JISM 2
DIRECTOR: Pooja Bhatt
CAST: Mohan Agashe, Randeep Hooda, Sunny Leone, Arunoday Singh, Imran Zahid, Arif Zakaria
CLASSIFICATION: 16 SVL
RUNNING TIME: 131 minutes
RATING: **
INDIAN storytellers are now breaking with convention, while avid moviegoers are stepping into cinemas to view stories rarely attempted before.
Jism 2, an erotic thriller, is touted as the boldest film (in its genre) to hit the Hindi screen, but there are questions that cross one’s mind: does it boast a captivating story? Do you carry the film and the characters in your heart once you exit the cinema? Most importantly, do you reminisce about it?
Does it have recall value? Or do you forget about it the moment the show concludes?
Although Jism 2 is the second instalment of the 2003 hit that starred Bipasha Basu and John Abraham, there’s a huge disparity between the two films. Jism 2 is visually stunning, but the journey of a woman from the lust bazaar who markets desire is far from perfect. The lacklustre screenplay of Jism 2 is its biggest undoing.
The star of the show is, without doubt, Sunny Leone. People have looked forward to watching Jism 2 for Sunny, erotica and a generous dose of skin – in that order.
As the film unfolds, you realise Sunny delivers as an actor. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t. The other issue is that the story unfolds at a leisurely pace, which shouldn’t be the case in a thriller. Also, it gets too verbose.
Notwithstanding these blemishes, the Sunny attraction will act as its saviour.
A porn star, Izna (Sunny), is tasked with luring in a dreaded assassin, Kabir (Randeep). The people behind the task are two intelligence officers, Guru (Arif Zakaria) and Ayaan (Arunoday Singh), who need to recover some vital data from Kabir. Izna has to confront her bitter-sweet past, and a problem arises when Ayaan falls in love with her.
There’s no denying that director Pooja Bhatt has extracted an arresting performance from Sunny. But the screenplay plays spoilsport. This could’ve been a convincing take on obsession, vengeance and infidelity, but there’s hardly any movement in the story.
The film is also stretched, although the music is soothing and soulful and the cinematography top notch.
Sunny is dazzling to look at, but does she deliver as an actress? Pooja has, very smartly, cast her as a seductress. Sunny’s gestures, body language, erotic scenes and sex appeal are, unquestionably, far more seasoned than most divas, who are restrained when it comes to steamy scenes. She is scorching in Jism 2 and takes the heat percentage to an altogether different level.
Sunny’s maiden attempt at acting comes across as confident and charming, but there is scope for improvement, especially during the emotional moments.
Randeep enacts a pivotal character with aplomb while Arunoday tries hard, but is not convincing. Also, he is awfully awkward in sequences that require him to break down emotionally.
Arif Zakaria is competent and effective, while Sumeet Nijhawan gets limited scope and Imran Zahid is hardly there.
On the whole, Jism 2 has Sunny as its selling point, but the lacklustre screenplay and the sluggish pace act as deterrents. However, with Sunny in the driver’s seat, a generous dose of skin and erotica, it should all act as a honey-trap to audiences. – bollywoodhungama.com