In recent years, sexuality has begun to show-up in Bollywood films. A new generation of film goers has grown up with the diverse programming offered on satellite TV, including voyeuristic reality shows that leave less and less to the imagination. At the same time, attitudes in India have generally relaxed when it comes to all things sexual. In a country where public displays of affection were long frowned upon, live-in relationships are pretty common these days.
Typically, in the past, the most risqué─ suggestive of sexual impropriety─ scene in a Bollywood movie romance went like this:
“The heroine, dressed in a pastel chiffon sari runs across a meadow of tulips and into the arms of the hero, who proceeds to breathe heavily onto her neck.”
Although romance has always been a major component of commercial Bollywood cinema’s three hour narratives, the subject of sex has long been taboo. Sexual intimacy was depicted by metaphors – time-lapsed blossoming flowers, mating birds, or the occasional shaking bush. Even kissing was a no-no; instead, the smugly smiling hero would lean toward the coy heroine, only to unfurl an umbrella at an opportune moment.
According to the producers of romantic thriller movie PMK, the film is specifically aimed to cater to a younger audience looking for more spice from Bollywood… but less than that dished out by Hollywood.
“The problem with Hindi films is that they tend to whitewash all sex material; they wash it with soap and dry clean it until its sparkly white.”
“Hollywood romantic thriller movies, on the other hand, can be vulgar, obscene, and full of filthy language.”
Often times, sex in movies are reduced to mood lighting, soft pop music, a bed, partial disrobing and some hazy camera work. But when a movie gets a sex scene RIGHT, the result isn’t just titillating; it can be tender, sensuous, awkward, kinky or passionate, and frequently all of those things at once.
Implicit and explicit, Hollywood and European, there are 100 or so films that have revolutionized the way cinema represented the pleasures of the flesh. Alluring photographs capture the physical heat, while a perceptive analysis examines every crucial aspect of cinematic eroticism.
Some of the films, such as Double Indemnity, show sex as an irresistible, dangerous trap; others, including Tom Jones, wittily suggest desire through dialogue and visual metaphors. A number of works, from Wild Orchid to the Eyes Wide Shut, shocked, challenged, and disturbed. Others display the darker side of on-screen sexuality including S/M (The Night Porter); and taboo subjects such as incest and necrophilia—implied in Hitchcocks masterpiece, Vertigo.
So, you want to make a memorable erotic scene in a Bollywood film?
Well, following are at least some of the ingredients for a great erotic or sexy scene in a film:
- the controversial nature and influence of the film scene
- the degree to which the sex is gratuitous [voluntary] or not
- the presence of a semi- or nude actor/actress
- the level of sensuality generated
- the build-up to the scene in question
- the revelation of character
- the unique use of nudity or non-nudity
- the lush photography
- the scene’s degree of fantasy [metaphor] or realism
- the integration of the scene into the entire film’s plot
- the passion or emotion of the relationship.
Lists of Best/Top Scenes and Links
Many magazines, publications, articles, and websites claim to have the definitive collection of the milestone sex scenes in cinema, in various numbers: the top 10, the hottest 25, the 10 most favorite, the best ever-filmed, the top 100, etc.
For example, here’s the latest TOP 10 STEAMY SCENES from Bollywood.
Most lists do not include criteria or an explanation of any sort, except to say that the list includes favorites, ‘hot’ and ‘steamy’ scenes, controversial or ground-breaking scenes, memorable circumstances, sexy celebrities, or beautiful photography. However, it is clear that there are certain key scenes in films that are often invoked, noted, or influential in pushing back or extending the boundaries of sexual expression on the screen.
Sex No Longer Sells?
I wonder if the failure of some sexy movies, like Basic Instinct II, should mark the end of an era where sex in film sells. As a result of free porn on the internet, which has sent the porn industry into a financial windfall, people don’t go to the movies to see nudity like they used to. Even if the hottest movie star shows skin in some new film, odds are that those images will get leaked on the web long before it ever hits the theaters, and thus, the film must fall back on something else to sell tickets – like a good story? I suspect sexy sells more nowadays than sex.
I recall reading, over last couple of years, how the sex in films screened at some of the festivals like Cannes were more explicit than ever. But those films never found distribution, and images from those films leaked onto the web shortly after the festival. Sexy is not simply how a person looks; but interacts with other characters… and that is something you’d have to go and see for yourself at the movies, no?
Producer CEO – RKNet Studios
Producer – Bollywood Romantic Thriller ‘Pyar Mein Kyun’
Based on and excerpts from articles, blogs, and sponsored research reports.
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