http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_copeland/20040611.html
JEREMY COPELAND:
Bollywood and sex
CBC News Viewpoint | June 11, 2004
Going to the movies in India is a good way to escape sizzling summer weather, which, in places like the capital New Delhi in June, often stays above 40 degrees for weeks on end. But this year Indian moviegoers are finding it equally hot inside the theatre.
Don’t worry; the air-conditioners are working just fine. It’s the steamy scenes on the screen and the sexy moans in the air that are causing temperatures to soar.
Bollywood, India’s answer to Hollywood, has discovered that sex sells.
Mallika Sherawat is the star of the industry’s first big hit of the year. The poster for Murder tells you all you need to know about the film’s plot. It reads: “She is married. She is lonely. She is having an affair.”
Adult themes have replaced Bollywood’s simple boy meets girl stories. The movies still have the singing and dancing that are a staple of Bollywood movies, but almost 20 of the first 30 films released this year were given an adults-only rating.
Most viewers in North America or Europe wouldn’t find Bollywood movies like Murder particularly titillating, but it’s a different story in India where it’s inappropriate for men and women to hold hands in public, and talk about sex is taboo.
“Actually when we say sex, we’re not talking about, you know, love-making,” says film critic Indu Mirani. “What we’re talking about is a hint of sex, of bodies – especially the female form – and some heaving and puffing.”
Less than 10 years ago Bollywood felt too embarrassed to show two people kissing. As a couple’s lips reached the moment of impact the scene would cut to something symbolic like a flower.
“Earlier sex was dealt with in a nudge-nudge, wink-wink manner,” trade analyst Taran Adarsh says. “Today, the audience, exposed to international TV soaps and movies, cannot be taken lightly.”
Steamy subject matter first made an impact in Bollywood last year when Jism, another movie about an extra-marital affair, raked in the rupees at the box office.
Mallika Sherawat’s first film followed soon after and made headlines even before it was released. The producers of Khwahish (Desire) promised moviegoers 17 kisses. The story revolved around a married couple where the wife openly talked about her sexual dissatisfaction. In interviews to promote the film Sherawat launched a crusade to bring sex out of Indian closets.
“What’s wrong with being called sexy? I’m in a sensation-evoking business. At least I’m not hypocritical. Do you think Marilyn Monroe would have objected to being called sexy?”
Not everyone in India has such a relaxed attitude. Many of Bollywood’s biggest stars still refuse to do kiss scenes. Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai is more famous in India than Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow and Charlize Theron combined, but she won’t lock lips on camera.
I went to see Murder at one of Delhi’s big modern multiplexes to find out what all the hype was about. It was an afternoon show but the theatre was sold out. I could sense the nervousness in the audience whenever there was a hot scene. Indian moviegoers often talk during a movie and it’s not unusual for people to take calls on their cellphones. But during the scenes where Sherawat exchanged passionate kisses with her co-star, the audience was silent.
Being used to Hollywood movies I found it all quite tame. I was shocked, however, by the violence. In one scene the husband repeatedly punches his cheating wife in the face. Strangely, this didn’t seem to surprise or bother anyone but me.
Sherawat is proud of her ability to draw-in audiences. “I’ve worked like Viagra,” she says. But even she has limits. She backed out of doing a scene in Murder where she was supposed to jump naked into a swimming pool. She even refused to shoot the scene using a body double.
“I thought I was a modern girl, but when the moment came I developed cold feet,” she says. “It wasn’t the Censor Board but the censor inside me that made me back out.”
Her refusal to expose herself on the big screen hasn’t stopped Howard Stern from asking Sherawat to do it on the small screen. He’s compared the Bollywood babe to Pamela Anderson and challenged her to “show it all” on his TV show.
Hum Tum is the latest movie to cause a commotion in India. It’s about a couple that live and sleep together even though they’re not married.
Another movie, Girlfriend, was making headlines before its release. The film is about two women who are best friends and have lived together since college. When one of the women meets and falls in love with a man, the other woman realizes she’s in love with her roommate and sets about to destroy the new relationship. Along the way the jealous woman has fantasies about her girlfriend that promise to shock the audience.
If Hum Tum and Girlfriend do as well at the box office as Murder, there will be growing pressure on other Bollywood stars to do daring scenes like Mallika Sherawat.
Many people have predicted that Aishwarya Rai will be the first Bollywood star to successfully make the jump to Hollywood. She’s been touted as the next Bond girl, but her refusal to even kiss on camera has held her back. If Rai won’t give in to the British secret agent’s charms, I’m sure Sherawat would be happy to share herself with 007 in return for the boost the Hollywood exposure would give her career.