Bollywood Movies Getting Bold?

Indian cinema’s dawn has finally arrived it seems when storylines are shedding their shackles and inhibitions. Old mentalities deem Bollywood as turning to perversion and new independent movie directors are calling it the New Age Sexual liberation in cinema. In the end, everyone agrees Bollywood has turned more sexually bold. The stories of dimming lights and bees and butterflies are now told more openly on screen. Indian society’s double standards and hypocrisy is fizzing out to create a more Westernized, modern outlook in Bollywood. Bold, sexual scenes in films like Raaz 3 or Jism 2and signing a reputed porn star, Sunny Leone, in mainstream cinema has assured that Bollywood becomes more sexually confident than ever before.

Who creates the contours of decency and morality? And why do we hide behind the garb of our rich culture? Does Indian culture breed hypocrisy? Aren’t we the country which is often referred to as the ‘Land of Kamasutra’ in the West? Bollywood today more directly faces such questions. After “The Dirty Picture” a very angry Ekta Kapoor had exclaimed that if sex scenes or any sexual content is there in the film, it is to enhance the storyline and for the other needs of the audiences, there is Porn.

Bhatts and Vishesh films are the first to recognize the growing need for sexual empowerment in films. Mahesh Bhatt, known for popularizing art films created a masterpiece with “Arth” which championed feminist cause. Much later, the Bhatts became synonymous with making movies with bold scenes. And they are very openly not ashamed of it. Pooja Bhatt, former actress and director, takes it as a challenge to direct films which are erotic thrillers. It takes a great deal of aesthetic sensibility and a newer perspective to develop such themes in the patriarchal set up of the Indian cinema. Jism-2 which starred Sunny Leone tells the tale of a porn star and the movie despite a poor performance at the box office, is not distasteful in anyway.

Most women portrayed in films these days are real life women who exist among us contrary to stories before which popularized the idea of an ideal Indian woman. The characters were simply unrealistic and created a societal pressure to breed more and more such stereotypical women. Apparently Indian cinema, which is just a mere reflection of the Indian society, is quite reluctant to the idea of an empowered woman, both professionally and sexually.

In crass, raw words, cinema is about selling bodies too. Most films are directed to be a part of the 100 crore club more than telling a good story. Hot women are more appreciated and skin show is natural. So why have double standards and be moralistic about films which have bold scenes. Cinema and Beauty both are high forms of art. And someone who appreciates art shouldn’t judge a film on the skin show. Without moral biases look at a film, in context of its bold scenes as well as the story and entertain themselves without any moral connotations. And well, if they can’t, one mustn’t waste time going to a multiplex. Just download some porn.