Begum Jaan opens on a strong note. In present day Delhi, some thugs are ruthlessly violating a woman. But in one altering moment they are shamed instead. Writer-director Srijit Mukherji makes a point about how women have had to harness the power of the female body to face up to bullies. In that the film’s theme is quickly established. The movie then shifts decades into the past, when a closely-knit group of sex workers stand up against the tyranny of men and their politics. In the end, these women grab a choice with both hands even when it might look as if they don’t have any.
