Seduction Game

Kapoor was quick to feel the pulse of the overseas market for similar subjects and, a few years later, when he turned producer, he leapt at Girish Karnad8217;s Utsav, a film based on the 5th century play Mrichakatika, yet another story of a courtesan who rekindles excitement in the stale marriage of a young Brahmin. Utsav had all the trappings of blatant sensuality: intricately designed sets, lilting music, period costumes, sex as a mode of expression, a way of life. Whether it was a bathing sequence shot aesthetically or a moment of undressing just prior to love-making, the un-selfconsciousness of the actors was reflected in their body language and, more importantly, in the lyrics.

Three decades later, in Shah Rukh Khan8217;s Asoka, the joyous abandon with which Kareena Kapoor splashes about in the lake while singing San sannanan8230; is intoxicating. Shah Rukh Khan admitted that Asoka was targeted at the foreign audience, mainly international festivals. 8216;8216;We knew the overseas market would be attracted to Indian exotica,8217;8217; says the star candidly.

Contrast this to formula Bollywood films and its interpretation of erotica. Only three cliches 8212; the rain sequence, the dream sequence or the cave sequence 8212; allow feelings to be aroused involuntarily. Remember the raunchy dance, Aaj rapat jaiyo8230; in Prakash Mehra8217;s Namak Halaal or a drenched Madhuri Dixit seducing Vinod Khanna in Mahasangram? The dream sequence, offers more scope for imagination and directors have exploited it to the fullest. Almost all Yash Raj films have dream sequences where the heroine unknowingly gets drunk and drops her guard. Sridevi in Chandni and Kajol in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. In the cave sequence, the hero and heroine take shelter on a stormy night inside a deserted shack or a cave and the inevitable happens. From Dilip Kumar and Nimmi8217;s Amar right up to Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore8217;s Aradhana, the formula lasted an entire generation.

After over 100 years, Indian cinema continues to remain coy about the portrayal of erotica and no matter how irresistible the sensuous heroine, consent is not acceptable by the inhibited masses, except when depicted in period films.

It is difficult to comprehend whether the complete abandon by actors in mythologicals stems from the period, the script or their characterisations, but the effect is undoubtedly dramatic. While Rekha was very nervous about the intimate scenes in Utsav, a decade later, the box-office queen was more confident when she was cast as Rasadevi the mentor of love in Mira Nair8217;s Kamasutra. Says the actress, 8216;8216;It is the magic of the costumes8230; when you drape all the apparel, you just automatically feel the part.8217;8217;

Ditto with Raveena Tandon, during the shooting of Agni Varsha. On reaching the location at Hampi in Karnataka, Tandon suddenly developed cold feet, not sure if she had made the right decision in signing the film. Director Arjun Sajnani, however, was confident that no one else could play Vishakha.

Attired in figure-flattering dhotis and fabric casually knotted around the breasts, Tandon was a feast for the eyes in every frame. Cast as the deserted wife of the head priest engrossed in a mahayagna, she is drawn to her former lover and when exposed, refuses to be apologetic about her moment of desire. 8216;8216;The same scene would be unacceptable in a formula film. In a period film, actors hold different perceptions,8217;8217; explains Tandon.

Equally sensational in the film is the spirited Sonali Kulkarni, who is engrossed in love games with her mate, played by Milind Soman. 8216;8216;Part of the attraction comes from the ambience,8217;8217; analyses Sonali. 8216;8216;I don8217;t think Milind and I would have been able to surrender as easily if shooting in a studio.8217;8217;

Whatever the reasons, the same magic is never recreated in contemporary times. Perhaps it has something to do with the glorification of tradition or our centuries-old culture. And, it seems, contemporary culture is only for the faint-hearted. However, the public can get quite touchy when it comes to interpretation of mythology and folklore. The slightest tampering of historical facts can create a furore.

Even as early as the 8217;50s, Sohrab Modi faced the wrath of the people for his film, Jhansi Ki Rani, where angry protests were raised over his heroine Mehtaab bathing in a lotus pond. It wasn8217;t as if Mehtaab was bare-bodied, perhaps the sheer suggestiveness of a fragile beauty indulging in a luxurious bath, surrounded by gushing fountains, threatened the chauvinistic viewer.

But a decade later, the statuesque Vyjayanthimala, cast as a court dancer in F C Mehra8217;s Amrapali, draped in strapless bustiers and clinging dhotis, was described as 8216;sensual.8217; The viewers were too busy getting seduced to feel offended this time. Based on the life of Magadh emperor Ajatshatru, Amrapali was a film about love and war between two kingdoms.

Similar plots were explored in the Shammi Kapoor-Sadhana starrer, Rajkumar, and again in Santosh Sivan8217;s Asoka. Woven with extraordinary cinematography and choreography, Asoka8217;s effect was extraordinary. The lead pair acrobated and assaulted each other before admitting they could not do without each other. Perhaps it was the novelty of the Hindu mythology costumes or may be it was the refreshing way in which they admitted their love, but the audience was equally willing to be seduced.

Some years ago, Teri Bahon Mein, about adolescents reared in a jungle, also held a native appeal for the viewer. Safari, in which a civilian lost in the forest meets a jungle boy who helps her find her way back to civilisation, however, wasn8217;t as successful. Other films like Ye Gulistan Hamara touched on the life of tribals with characters dressed in bare minimum. The message was survival. If a slum dweller Smita Patil bathed on a busy street in Chakra, it was not sensuality but circumstances that forced her to do so. And yet, the fact remains that a section of the audience came to see the film only for Smita8217;s bathing scene.

The trick was in striking a balance between arousal and titillation. It was not all that simple. Cinema is a visual medium, the mask dropped frequently and the camera caught a glimpse into the director8217;s sexual fantasy, usually in his portrayal of the heroine. So, whether it was the tandav dancing Sridevi in Chandni or choli revealing Madhuri in Khalnayak or the drenched Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Maili, the audience enjoyed being as much of a voyeur as long as his fantasy was protected.

Today, fortunately, the concept of sensuality is changing. New directors with unconventional visions are making way for a new morality. And if the focus is temporarily shifting from the soul to the anatomy, this should not to be perceived as lack of substance. Of the new generation directors, Ram Gopal Varma has always focused more on the body than the soul. From Rangeela to Road his films are a celebration of energy, not just feelings.