In the domestic space, the film clearly shows the brutal effects of patriarchy. All the daughters are hated by Hakim Sahib as unwanted figures, unable to contribute to the family economically and generally being inferior creatures in his eyes. The wife doesn't have a say in childbearing either, and any attempts to speak out in condemnation of the male patriarch, as Zainab the eldest daughter does, is harshly treated. Even in a more "modern" progressive sphere, the construction of a domestic familial space is subject to the rules of patriarchy as can be seen in Ayesha and Mustafa's budding relationship: Mustafa outlines what Ayesha's role will be as his wife after their marriage. Female control over one own's sexuality and circumstances are repressed.
However, the film is significant in the many ways it reverses this gender roles and upsets it. For example, the classic male/female dichotomy, that of the male being rationally logical and the female being irrationally passionate does not hold in the character of the Hakim Sahib, who's bigoted beliefs lead him to cause irrationally, to the point of murder, several times, whereas it is his wife who pleads with him to be rational and think "thande damagh se". Women are also seen as agents of progressive change within the movie, Zainab primarily but also the female journalist who tries to convince the male bureaucrats over the phone to save Zainab. This is in contrast to the men of the movie, who can be argued as impotent creatures, Hakim Sahib unable to bear a son for economic alleviation, Saka unable to introduce a female child into the brothel for economic alleviation, and Mustafa unable to protect Saifi from being harrassed (besides being a generally useless character in my opinion).
To upset these gender roles more substantially, the film relies on the character of Saifi in the first half, and on the space of the brothel in the second half. Saifi poses an unsolveable problem to the male patriarchy, because he is a transgender: a woman trapped in a man's body. he lacks any male role model, and despite his sisters' insistence to act like a "mard", wishes to adopt female dress and marry Mustafa. There is a fundamental problem with his character as to which role he can fit into, and the answer that the film presents is that there is none. This fluidity of sexes within the character blurs the lines between gender roles and challenges the dominant patriarchy. In the second half, the space of the brothel further shakes up these gender roles, as daughters rather than sons are sought after for the economic running of the place, and the male (Hakim Sahib) has to prostitute himself in order to generate income.
However, the film is significant in the many ways it reverses this gender roles and upsets it. For example, the classic male/female dichotomy, that of the male being rationally logical and the female being irrationally passionate does not hold in the character of the Hakim Sahib, who's bigoted beliefs lead him to cause irrationally, to the point of murder, several times, whereas it is his wife who pleads with him to be rational and think "thande damagh se". Women are also seen as agents of progressive change within the movie, Zainab primarily but also the female journalist who tries to convince the male bureaucrats over the phone to save Zainab. This is in contrast to the men of the movie, who can be argued as impotent creatures, Hakim Sahib unable to bear a son for economic alleviation, Saka unable to introduce a female child into the brothel for economic alleviation, and Mustafa unable to protect Saifi from being harrassed (besides being a generally useless character in my opinion).
To upset these gender roles more substantially, the film relies on the character of Saifi in the first half, and on the space of the brothel in the second half. Saifi poses an unsolveable problem to the male patriarchy, because he is a transgender: a woman trapped in a man's body. he lacks any male role model, and despite his sisters' insistence to act like a "mard", wishes to adopt female dress and marry Mustafa. There is a fundamental problem with his character as to which role he can fit into, and the answer that the film presents is that there is none. This fluidity of sexes within the character blurs the lines between gender roles and challenges the dominant patriarchy. In the second half, the space of the brothel further shakes up these gender roles, as daughters rather than sons are sought after for the economic running of the place, and the male (Hakim Sahib) has to prostitute himself in order to generate income.
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