Porn is a thriving industry in India. But even a mention of the word makes many raise their eyebrows. Brushed under the carpet for too long, Vidya Balan’s The Dirty Picture, all set for release next week is much talked about for it’s “porn” images. Clearing the air on the same, the actress was recently quoted as saying, “It is not a porn film. We kept the title because of the way we think about these sex symbols. We can’t see these actors with the family. Our perception of them is that it’s a dirty picture, but there is much beyond that in the film. We all enjoy seeing these types of films or women, but in front of others we will say, chheee.”
The actress definitely has a point to make here, feel many. Actress Sambhavna Seth, who is all set to watch the first show of the film argues, “Let’s accept that we all love porn. It’s not a porn film but is definitely on similar lines. And there’s nothing wrong with it. We just don’t want to accept that we like watching semi-nude women on the big screen. When the movie releases, I’ll definitely watch the first or second show. Not just men, women today are keener on watching such stuff. We all love it, and there’s no denying that Vidya Balan is looking hot.”
For youngsters, there’s more porn circulating in the country than ever before with the advent of smart phones. Even though our society refuses to appreciate nudity, “Porn in India enjoys the same rights as black money. People love it, want it desperately but won’t talk about it. Why do you think iPad, iTouch, and smart phones are such a hit? It’s because they serve you with instant porn. And for Miss Balan, she’s just trying to sugarcoat her tawdry movie. However, in our society, sex is an anathema. People are still slaves to the historic culture,” says Tapish Mehta, a young professional.
According to HR trainee Lohit Kumar, we need more such movies, to bring reality closer home. “Cinema represents a society. Directors don’t imagine things and make movies. Porn and vulgarity is a reality today. How many boys or even girls do you think don’t have these images in their laptops and phones? Many of my female friends are all excited about watching The Dirty Picture. What’s wrong in calling something sexy, if it is sexy?” he says.