This movie wasn’t playing in my town so I had to wait for the non-pirated DVD version to rent. ’Jism’ is a remake of ’Body Heat’(1981, with Kathleen Turner & William Hurt) which in itself is a remake of ’Double Indemnity’1947, with Babara Stanwyck). All three films is in a classic Film Noir formula of the Femme Fatale (Bipasha Basu as Sonia), the boorish husband (Gulshan Grover) & protagonist lover (John Abrahan as Kabir). Since I’m not a blushing teenager but a grown adult woman, I will not cloud my review with useless declarations of what non-married people should or shouldn’t do. I will base this review on the artistic merits of what the film is trying to convey. ’Jism’ breaks conventional taboos in Hindi cinema. Whether its the kissing, lovemaking, Sonia lap dancing on Kabir while he’s driving a jeep, ect. Bipasha plays the role of Sonia with great gusto. She goes from icy & elusive one minute, affectionate & vulnerable the next, and manipulative & bitchy on the next breath. She emotes quite well & has the beauty, screen presence & passion of a young Sophia Loren. Her acting is on par with the likes of Halle Berry in her Oscar winning ’Monster’s Ball’ role. She’s THAT good. Her wardrobe is worth mentioning because it is devoid of color. It’s either black or white in various asymetrical shapes that show either leg, cleavage or back. Also worth noting is the scene with the ice cube & the blindfold which is a direct copy of the ’Body Heat’ scene. But unlike ’Body Heat’, ’Jism’ is more subtle & a lot less explicit & in a way, more true to the original ’Double Indemnity’ which was made in the 1940’s when Hollywood had a stricter code of ethics for it’s movies.
John Abraham’s performance was very convincing as the alcoholic, protagonist lover that is obsessed with Sonia. He emotes quite well onscreen & looks very beautiful. Too beautiful in fact that at times, I felt painfully aware that this man was once a model. With his chiseled face & muscular body, he strikes a strong resemblance to a younger Antonio Banderas but much sexier. The chemistry between Sonia & Kabir is electric. Doubled with the soft music, the location and the cinematography; it gives the film an almost eerie dream like quality that is typical of the Film Noir genre. Bipasha & John are arguably the most beautiful pairing on screen that I’ve seen yet. Gulshan Grover is in his usual over the top self as a caricature of a possesive , wealthy, industrialist husband. The location is also a plus. Pondicherry was romantic, ethereal, beautiful & quaint. Such places are the best set up for a Film Noir murder. Overall, I really enjoyed watching this movie. I don’t absolutely love it but I really do like it. I would recommend ’Jism’ to people with an open mind & liberal outlook. However, this movie is not suited for the faint at heart or people that can’t stomach complex adult thrillers. That said, I would put this movie up there with the great film classics of our time like ’Gilda’, ’The Postman Always Rings Twice’ & ’Body Heat’.