There have been a few recent happenings that have my mind buzzing when it comes to the representations of the act of sex in Bollywood cinema. Bollywood without the expressions of sexuality is impossible and quite boring to be honest. Without being swept away into a song and dance sequence that substitutes for the actual “act”, there would probably be no reference to anything sexual and that can be quite dull. These days, song and dance sequences are used less to express this “act” in Bollywood instead, vulgarity has become the new trend.
This brings me to Jism 2, the latest release from the Bhatt film camp. Believe it or not, there are high expectations for this film. Will Jism 2 live up to the trend-setting and pathbreaking formula that made Jism a hit? Will there be nudity? Can Sunny Leone act? and of course, Will there be an actual storyline or will it be about nude bodies colliding?
A lot of questions. A lot of pressure.
Needless to say, the film starts with a rather dimly lit scene, where we see Sunny Leone passionately kissing the bare chest of a well chiseled and highly oiled gentleman. Actually, shortly after that scene, there’s a one night stand…and the movie has only been running for 5 minutes. Surprised? Don’t be. I actually think it’s rather smart to start with sex since that is what the viewer is expecting with Sunny Leone‘s presence. The trick is to glue the viewers to their seats with an actual plot. Does that happen…you’ll have to visit your local theatre to find out.
The film in my eyes, had a rather strong start. There was sex, there was music, there was a nightclub, there was a secret mission and I was expecting drugs, but we somehow ended up with lemon water. Weird.
Anyway, the film had an intense beginning as the director, Pooja Bhatt gets right down to the emotions that connect Sunny Leone and Randeep Hooda‘s character. Arunoday Singh‘s character makes a sexy start, but it isn’t until the later parts of the film where his presence in the plot thickens and becomes substantial – until the second half, Arunoday is what I call a “hanging character” – he has no purpose.
Now, let’s get to the technical bits, which I think make this film a bit watchable.
The cinematography is splendid – whether you notice right away or not. If a film seems “beautiful” when you leave the theatre – it’s because the DOP has done a good job. In fact, it’s the cinematography that makes the sexual encounters in this film seem beautiful and tasteful rather then being vulgar and obscene. The music is soothing to the soul – it definitely compliments the intense emotions that the film portrays.
Randeep Hooda and Arunoday Singh are very good in intense roles and we shouldn’t expect anything less. BUT, and a very big BUT here – their incredible acting skills are lost in 1) your fascination with how beautiful Sunny Leone is, 2) your quest to find out if Sunny Leone can actually act and 3) the intense moments just don’t flow in the film. The intensity between characters are apparent and the relationships are portrayed quite well, but all of these relationships, the situations, the circumstances just don’t mesh together as one complete package . I guess this has something to do with scriptwriting.
Truth be told, whether I liked the first Jism or not, I went to see this film strictly for Sunny Leone. I think Sunny is great, but I could tell that her voice was SERIOUSLY dubbed. Sure, it was dubbed with her own voice, but it was dubbed nonetheless and if that fact is apparent when you’re watching the film – then it ultimately takes away from its credibility and the films believability. We know Sunny Leone from the hit reality series Big Boss and we know she cannot speak Hindi well. Heck, even Katrina Kaif needed lessons, but the dubbing was just something I couldn’t ignore. Sunny’s body language is great, and rightfully so – after all she is very experienced in the art of body language and her previous body of work is proof of that. If you don’t know what I am talking about – just Google her.
There is one thing you cannot take away from this film, and that’s the simple fact that it is HOT. Sunny Leone is HOT – the film, not so much!
Bipasha Basu is known for being sexy and sizzling on screen. Having a decent entrance into Bollywood with 2001′s Ajnabee (Stranger) and then later following up cult Bollywood hits such as Jism (Body), Raaz (Secret) and one of the biggest item numbers of 2006 “Beedi” from Omkara – Bipasha proved that good looks and sex appeal could create a gigantic cash flow at the box office. In fact, Bipasha came into films at a time when sex appeal, the overt kind, started becoming popular in Bollywood scripts.
Yet, Bipasha was never vulgar.
Confident, yes. Bold, yes. Sensual, yes. But, Bipasha had a different kind of sexiness and sensuality that most moviegoers were not used to. Bipasha’s characters were always borderline, riske, but safe. Titillating without overflow.
Now, the film in question here is Raaz 3, Bipasha’s next release. Will it create the box office magic that Raaz did back in 2002 and Raaz 2 in 2009? We’ll have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure, the theatrical trailer which released earlier this week is HOT! With films the like of Love, Sex Aur Dhoka and the upcoming Jism 2 with Sunny Leone just around the corner, “hot” is not enough. It seems that moviegoers want “hot” with an actual storyline. The trailer of Raaz 3 does promise this, however can it hold out for an entire film?.
It’s lovely to see Bipasha back in the Raaz franchise of films. She started it with Raaz, skipped Raaz 2 leaving it for Kangana Ranaut and now has come back to continue the legacy of edgy, determined and somewhat crazy women. In Raaz, Bipasha was the victim and in Raaz 3, she’s making a woman become her victim. Let’s not forget the mention of “Kaala Jaadu”, which means “Black Magic”. Seems that not only are Bipasha’s bombshell looks set to kill, but she’s going to get the help of her handy book of spells to cast some magic at the box office this fall. Bombshell black magic I tell you!
From what we’ve seen in the theatrical trailer already, Bipasha’s characterization is not completely new. We see the beauty and the elegance she depicted in Raaz (I think that was the last time we saw Bipasha wear neck high sweaters), we see the mystery and curiosity she portrayed in Race (where she played a sexually subdued character keeping her true intentions a secret), and the anger and the outbursts she displayed in Bachna Ae Haseeno (no one can forget that scene where she lashes out at her entourage).
Needless to say, the trailer of Raaz 3 is out and I am certainly looking forward to seeing Bipasha scorch the screen once again! The film is being produced by Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt and Directed by Vikram Bhatt the film is set to scare us all this September.
