Bollywood has never backed out from trying different genres and has always served audiences with varied choices on their movie platter. One such genre is- Adult Comedy which always turns out to be controversy`s favorite child. Receiving criticism is something which these movies are always braced for and they attract flak for showing things which are still considered ‘unacceptable’ or ‘taboo’ in our Indian society.
Trend of adult movies is not novel in Bollywood, but the issue was again brought to fore front by the latest release- Great Grand Masti. The third installment of Masti franchise created heat on all social platforms with its lecherous posters and promotional trailers. The movie was approved and cleared by CBFC after chopping off 23 scenes and was given A rating.
This certification does not fail to rise one obvious questions in the minds of most of us- if Great Grand Masti was easily accredited A rating, then why a film like ‘Udta Punjab’ mirroring the sad reality of the society had to undergo such hideous ruckus which initially included 89 cuts by CBFC? This question just concludes the fact that the parameters on the basis of which the CBFC grants the rating is still beyond understanding.
While Great Grand Masti impressed to fail at the box office due to its shallow plot and ‘unfunny’ jokes, we take a look back at the history of adult movies and how the definition of these movies has transformed over time.
The first installment of the franchise, that is, Masti(2004) was a big hit, and had earned pretty well at box-office along with critical acclamation. It is still counted as the top-most adult comedy movie in India. Then there are others in the list like Delhi Belly, Vicky Donor, Jism, B.A. Pass, The Dirty Picture which surely grabbed eyeballs with their boldness with an equally decent presentation.
The concept of adult movies had originated way back in India with Mera Naam Joker and Satyam Shivam Sundaram consisting of few sensuous scenes which audiences found difficult to digest back then. But with the evolution of cinema and introduction to variety of genres, people slowly started accepting it. Bollywood has produced a great range of adult movies in last decade, but, on closer inspection, the quality of such movies is turning derogatory with each coming day.
Movies like Kya Kool Hai Hum franchise, Mastizaade, Kuch Kuch Locha Hai, Great Grand Masti have constantly been proving that Bollywood`s capability to create good adult movies is dropping down.
Well, the story does not involve only one aspect. Adult movies with brilliant storylines cannot make it to the silver screen merely because they are banned by censor board and are considered inappropriate to be viewed by general audiences. Kama Sutra- a movie with ingenious direction, Fire as well as Unfreedom were the movies focusing on lesbian relationship and bisexuality and Sins- a film exploring the erotic side of a Christian priest, were the movies banned by censor board, wrapping them under the excuse that ‘they would go against the religious sentiments’ or were ‘too advanced’ to be viewed by the Indian audiences, as such issues are still taboo in few orthodox sections of the society.
Downplaying some seriously genius movies and encouraging insipid adult comedies is surely not a right decision by CBFC. It not only sidelines the face of Bollywood showing realism, but also demotivates the film-creators from showcasing their talent despite having intellectual stories.
Even though current sex comedies are purely non-entertaining, there are couple of celebrities who who have no problem doing it. Shreyas Talpade, who does a cameo role in GGM, says, “I am an actor… performer… People know me through my work. I don’t see any harm in doing or being part of adult comedy films. I know what I am doing.” When Riteish Deshmukh was asked what if his son watches his movies, he clearly stated, “Let him watch them, if he likes them fine, if he doesn’t that’s also fine. I am not embarrassed about any of my work.”
While Urvashi Rautela asserted that, “GGM is a family film, not at all vulgar. It’s more inspired by ‘Masti’ (the first film in the series). The audiences can come in with their families and enjoy.” She was undoubtedly panned by the critics for this implausible statement of hers just to pull in more audiences.
An Indian housewife, when asked about what opinions she holds on such movies, the reply was, “Current adult movies are showing things beyond limits. Movies in earlier days used symbolic aspects to put forth their idea but the present ones are getting too ‘bold’.” While a middle-aged common man opines, “This all is happening due to high influence of westernization. India has always followed things which fit into certain limits and current movies really exaggerate things.” On the same, a teenager comments, “Such movies should not be completely banned. But a specific protocol should be followed just so that they don`t have any severe impact on society.”
Such were the varied views of different sections of society when asked to talk about adult movies, while, few merely hesitated and refused to speak anything about it. From a general perspective, adult movies do deserve an equal space on the screen of Indian cinema. Stereotypes should be smashed and such films also should be viewed as a form of showcasing art. Even they fall under a particular genre, and there goes tonnes of creativity behind their making. Only the current wave of movies which is giving out all wrong signals under the banner ‘adult’ genre should be given some rest, and the ones with true solid content, which get trapped between the shackles of so-called taboos should be permitted to flourish by the film approval body!
Tags: bollywood
