The Nachya in Natrang: queer(ing) bodies in representations of Tamasha in Marathi cinema

Abstract

In this paper, I read the key character of the Nachya (effeminate male performer) in representations of Tamasha in the Marathi film Natrang, in order to interrogate a productive ambivalence in this character – one that is simultaneously heteronormative and queerly transgressive in its regional Indian context. The Nachya is coded as homosexual in Marathi cinema, through his exaggeratedly effeminate appearance, gestures and high-pitched singing voice. He traditionally functions as a comic, ‘wrong’ body by emphasizing the difference between ‘real’ and ‘fake’ femininity. However, he also accrues subversive value and serves as a queer, cultural point of identification. Therefore, by focusing on Tamasha song and dance sequences (specifically, the Lavani as a site of Marathi cinema's sex and gender play), I argue that representation which is normative in the context of the film's production and target mainstream audience can be reclaimed and re-coded through the lens of what could be termed a dynamic, queer, regional viewing practice.

Notes

1. Tamasha is a folk performing art primarily performed in the Marathi language. ‘There are two kinds of Tamashas: dholki phad and sangeet bari. Sangeet bari troupes represent an older style that emphasizes songs and dances, which punctuate the raucous humour in the Tamasha … Sangeet bari is also centred on the performance of the Lavani. In fact, the Tamasha's popularity is partially due to Lavani, which is a kind of rural, erotic song, articulating female desire in explicitly sexual terms … Until the end of the nineteenth century, it was sung by male singers dressed as women but sung by women in later times … Plots and characters of the plays are exaggerated, with elements of burlesque and masala: the ‘mixed spice’ blend of romance, ribaldry, melodrama and passions running riot. Tales taken from mythology, epics, popular folklore and legends, historical events and contemporary society are played, laced with satirical incidents and broad slapstick humour’ (Singh 2010, 6–7).

2. Female performer.

3. Effeminate male performer.

4. A commercially successful nineteenth-century theatre tradition started in Mumbai by Indian Zoroastrians. Professional Parsi theatre companies staged shows in Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu and English and catered mostly to the middle class, unlike Tamasha. Women were allowed to attend special shows as audience members, but all female roles were enacted by male actors.

5. This gendered identity framework of male-to-male sex appears to primarily exists among low-income and rural populations. For English speaking middle and upper class MSM, the term gay or queer would be used.

6. Mujra is a form of dance said to be created by the North Indian tawaif (courtesan) during the Mughal era.