Y! Meta Review: Jism 2
Every new Bollywood film claims that it will be breaking stereotypes but what the filmmakers actually do is package and market the product in a way that ensures salability. Does the audience feel cheated? I am sure they do but the collection of the first weekend rakes in the moolah by then. The same can be said about 'Jism 2' but if you are were just expecting lots of skin show, then the film is a total paisa vasool.
Vinayak Chakravorty in his review says that this film will guarantee a hit because everyone has been waiting for Bollywood's first erotica:
Look what the Bhatts have done. They have just beaten everyone in Bollywood - Aamir Khan included - in the game of clever marketing. Jism 2, more than a film, is a brainwork marvel at hardselling a porn star as B-Town's latest sex bomb. If hype over style and substance has become the mantra to ensure first-weekend spoils, Pooja has played her Sunny card well. The PR frenzy around the debutante sets a new yardstick for film marketing.
Pooja Bhatt manages to make the love-making bit look aesthetic but what about the plot and narrative? Anupama Chopra says in her review:
But neither a feminine nor masculine gaze can combine intense passion with such a ridiculous story. For an erotic film, everyone talks way too much. Of course, we get love-making, Leone's bare back and ample cleavage. But the Bhatts - Mahesh and Pooja - also want to unveil some deeper truth about men, women and their obsessions with each other. So Jism 2 plays out like an unintentionally funny fever dream. Kabir is a sort of artist-assassin. He plays the cello and sings mournfully. He quotes Faiz to Izna and says lines like, Mausam guzar jaate hain, yaad nahin guzarti. Hooda is a fine actor but here he seems to be emoting for all three of them. Leone, who is very pretty, clearly wasn't cast for her acting skills, but honestly, she's not bad. She wisely finds a sort of half-bewildered, half-heavy breathing expression and then stays with it. When the emotion becomes too complex for her to handle, Pooja cuts to the back of her head.
Even good actors look unsuited in their roles if the direction is bad. Rajeev Masand in his review points out the obvious flaws:
Unlike the earlier Jism that Pooja Bhatt produced but didn't direct, this sequel has little of consequence to say about relationships based on lust. The previous film was a well-acted, adult thriller that had rare sexual frankness. In comparison, Jism 2 feels hollow and exploitative…a film in search of a story. Despite some terrific music and Pooja Bhatt's neat production design, it's let down by laughable dialogue and a pace slower than my 90-year-old grandmother on a race track.
So did 'Jism 2' live up to the expectations? For most of us, I think not. Like Taran Adarsh says in his review:
On the whole, JISM 2 has Sunny Leone as its USP, but the lackluster screenplay and the sluggish pace act as deterrents. However, Sunny Leone in the driver's seat, coupled with a generous dose of skin show and erotica, besides an attention-grabbing title, should act as a honey-trap to lure the audiences. But how one wishes this jism had soul as well!
You can read Kunal's review here. You might also want to take a look at the The Vigil Idiot's review.
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