York Indian Film Festival, International Film Festival of Kerala, Delhi International Film Festival and Melbourne Indian Film Festival. Rituparna Sengupta won the Best Actress for her performance at the Delhi International Film Festival along nominations at New York Indian Film Festival and Melbourne Indian Film Festival.

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