The Courtesans of Bombay Film Still

The Courtesans of Bombay

Richard Robbins

India, United Kingdom

1983

73 minutes

Color

1.33:1

English

Synopsis

Intriguing, colorful, and revealing, The Courtesans of Bombay is Merchant Ivory’s docudrama about Pavan Pool, the enclosed area where the city’s singing and dancing courtesans ply their trade. It’s a portrait of a unique location both exotic and tawdry: crammed tenements housing thousands of men playing up to the camera as they seek out forbidden pleasures—and the courtesans themselves, who appear more as entertainers than sex workers. It shows how young girls are groomed in the arts of singing, dancing and, by inference, seduction. Neither sensationalist nor prurient, the film is about a tradition with a special place in Indian society: the entertainment of paying customers—always men—by songstresses and dancers who perform in the classic Hindustani styles of the ancient “nautch” girls, India’s version of the Japanese geisha.

Cast

Saeed Jaffrey
Kareem Samar
Zohra Segal
And the performers and people of Pavan Pool

Credits

DirectorRichard Robbins
ProducerWahid Chowhan
Executive producerIsmail Merchant
Associate producerShanaz Vahanvary
CinematographyJehangir Chowdhury
EditingAmit Bose, John Griffith and Jason Bylan

Disc Features

  • Digital transfer
  • The Street Musicians of Bombay, a 52-minute documentary film by composer Richard Robbins about the performers and personalities of one of India’s most bustling cities
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Related Films

The Auteurs Forum

Displaying 0 discussion topics.

Start the first

Available Editions

The Courtesans of Bombay Merchant Ivory DVD Add to Cart

Merchant Ivory DVD

1 Disc

SRP: $19.95

Criterion Store price

$15.96