{"id":587,"date":"2019-03-12T13:52:41","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T18:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/courtesansofindia\/?p=587"},"modified":"2021-02-02T12:35:23","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T17:35:23","slug":"caldwell-john-the-movie-mujra-the-trope-of-the-courtesan-in-urdu-hindi-film-southeast-review-of-asian-studies-vol-32-2010-p-120","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/courtesansofindia\/?p=587","title":{"rendered":"Caldwell, John. &#8220;The Movie Mujra: The Trope of the Courtesan in Urdu-Hindi Film.&#8221; Southeast Review of Asian Studies, Vol. 32, 2010, p. 120+."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The trope of the courtesan is found in many Urdu-Hindi films from the earliest period of Indian cinema. The courtesan was essential to the film musical because her character could dance and sing when the more modest heroine could not. The courtesan could also express sexual desire, longing for freedom and independence, and choice in the matter of lovers. She expressed herself primarily through the medium of the mujra-ghazal, a musical set-piece derived from nineteenth-century century courtesan culture in northern India. This article traces the musical and dramatic trajectory of the trope of the courtesan with reference to two of the most famous courtesan films: Pakeezah (1972) and Umrao Jaan (1981).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Abstract The trope of the courtesan is found in many Urdu-Hindi films from the earliest period of Indian cinema. The courtesan was essential to the film musical because her character could dance and sing when the more modest heroine could not. The courtesan could also express sexual desire, longing for freedom and independence, and choice <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/courtesansofindia\/?p=587\">Read More &#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[77,56,71,58,69,96,26,49,97],"class_list":["post-587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bollywood","tag-courtesan-films","tag-film-analysis","tag-film-tropes","tag-gender-roles","tag-pakeezah","tag-secondary-source","tag-tawaif","tag-umrao-jaan"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.9 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" 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