From ‘saree’ to Sunny Leone and now Sherlyn: Part 1 1 : Bollywood News

From ‘saree’ to Sunny Leone and now Sherlyn: Part 1

37,200,000 - That's the count of search results one gets after typing 'Saree' on Google.

Replace 'Saree' with 'Sunny Leone' and the count increases to an astonishing 52,600,000.

And now try Sherlyn Chopra, a fairly new entrant in the world where sleaze, porn and tradition seems to be overlapping, and at a rather frantic rate. Count? 19,400,000!

That, my friends, is the story of today's times. Good or bad? It would be unfair to be judgmental. After all, at least in the virtual world, it is obvious that a large segment of netizens are far more enticed about the likes of a Sunny and a Sherlyn; a fact that cannot be shunned. And by the way, we are talking about only two females here, a porn-star and India's import to Playboy, who have managed to gather largest chunk of 'audience' in a matter of few days!

The turnaround

So what really brought the turnaround? Was it the easy availability of porn and sleaze over internet that has done the trick? Is it the fact that front pages of national dailies (and covers of mainstream magazines for that matter) are happy to bring Sunny home and welcome her as the guest? Or the manner in which auntyji next door says 'chee chee' but then goes on to gossip around Sunny's 'woh blue films waali gandi harkatein' for two hours flat? Or those smart-phones which are guaranteed to carry at least one picture (most likely the one with a cucumber!) of Sherlyn, if owned by a 'youngster' in 15-50 age group? Or the liberalisation of broadcasting media that has given it's whole hearted (pun intended) support to an 'akkha duniya mein world famous blue films ishtaar' to enter our living rooms. Or is it Mahesh Bhatt who is again leading a crusade against moral judgments being passed on a 'bechari conservative Sunny' who has been 'bold' enough to make her choices and lives life on her own terms? Or is it media that has given Sherlyn a new lease of life? Oh yes, of course, unless it's the other way round!

It is clear that there is no one reason to have contributed towards making these females popular. And the way things are progressing, seems like this is just a beginning!

From ‘saree’ to Sunny Leone and now Sherlyn: Part 1

Reactions are a thing of the past

I very distinctly remember two screen events during my growing up years that had changed my (as well as my parents) outlook towards watching movies. First it was Kimi Katkar's 'Jumma Chumma' act in Hum followed by a brazen display of some Lolita-ish sexuality by Shilpa Shirodkar in the same film. That was followed by Rangeela, around half a decade later, when Ram Gopal Varma showed what it takes to present women (in this case Urmila Matondkar) on screen before he (shockingly and annoyingly) diverted his attention to men.

Let me talk about Hum first. That was the time when Bollywood films were either B-grade trash or the (limited) ones that brought in family audiences didn't really have much place for skin show. Newbie girls like Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla were mostly covered from head to toe while the likes of Jaya Prada never failed to bring on yawns.

This is when Kimi Katkar made a bold move to drop a coin down her cleavage and challenged Tiger a.k.a. Amitabh Bachchan to take it from her. While the sound of 'Jumma Jumma Jumma' sounded explosive to the core, I feared explosion of a different kind at home because I didn't quite expect my parents to approve of what really unfolded on screen. Later with Shilpa Shirodkar going wet-n-wild in her bikini act for 'Sanam Mere Sanam', I was almost sure that for next couple of months at least, it would be back to VHS tapes for home viewing. After all, there was an option to hit that 'Forward' button and with the entire family in the same room, there was an option to censor the 'bold' content.

I grew up post the 'incident'. Well, mentally, emotionally and physically (pun intended). From a nerdy school going student in the days of Hum, I was a rebellious (in my own little way) college going (or shall I say, skipping) teenager at the release of Rangeela. Ram Gopal Varma seemed like God sent, Urmila Matondkar's poster was well placed in my personal abode and 'Tanha Tanha' had thankfully made many of my generation forget the boring 'sarees' of Jaya Prada.

'Yes', was an exclamation that came out the strongest once Ramu (now everyone called him by this name, really 'pyaar se' since he got everyone's secret fantasy out in open) focused his camera on Urmila's anatomy and entirely forgot to switch it off. Now that was the time when even this was considered a tad bold though audience like me had also smartened up. This means instead of feeling guilty, deciding to skip the film or watch it on a VHS (well, VCDs were still in their infancy and I couldn't afford a player), the decision was taken - I would go out with my friends and my parents had a choice to take it or leave it.

Of course they too went. And came back with the same expression statement what today's aunties (if not happily pleased uncles) are mouthing - 'Cheee'!