Lavani

It dates back to the 16th century. It is a folk dance native to Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Surprisingly, its origin lies in Kathak. Traditionally, it employed all the nine ras. However, in the 18th century it was dominated by sringar, virah and anand ras. Its core has become erotica. The emerging middle-class did not accept it fully in the last century.

The lavani performance is not conducive to safety. The stage is often set under a canopy. The audience is not always well-behaved.

Nautanki

To begin with, there was ras-bhagat tradition which recited the lives of gods. In the 19th century, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, Awadh initiated rahas with famous Inder Sabha enactment in 1851. Awadh later became a centre for popular commercial called Nautanki. It was later patronised by akharas. Khoone Nahak depicted Jallianwalla Bagh massacre in 1920. Zulmi Dyer apperared in 1922. A standard format of Nautanki evolved —

• a prayer sung by the cast
• sutradhar (narrator) introduces the theme briefly
• narrator stood at all four corners of the stage so that nobody  misses the essentials of the play
• intervals with a joker
• music in-between
• play

The villages provided audiences for nautanki. The travelling troupes visited villages.It had the energy, audacity and speed. By the late 19th century, Kanpur emerged as the main centre for nautanki. The industrial workers constituted the audience. The musicals were becoming melodramatic and raunchy. Most nautanki women belonged to courtesan communities such as Kalbeliyas, Bedias and Nats. In Independent India, though nautanki initially slowed down, its music migrated to Hindi film industry, e.g. Mohey Panghat Pey  in Mughal-e- Azam. Gulab Theatre has emerged as an authentic nautanki company. Ranjit Kapur, Annu Kapoor and Raghubir Yadav are products of nautanki. They strayed into cinema.

Nautanki is an operatic tradition, combining humour, farce and melodrama. They sing everything, including the dialogues. Originally, the show would last 10-12 hours across North India. Nautanki obeys the demands of the audience. Artists must have a strong voice and be fearless in approach. Hindi films have dance and song sequence. Its roots can be traced to this form. Salman’s Dhink chika or Bipasha’s Beedi jalaile reflect the obvious influences of nautanki.

Mujra

The tawaifs  practised mujra. Once they were considered the keepers of culture and high etiquette. They flourished under the patronage of the Mughal empire. Mujra reached its peak in the 17th century. Artists doing mujra were court entertainers in North India. They did a lot of riyaz. The knowledge of Urdu was essential. It was expected that they appreciate the works of Ghalib and Rumi. Later the coutesans were relegated to the kothas. The downfall began with the dissipation of royalty under British rule, and the eradication of the zamindari system. The middle-class equated the artists with prostitutes. Hindi films portray the mahaul of the mujra world of yester years — those huge spaces, those chandeliers, expensive dresses, the jewellery.