{"id":4071,"date":"2016-06-08T19:58:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-08T14:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=4071"},"modified":"2026-07-17T20:53:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:23:43","slug":"manikarnika-kangana-ranaut-queens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=4071","title":{"rendered":"Will Manikarnika Change Bollywood\u2019s History of Dull-as-Dishwater Queens?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span class=\"dropcap\">B<\/span>ollywood\u2019s penchant for period and costume dramas has conjured up countless queens and princesses, stretching back to its very first film, <\/p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raja Harishchandra, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in 1913 \u2013 a time in film history when men played <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/gender\/women-staff-mumbai-railways\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">women<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Here, Harishchandra\u2019s wife, Queen Taramati, suffers hardships and is wrongly accused of a crime. Its cinematic distinction aside, the film\u2019s leading lady would become the template for representing royalty: From <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rani Rupmati<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1957) to Padmavati, each queen who came after Taramati is just as pious and uncomplaining.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A plethora of historical and mythological dramas in the \u201930s and \u201940s enabled this archetype, dolling up royal <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/pov\/rani-padmavati-burning-queen-allauddin-khilji-rajput-history-india-women\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heroines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in fine regalia, and making them wax lyrical about \u201chonour\u201d and \u201cduty\u201d. So when SS Rajamouli\u2019s South Indian fantasy epic <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baahubali 2: The Conclusion <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2017) hit theatres decades later, Bollywood went into a bit of a tizzy over the fierce feminism of Princess Devasena and Queen Sivagami. Indian cinema had finally found two truly empowered mainstream royal heroines who didn\u2019t merely exist for the men. <\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Devasena isn\u2019t just another action hero with exceptional combat skills, she\u2019s also compassionate, self-aware, and in control. And as regent, Sivagami is a strategic thinker who governs the kingdom of Mahishmati with unflinching fairness. Amidst the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/gender\/no-you-may-not-touch-my-testosterone-feminism-beards-sexist-masculinity\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">testosterone<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, blood, brawn, and bull fights, these steely women shine the brightest.<\/span>\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-44978\" src=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1548331269.jpg\" alt=\"aishwariya_rai_jodha_akbar\" width=\"724\" height=\"407\" \/>\n<figcaption>\n\n<p>UTV Motion Pictures<\/p>\n\n<\/figcaption>\n\n<\/figure>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The overwhelming response to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baahubali 2<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, even from Hindi-speaking audiences, is not surprising. For the greater part of Bollywood history, a queen\u2019s job was reduced to being in labour so that a diligent daasi can inform an anxious king, \u201cBadhaai ho Maharaj, yuvraaj paida hue hain.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In classics like Manmohan Desai\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dharam Veer<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1977) and Rajkumar Kohli\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gora Aur Kala<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1972) and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raaj Tilak<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1984), the queen is invariably a hapless maharani<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at the mercy of devious courtiers. Or, for a twist on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/humour\/the-death-of-the-jnu-stereotype\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stereotype<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, she\u2019s the devious one, like the stepmother in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rajkumar<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1964) who coveted the crown for her son, or the sadistic princess of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suryavanshi <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(1992) who enjoys throwing her suitors to man-eaters.<\/span>\n<blockquote class=\"quote--center\">The weapon-wielding woman trope is often thrust into the plot, a feeble token to prove that the heroine isn\u2019t just a pretty face.<\/blockquote>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naturally, these villainous queens are not spared from serving as a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/pov\/feminist-and-old-fashioned-romantic\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">romantic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> trope in male-driven stories, where the hardened hero brings the bratty heroine into submission. Be it <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aan <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(1952), <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dharam Veer<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Azaad<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1978), every petulant princess worth her riyaasat has been humbled by the hero in the most masochistic manner. Somehow, she always falls for the hero after being abducted, bossed around, and manhandled by him. Because a woman\u2019s idea of getting wooed is exactly that. <\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even contemporary Bollywood that should know better has done precious little to break these <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/pop-culture\/tamasha-two-years-imtiaz-ali-deepika-padukone-ranbir-kapoor-movie-bollywood-cinema-india\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">clich\u00e9s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The weapon-wielding woman trope is often thrust into the plot, a feeble token to prove that the heroine isn\u2019t just a