PAKISTAN - PASHTO DESI MUJRA - 'Ma Sara Jang Onakre' - MUSSARAT SHAHEEN - SINGER: GULNAR BEGUM

'I'M NOT SORRY FOR THIS RIOT OF FLIRTING' offers an IDIOSYNCRATIC, 'LOCAL' or 'DESI' Peshwari MUJRA DANCE...However, the 'bump and grind' 'VULGARITY' [controversial and disputed word often used to describe Pakistani Cinema] and PUNJABI FACES of DANCERS who DO NOT KNOW the LANGUAGE they are SINGING reveals a LAHORIE HAND in this PRODUCTION. The PATHAN people are rather QUIET and RESERVED. This MUJRA has a SCREAMING WILDNESS that SHOUTS 'PUNJABIS'!!! The PUNJAB and its CENTURIES of ABUNDANT HARVESTS and the CELEBRATION of LIFE that goes with that. By the late 1970s, LAHORE was STARTING to PRODUCE some of the PUSHTO FILMS. This was PROBABLY because the FILM MAKING EQUIPMENT and STUDIOS were SPARSE and in LAHORE like SHAHNOOR STUDIOS [now demolished and gone] and EVERNEW STUDIOS [now called BALI STUDIOS]. The CROSS-POLLINATION of PUNJAB on PATHAN CINEMA obviously grew from the SKETCHY LOW BUDGET PUSHTO flicks being made in the DOWNTIME of the LAHORI STUDIOS.

The BLACK and WHITE MONTAGE continued in PAKISTAN up to even ANJUMAN'S first film in 1979. There was just not technology or money to start COLOUR PROCESS in the country up to that time. So the MONOCROME CAPTURING of a COLOURFUL MUJRA like this is such a PECULIAR and QUITE SURREAL EXPERIENCE. These FADED IMAGES CAPTURED in this CHROMATIC accentuates an even more ARCHAIC and from 'FROM OUTER SPACE' quality which is PRECIOUS and GLORIOUS.

The SONG is REMARKABLY 'FEEL GOOD'. It is really UP BEAT in its WEST PAKISTAN mixed with NORTH INDIAN DRUMMING in ALTERNATE. The PERCUSSION is ENTERTAINING in itself and is VARIED in PATTERNS to KEEP it INTERESTING. TYPICAL to PUSHTO FILM SONGS, the NORTH INDIAN lilt of the INTRO DRUMS takes a SWERVE GEAR-CHANGE SLOWING MOVE and the PUSHTO VOCAL LINE comes in on a DIFFERENT and PESHWARI RHYTHM. In this way the PUSHTO FILM SONG can be SEEN as a FRAGMENTED MISH-MASH of NORTHERN INDIA and TURKISTAN between DANCE and VOCAL which is a HALLMARK of PESHWARI CINEMA, particularly these MUJRAS as the HINDUSTAN RHYTHMS furnish the SECTION with a more DANCEABLE BEAT. The ASYMMETRIC ROCKING RHYTHM of WESTERN PAKISTAN then gives the FLAVOUR of the PATHANS for the SUNG parts.

Like LAHORI FILMS, the PLAYBACK SINGER, PASHTOON DIVA: GULNAR BEGUM [1935-1995] sings the VOCAL for BOTH ACTRESSES. This QUIRK just adds even more BIZARRE MAGIC to these FLICKERING SILHOUETTES - That they HAVE the 'SAME VOICE'! The GULNAR BEGUM voice has a SIMILARITY to the NOOR JEHAN sound. They are both LEGENDS and VOCALS that are PHENOMENON. They are RELICS of the OLD WORD that have been MOULDED ROUND the WESTERN TECHNOLOGY and COME OUT the OTHER END as something so HARSH and GLITTERING and COLOURFUL. A sound really, that we will never hear again. So we are lucky these recordings were preserved on the GRAINY MAGNETIC FOIL of VHS.

The DRUMMING and VOCALS have a kind of EXPRESSION, a kind of RAWNESS that we seem to have LOST ability to CREATE, and also that we have LOST the HUMAN CONNECTION to be able to APPRECIATE in these days...

The DANCING is totally OUTRAGEOUS - Like everyone is STONED! There is a WILDNESS, again, of the SUFI, a LACK of INHIBITION and SIMPLE EXPRESSION of LIFE that is TRULY RARE. The GIRLS are obviously PUNJABIS as PATHAN gals would not go on CAMERA by the later 70s. So the DANCE is very ROBUST and RAMBUNCTIOUS 'BHANGRA' and MUJRA rather than the GRACEFUL GLIDING ARMS, SWAYS and TURNS of PATHAN DANCES.

The one PUKHTOON lady that WOULD GO ON CAMERA was MUSSARAT SHAHEEN [b. 1954]. In this song, we see her in the AUDIENCE of the MEHFIL in DRAG as a MAN, as she OFTEN PORTRAYED as either COMEDY or DISGUISE. In this song it is the latter. She sees a DACOIT or BANDIT that has HARMED her FAMILY, but she BIDES her TIME and OBSERVES the MUJRA and BANDITS while ENGAGING in 'LEWD' BEHAVIOUR with the DANCERS. Because SHAHEEN is a WOMAN, she can KISS the ENTERTAINERS on the LIPS and have them GYRATING and THRUSTING on top of HER whereas the REAL MALES on CAMERA are having to be more [slightly!] RESTRAINED with the COURTESANS. However, there is a HILARIOUSNESS here that MUSSARAT in DRAG is OFFERING a CONVINCING PATHAN MALE in APPEARANCE and 'SWAGGER' with LURID BEHAVIOUR that is CONVINCING and SENSUALLY 'EROTIC'! But also she is DEMONSTRATING LESBIANISM of WOMAN on WOMAN action, but DRESSED as MEN and WHORES! Whoa! What a way of GETTING PAST the SCISSORS of the ISLAMIC CENSORS and making FIRST CLASS RUSTIC EARTH BRILLIANT DANCE and MUSIC!