Anaarkali of Aarah: Swara Bhaskar film is a testament to dignity and respect, no matter what your profession

This time the flavour is distinctly non-urban: it is Aarah, like Ara, of Bihar. In most hinterland-hits like Dabangg and Gangs of Wasseypur, the focus is maintained on small town masculinity and the women usually feature only in ornamental roles of relation. But Anaarkali could be the story of ‘Munni’ from Dabangg. ‘Item’ songs with double entendres and risque dancing, surrounded by a titillated, mostly all male audience, have long been a staple of mainstream Bollywood, but those movies don’t venture into on-the-ground vulnerabilities of such performers. In Anaarkali, one such independent, small-town woman is the full-bodied protagonist in her own right. While Pink had a distinct urban setting and dealt with the regressive stereotypes pushed against the lifestyle of modern working women, this movie takes a quiet stab at the stereotypes of class and of vulnerable, informal professions like that of street singer-performers.

Also read: Anaarkali of Aarah movie review: Swara Bhaskar film is a full-bodied, crackling watch

Anaarkali is a powerful extension of the ideas voiced in Pink and to some extent, even Swara’s previous performance in Nil Battey Sannata: that dignity and aspirations are at the heart of personhood, which makes them an unassailable right of an individual — gender, class, lifestyle, location, profession etc notwithstanding. Both Anar and the movie, to its credit, are throughout unambiguous and coherent about this thesis.

In the final scene, Anar, smiling slightly, takes off in the dark streets of Arrah with a releasing vindication and a spring in her step. This symbolic closure is a testament to the value of reclaiming dignity after a fight of tooth and nail. It is every bit worthwhile.