Portraits: The definitive mujra listicle featuring its greatest exponent; Rekha

Sunday 6 November 2022

The definitive mujra listicle featuring its greatest exponent; Rekha

A heady cocktail of dance, poetry, sensuality, Eastern glamour, dazzling jewellery, sparkle, suggestive eroticism, pathos, Rekha brought her vast gifts as an actress and dancer into her mujras.

The 'prostitute with a heart of gold' trope is not uncommon to Bollywood (or Hollywood!). In Indian screens, it is mostly de-sexualised a lot through the majesty of the poetic lyricism of Pakeeza and Umrao Jaan; the two definitive tentpole tales of the sensuous courtesan. While Meena Kumari brought an ache, a lonely sense of inevitable tragedy to it, Rekha brought sensuality, extreme (some might say excessive) glamour, glitz to it. A harsh critic might say with each passing year and film, she went from gold threads and zari to polyester and chintz in diminishing returns, in a sliding scale of great to god-awful films.

There have been years and years where Rekha vacillated from one kotha set to another, one over the top glittering ensemble (often designed by herself - with the aid of a few darzis and designers). If the pinnacle was Umrao Jaan (and to a certain extent Muqaddar ka Sikandar), then the nadir was... well, pick any from the late 1980s. Fortunately, her final mujra song and dance scene was in the critically appreciated Yatra (2006). And for a "full circle moment", the song was sung by Aasha Bhosle, the music was composed by Khayyam - as it was penned 25 years ago in Umrao Jaan (1981).

And this from a fan of Rekha and her oceanic skills as an actress of note. Just for the buzz-fidication of it, thought I'd work on a (always-in-construction) definitive listicle of Rekha and her mujras on film.