The Mujra

The Mujra is one of the most beautiful and timeless dance forms of the Indian subcontinent. It evolved as an amalgam of kathak and erotic dance, reaching zenith in the courts of the Mughal rules of India. From the seat of Delhi and Lucknow emerged oen of the most unique and exotic dances the world has ever known.

Like many other facets of life in India, the mujra dance evolved into forms hitherto unknown. It took on a significantly carnal overtone and became associated with the red light districts of Lahore, now the cultural capital of Pakistan. It was in Lahore that it saw development into what can only be termed as the Eastern counterpart to the lap dance. However, it retained the ancient glory of the medieval Mughal courts.

Mujras have developed into a variety of sub types. Colloqually speaking, we have the classical mujra, with proponents such as Fasih ur Rahman. Some may argue that this isn’t a mujra at all. Others may counter with the assertion that it is held to be so by the majority of the Pakistani audience.

Yet another type of mujra is the much popularized “stage show mujra”, catapulted to startdom by the rise of videotaped stage shows distributed on poor quality CDs among the masses of Pakistan.

Simultaneously, a different mujra stream was developed across the border in India. This saw the refinement of the traditional murja and subsequent introduction into high budget Bollywood films such as “Mughal e Azam” and now Jodhaa Akbar.