Do you feel the heat?

There is no problem if an actress (or actor, for that matter), wants to drop her clothes on screen. But if stripping is made out to be an achievement, an act of 'boldness' or a sign of liberation, that is a matter to argue with.

The people (Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt, Amit Saxena, Bipasha Basu) involved in the recent thriller Jism, that was marketed solely on its supposed erotic content, claim the film is about a modern, intelligent woman who uses her sexuality to get what she wants. 

The use of words like 'modern,' 'intelligent' and 'get what she wants' to describe a semi-clad seductress who wants to kill her husband and fudge his will is hugely offensive.

There is no denying the fact that people use whatever means they may have at their disposal to get ahead. For a woman, if her body is her only asset, so be it. But let us not forget the film is based on a 1944 original (Double Indemnity), when a woman had no means of getting rich other than inheriting daddy's millions or marrying a millionaire (if the husband was more useful dead, she had no means of hiring a professional hitman either, hence the elaborate sexual subterfuge). 

Today, there are options, even for murder. To overlook this post-lib development and make pseudo-feminist statements about the 'modern' woman is irresponsible and insulting to all the millions of female achievers who have not used their sexuality to succeed in their careers. (Oh, of course, the easiest way to negate a woman's ability is to allege she slept with the boss.)

If Bipasha Basu's Sonia Khanna of Jism is meant to be the role model for the 21st century woman, there is something wrong somewhere. Bollywood's filmmaker has not been able to do justice to the modern, intelligent, urban woman. Thanks to the less inhibited actress of today, the only thing that has happened is that the line between the mainstream heroine and vamp has blurred. 

In the old days, the vamp wore revealing clothes and did the sexy bit, while the heroine remained respectable, goody-two-shoes. Today's heroine has to do everything the vamp does and also keep up the traditional image of virtue and chastity. 

The heroine's sex appeal is needed to draw the crowds. If that isn't possible, the 'item girl' comes in to provide it.

The one change that the current crop of heroines has forced by their unfettered  lifestyle choices is that industry girls no longer have to pretend to be models of virtue off screen as well.

A few years ago, a topless cover on a magazine wrecked Mamta Kulkarni's career. Today Kareena Kapoor poses in less and it doesn't have any adverse effect on her career. There is a very thin line between sexiness and shamelessness -- which, unfortunately, the men in the industry decide -- Mamta had somehow crossed that mysterious divide, while Kareena, Bipasha and others have managed the tightrope walk.

One never knows what it is that makes people hound out Mamta, but never question the unconventional careers and lifestyles of, say, Dimple Kapadia, Pooja Bhatt, Raveena Tandon, Bipasha Basu or Manisha Koirala. Maybe talent has something to do with it. Perhaps an industry background helps, too. And of course, the openness in contemporary urban society that can't be wished away.

In the old days, Meena Kumari could lead the most shocking (for her time) life and still maintain that spotless tragedy queen image, while other heroines had to maintain great caution and discretion with their personal lives for fear of gossip, scandal jeopardising their careers.

That was then. This is now, when boldness is in. But the word bold has been subverted to mean 'one who wears skimpy clothes'.

Jism may have extended it to mean 'one who has multiple sexual partners.' 

Just how hollow the industry's proclamations of boldness are is proved once again when an actress like Karisma Kapoor was expected to retire the minute she was to become a Bachchan daughter-in-law. Or when talented female filmmakers and technicians still have to struggle for crumbs of the pie that undeserving males get easily.
 
'Do you feel the heat?' ask the ads of Jism. No. One does feel a lot of hot air.