Texali Gate!
Minto said: “A Twaif may possess a bright soul despite her dark trade.” Whenever the Taksali Gate of Lahore is mentioned, the name “Hira Mandi” comes along in the mind with it. Although nowadays “there is no diamond and no market.” These days there is a lot of talk about a movie called “Taksali Gate” currently there are many reviews on YouTube. In which most people are saying that this is an “entertaining” movie. I was amazed how people from a despised area that is not accepted even in modern today can be entertaining. The word Kanjar is used repeatedly in the film. At the time of partition, many Kanjar families came from India and settled in Lahore. For centuries, prostitutes have made a living by selling their talent, beauty, and body. People used to go to learn art and literature from the castes of Lucknow, Delhi, Patiala, Bengal etc. Heera Mandi is a notorious area but people are still curious about it. During the Zia regime, when their business was terminated from here, the diamond market spread to the every corner of Lahore. But even today dramatists and filmmakers are cashing in on this name. In today’s modern era, our actresses are very happy to play the characters who live there, but can they know the fiery souls of these prostitutes? Because now the profession of prostitutes has been limited as sex workers. In history, we find the names of Amrao Jan, Gohar Jan, and Jadan Bai who were very famous prostitutes. Selling sex began in the British Raj. Merchants also contributed to this profession. Due to the recession, girls started living in brothels like chickens. Some girls who were cheated in love and also looted they came to this bazaar. In the nights here, the upper rooms were lit up by lamps, but now every kotha is full of darkness. The balconies here are shrouded in gloom. The buds of the flowers have withered. The charms of the bazaar are now locked in the shoe boxes. In the film a tawaif has been shown but there is no dance song of her. Perhaps she is also now forced into sex. Most of the scenes of the film have been shot during the day, while there were nights awake. However, in the film, the latch of the door of justice has been knocked very well. Prostitutes are sometimes called whores, sometimes wahshia, sometimes prostitutes, sometimes Devadasi, and Nautch Girls of the Raj in British Raj. Everyone was entertained by them, but no one could understand the mystery of their quenchless souls.
