Do you remember the first 15 minutes of Hollywood blockbuster Mission: Impossible II? If so, you’ll have a good idea of what the plot of this week’s Bollywood release, “Jism 2” (Body 2) looks like.
In the 2000 Hollywood flick, small-time thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall is wooed by secret agent Ethan Hunt, only to be later told that she must assist his team in seducing a terrorist who happened to be her ex-flame.
The plot of “Jism 2,” where actors Arunoday Singh and Randeep Hooda play the roles of a secret agent and a terrorist, respectively, is pretty similar.
But there is a difference, and her name is Izna – a porn star interpreted by a real-life porn star, Indo-Canadian actress Sunny Leone.
A lot of hype surrounds the erotic thriller, Ms. Leone’s Bollywood debut, with many saying it’s too daring for Indian audiences.
For all the talk, Jism 2 didn’t hit the spot with critics, with many citing Ms. Leone’s steamy performance as its only selling point.
Here’s a roundup of what several Indian critics had to say about the movie.
“Jism 2’ is worth watching once — for the bikini clad Sunny Leone of course!” That’s howZee News Bollywood critic Resham Sengar summed up the “much hyped” erotic thriller in his review.
Though Ms. Sengar thought the film’s plot “falls short” of expectation, saying it is nothing more than “a typical Bollywood cliché,” she seemed quite impressed with its “soulful” score and “well-written” screenplay.
“Keeping aside the few aesthetically shot sex scenes in the film and Leone’s cleavage show, it is unfair to bracket it as an erotic or a sleazy film.”
Ms. Sengar went on to shower praise on the movie’s star cast, particularly Mr. Hooda for “portraying such an intense role with élan.” Despite Ms. Leone’s dubbed Hindi dialogues, the critic thought she was “fresh, beautiful and convincing onscreen.”
NDTV’s Saibal Chatterjee said, “What Jism 2 lacks by way of pace and thrills is amply made up for by the strikingly composed and lit frames, the generally taut editing, a first-rate performance from Hooda and, of course, the rampaging sex appeal of Sunny Leone.”
Despite the “labored” chemistry between the protagonists, Mr. Chatterjee felt the film’s “outstanding” camerawork and strong screenplay made the erotic thriller “neither cringe-inducing nor overtly exploitative.”
“Jism 2 goes beyond the confines of carnality to refer to bigger issues, political and polemical… It is more than just another ‘booby’ trap of a film,” concluded Mr. Chatterjee, giving the film three stars out of five.
But not everyone was as impressed.
“Jism 2 makes even sex look boring,” reads Sukanya Verma on Rediff.com.
The film, thought Ms. Verma, “alternates as a picturesque and dark erotic drama along the lines of ‘Last Tango in Paris’ and ‘In The Cut’ but is much too comical to turn on the heat as either.”
Slamming the erotic thriller for its “gibberish” plot, “cheesy” dialogues and “dim-witted” screenplay, the critic turned fire on Ms. Leone, saying her dialogue delivery was as “impassive” as “a newsreader rattling off cue cards.”
Criticizing the lack of chemistry between the protagonists, the critic noted that the plot’s “hollowness, not audacity,” is what made the film fall short.
“Sunny Leone’s assets are the script, screenplay and sole purpose of Jism 2 and everyone outside that – Hooda, Singh, Zakaria or the audience — is obliged to wag their tongues with thrill. Well, duh, for thinking otherwise,” concluded Ms. Verma, giving the film one-and-a-half stars out of five.
“Not much of the script or story make sense, but they’re just scenes for letting Sunny Leone do what she does best,” wrote film critic Roshni Devi in a Koimoi.
The film’s “beautiful” cinematography and catchy score could do little to save its “flaky” plot, uninspiring performances, she added. Jism 2 is “paisa vasool” or worth the money for Sunny Leone’s “titillating” skin show, Ms. Devi wrote. But “don’t even bother trying to make sense of the film,” she concluded, giving the film two-and-a-half stars out of five
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
