B’wood’s foray into adult films
KHALID MOHAMED
though, has been Arth (1982), empathising with a housewife (Shabana Azmi) who ultimately tells her adulterous husband to take a walk. Significantly, the lacerating dialogue of Bhatt’s film was written none other than B.R. Ishara. Shabana Azmi abused ‘the other woman’ (Smita Patil) at a party, accusing her of ensnaring her husband with her expertise in the bed!
After Ishara, the second wave of sex films — Jism (2003), Paap (2003), Murder (2004) Rog (2005) and Jannat (2008) — have the Bhatt Brothers Mahesh and Mukesh, and Pooja Bhatt as a common factor. Emraan Hashmi came to be identified as a sex gizmo of sorts, what with elongated kisses becoming his calling card. To be fair, the Bhatt brand of movies are technically superior and can boast of catchy Sufilaced music scores . Completed on financiallysound budgets, the mix of crime, lust and sex are a failsafe formula. Jism, Murder and Jannat have inevitably spawned sequels.
These films are derivate of Hollywood and Korean originals, but then originality has always been at a low premium.
Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D (2009), a funky adaptation of Devdas, was a surprise: offering a graphic look at the interiors of a Delhi brothel. Today, Ekta Kapoor is the other vendor of sex-themed movies, an obvious and successful marketing tactic. From the strictly vegetarian saas-bahu TV serials, she switched to sex flicks. Ragini MMS (2011) was tacky but The Dirty Picture (2011) was not only excellently designed but incisively written, directed and acted. News is that Ekta Kapoor is planning a Ragini MMS 2 with the hottie of the season Sunny Leone.
Maybe it’s something to do with time but in my book Chetna will always be the one which dared to deal with sex the way it was, and will be.