The teenagers and young men queuing up for tickets for the morning show of Jism 2 echoed one another as they excitedly spoke about Sunny Leone.
[pullquote_right]Sunny Leone’s character Izna proclaims that she is a porn star however her behavior is more akin to a commercial sex worker.[/pullquote_right]Clearly the Indian origin American adult movie star was the biggest attraction of the Pooja Bhatt directed film, her assets on display in the posters and promos. But that is where the ‘skin’ show began and ended.
In the opening scene, Leone’s character Izna proclaims that she is a porn star however her behavior is more akin to a commercial sex worker. There is no evidence of her shooting any movies, but she does slip in and out of silken negligees and the beds of random men with ease. Among them is Ayan (Arunoday Singh), an undercover cop who enlists Izna’s help to entrap a rogue cop turned assassin. Kabir Wilson (Randeep Hooda) is Izna’s former lover who left her one dark night and reappears in her life several years later, now as a notorious killer.
An enraged Izna agrees to help the cops (in return for a large sum of money) and proceeds to inveigle Kabir and steal valuable data from him. Caught between the love and lust of two men, Izna has to make a life-altering choice. This is the set up in Mahesh Bhatt’s story which Pooja Bhatt further punctures with long monologues and scenes that go on endlessly. The sex and titillation is sparse and lacks any steaminess.
An addition to the minimal cast is Arif Zakaria as Ayan’s boss who is lumbered with the worst dialogues and seems to have no idea what to do with his hands. At one point he reveals that a psychiatrist in Zurich has been treating Kabir for insanity. There is only one instance of that madness; Ayan displays more mental instability than Kabir. This role does very little as a showcase for Arunoday Singh’s ability. The part of Kabir also does not do justice to Randeep Hooda’s skills and talent though he seems to have tried to infuse the part with his own interpretation. It’s hard to avert your attention when he’s on screen.[pullquote_left]What she lacks in acting experience she makes up for, with panting and heaving bosoms.[/pullquote_left]
As for Sunny Leone, the camera loves her and she makes a reasonable debut in a jumbled film. And what she lacks in acting experience she makes up for with panting and heaving bosoms. Pooja Bhatt’s direction fails to build suspense. This is marginally compensated for with Nigam Bomzan’s beautifully lit and shot locales around Sri Lanka.
To Bhatt’s credit, she manages to balance the male gaze with the female, offering plenty of eye candy for both. However she errs on the side of caution when it comes to the lovemaking and seduction scenes – the very things the audience expected from a Sunny Leone film.
Rating: **
