Reading the courtesan as a queer figure: Suffering at the heart of spectacle in films from Pakeezah to Gangubai Kathiawadi-Entertainment News , Firstpost

In 2014, the British Film Institute [BFI] Flare London LGBT Film Festival screened both Pakeezah and Mughal-e-Azam. At first, this might seem odd. But both films, unquestionably heterosexual in their narrative, have become deeply queer in their reception over time — with their songs being performed in drawing rooms, empty homes, drag parties, bath tubs, pride parades, and film festivals.

Source: Reading the courtesan as a queer figure: Suffering at the heart of spectacle in films from Pakeezah to Gangubai Kathiawadi-Entertainment News , Firstpost