pretty face. <\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Would it be more effective to just write strong <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/gender\/why-its-so-difficult-to-write-disagreeable-women-characters\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">women characters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? Well, yes, but tell that to last year\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thugs of Hindostan <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2018), where Princess Zafira (Fatima Sana Sheikh) is a swashbuckling warrior who, for some reason, keeps getting rescued by the men. Or to Rani Padmavati in the epic <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Padmaavat <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2018), who, despite being the badass princess of Sinhala, becomes a sacrificial pawn in a game between kings. \u00a0Clearly, little has changed in the decade since <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jodhaa Akbar<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gave us an empress who is a skilled swordfighter and Akbar\u2019s equal in both wit and resolve, but whose biggest battle remains gaining a footing in the royal kitchen.<\/span>\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-44977\" src=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1548331267.jpg\" alt=\"deepikda_padukone_padmavat\" width=\"673\" height=\"407\" \/>\n<figcaption>\n\n<p>Viacom 18 Motion Pictures<\/p>\n\n<\/figcaption>\n\n<\/figure>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And yet, as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baahubali<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> proves, just a step outside masala Bollywood, authentic queens are not so hard to come by. Shyam Benegal\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zubeidaa <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2001), for instance, offers up a rare leading lady: a free-spirited, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/modern-family\/interfaith-marriage-religion-parents-christian-muslim\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Muslim<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> divorcee and former actress who falls for a married Hindu Maharaja and becomes his chhoti rani, but is unable to mould herself to the confining life of royalty. Unlike Bollywood\u2019s other virtuous, self-sacrificing queens, Zubeidaa is passionate, agonising, and even embarrassing. In other words, a person. <\/span>\n\n<i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zubeidaa<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> harkens back to a better time for the industry, when Gulzar\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meera <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(1979) brought to the screen a Hindu poet-princess who defied every convention of Rajput royal society. Meera sings and dances in public, keeps the company of other ascetics, seeks knowledge from a man of \u201clower\u201d caste, and rejects the worldly notions of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/gender\/bald-woman-india-haircut-relationships\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">womanhood<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. She was followed by Kamal Amrohi\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Razia Sultan<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1983), who had a surreptitious homo-erotic relationship with her lady-in-waiting<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Khakun (Parveen Babi).<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that Kangana Ranaut\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is on the horizon, can we hope to see more than a royal caricature? Or will it be another vociferous, hyper-nationalistic, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arre.co.in\/politics\/assembly-elections-2018-why-bjps-loss-is-not-congresss-gain\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">election-year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> movie that forces us to wait patiently for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baahubali 3<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? If only Bollywood\u2019s filmi queens were as thought-provoking, subversive, and even discomfiting, as Devasena and Sivagami \u2013 who have much more to them than their glistening tiaras, politics of convenience, and speeches on aan baan shaan.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Raja Harishchandra to Padmaavat, Bollywood has a history of depicting its queens as either pious and uncomplaining, or rude and proud, waiting for the hero to tame their ego. Now that Kangana Ranaut\u2019s Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi is due to release, can we hope to see more than a royal caricature?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":291,"featured_media":4075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3114],"tags":[7452,7453,1281,7454,1284,4131,3979,7455,7456,4421,7457],"class_list":["post-4071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bollywood","tag-aishwariya-rai","tag-baahubali","tag-deepika-padukone","tag-jodha-akbar","tag-kangana-ranaut","tag-manikarnika","tag-padmaavat","tag-royal-family","tag-shyam-benegal","tag-womanhood","tag-zubeidaa"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Will Manikarnika Change Bollywood\u2019s History of Dull-as-Dishwater Queens?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From Raja Harishchandra to Padmaavat, Bollywood has a history of depicting its queens as either pious and uncomplaining, or rude and proud, waiting for the hero to tame their ego. 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Now that Kangana Ranaut\u2019s Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi is due to release, can we hope to see more than a royal caricature?","og_url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=4071","og_site_name":"Arr\u00e9","article_published_time":"2016-06-08T14:28:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-17T15:23:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1520,"height":850,"url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1548331271.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Pragyan Mohanty","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Will Manikarnika Change Bollywood\u2019s History of Dull-as-Dishwater Queens?","twitter_description":"From Raja Harishchandra to Padmaavat, Bollywood has a history of depicting its queens as either pious and uncomplaining, or rude and proud, waiting for the hero to tame their ego. 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