Volume 4: 2022
Author:
M. Balach Khan
Abstract:
Punjabi stage dramas are one of the most popular sources for entertainment in Pakistan, with tens of thousands attending these shows each night in Lahore. These shows have gained even greater popularity with millions of views by Punjabis from all around the world on YouTube. This paper studies the digital recordings of live Punjabi stage dramas on YouTube, particularly focusing on the cinematography of the four selected digital recordings of live performances. The paper studies these screen texts while focusing on the ways in which the introduction of the camera shapes the viewing experience and how it is different from the reception of the live performance. The paper takes a closer look at how the camera films particular character archetypes and motifs, particularly the Bhand Mode (‘jester’) and the ranga-bighla (‘straight man-clown pairing’) interactions, in correlation to the themes of the performance, hence uniquely accommodating the themes within its visualization. Furthermore, the paper discusses bodies, gender, and sexuality in Punjabi dramas, focusing on how female bodies are filmed in relation to the male gaze, particularly those which subvert patriarchal norms and power structures such as the Mahi Munda (‘tomboy’ or ‘androgynist’). The paper lastly studies the removal of mujra (‘sexual dance’) performances from these recordings and expands on the current understanding of this performance beyond censorship, by explicating cultural ideas of respectability in tandem with the obscenity discourse.
Keywords
Punjabi Stage Drama, Sexuality, Censorship, Cinematography, culture
