Listen to the lyrics of vintage Bollywood songs and whether poetically or crudely, the words make the romantic pair's sexual intent unmistakable, even if its camouflaged by quivering dahlias and other such tropes that secured the ‘family film’ tag. If you're looking for it, sex is everywhere in the films of those decades - in the flowers that rub against each other instead of the lead pair in the sudden camera pans towards logs burning in the fireplace in the shots of waterfalls accessorised with heroines wearing white saris and in awkward hugs that give the huggers mini-orgasms. By the '80s and '90s, when Mastram began writing, the erotic is omnipresent in these films, but - like our mysterious writer - it’s hidden away. As a result, the mouth-to-mouth kiss disappeared from Hindi cinema for decades, but filmmakers found other ways to keep popular cinema sex-plicit. In the 1970s, Zeenat Aman strutted her stuff in a wet sari that left nothing to the imagination.Īt the same time, with each passing decade, the government-appointed censors became increasingly strict and prudish. Mumtaz redefined the sari when she turned it into a figure-hugging, navel-bearing dress that you'd expect to see on Beyoncé, rather than in Bollywood. In the 1950s, the feisty Nadira added nuances to the roles of vamps and seductresses without ever downplaying their sexual appeal. Back in 1933, Devika Rani kissed her co-star and husband Himanshu Rai for a good four minutes in Karma. Look as far back as you want into Indian cinema and you'll find directors have found different ways of depicting passion and sexual chemistry on screen. These are topics that are rarely discussed, but filmmakers found ways to make their point. However, running parallel to this sexual drive is a conservatism about sex and sexuality. We picked up several copies in Delhi and even found a few in Dhanbad while shooting for Gangs of Wasseypur.”Ĭonsidering our exploding population, it doesn't take too much of an imagination to figure out that that India's got one helluva libido. Mastram is still available at railway stations and book markets. That’s when art was replaced by vulgar, cheap sleaze. When these books became popular, other publishers also started publishing Mastram novels, getting other writers to write them. "He was an artist and a master storyteller. “The real Mastram used to weave his sentences together beautifully," said Jaiswal. But the popularity of his books and his reluctance to reveal himself inevitably led to other publishers finding their own Mastrams.
Whether Jaiswal is right about Mastram’s motivations and circumstances, we can't tell since Mastram's real identity is shrouded in mystery. "That’s when we decided to make a fictionalised biography of his.” Jaiswal describes his film as “the story of a budding writer, whose circumstances force him to become a writer of erotica - something he doesn’t really want to do”. It is a must watch for all conservative pseudo- intellectuals.“We tried very hard to find the real Mastram or people who published his writing, but couldn’t find anything," said Jaiswal. I am going with three out of five stars for Mastram. The film, which gathers your interest in the first half, hurries to its climax in the other half. The village backdrop has paved the way for a few stage actors to give useful supports and provide better insights into rural mindsets (connected to erotica). Tara Alisha Berry (making her acting debut) fits perfectly into the role of his 'sati-savitri' type wife. Rahul Bagga is excellent as Rajaram, a timid, ambitious and budding author. Today, they are left with very few options. The ascent of English made Hindi authors vulnerable as the new generation failed to understand the emotions conveyed through their words. He also highlights the plight of struggling writers. This taboo has made lives pleasure and miserable at the same time. We know 'sex sells' but are reluctant to discuss it. Director Akhilesh Jaiswal who co-wrote Gangs of Wassepur has handled a bold subject with significant ease. Instead, he ends up writing steamy stories using the pseudonym 'Mastram'.
At the behest of a publisher Mr Purohit, Rajaram decides to write 'masaledar' stories. However, publishers refuse to work with him as they fail to find uniqueness in his work. He decides to quit and pursue his dream following a spat with his superior. A bank clerk Rajaram Vaishnav (Bagga) aspires to be a writer. The film 'Mastaram' is débutante director Akhilesh Jaiswal's take on this sensual issue.
Erotic stories and magazines have dominated Indian markets for ages. The widespread interest in guilty pleasures and fantasies of life can be seen from the popularity of '', a website that created two famous housewives Savita Bhabhi and Velamma.
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