A Brief History of Bollywood Sex and Romance

Landmark moments in romance in an industry known for its unspoken "no kissing" rule.

Long Live the New Flesh

“Item numbers,” or highly sexualized, upbeat Bollywood songs with suggestive lyrics and choreography, began popping up in the late ’80s and especially in the ’90s. Designed to arouse… uh, interest in the commercial films they appear in, item numbers are stand-alone showstoppers with no relevance to their movies’ plots, featuring either cameo appearances from famous stars — or more typically, “item girls.” Hello, objectification! Not to be confused with “It girls,” these sexy dancers in increasingly revealing clothing (low-cut saris, tops that barely cover anything) have become a little less stigmatized today, as some have used the showcase as a springboard into leading roles. Among the validated thespians, then, comes the notion of “skin show,” what India ambiguously calls any notion of actresses (and even actors now) who are willing to flaunt more than what the conservative standards dictate. Dare-bare performers like Bipasha Basu (whose tantalizing turn in 2003′s unfortunately named “Jism” made Channel 4′s poll of the Top 100 Sexiest Movie Scenes) and the controversially outspoken Mallika Sherawat (star of 2004′s racy “Murder”) have achieved notoriety for their scantily clad boundary-pushing alone.

Alternative Lifestyles

Bollywood plots have certainly progressed, less centered on arranged marriages and more on young urbanites dating and clubbing. But these are still baby steps compared to what we’ve been accustomed to in Western society. While neither “Brokeback Mountain” nor “Milk” changed the way the gay community has been treated in America, India still remains closeted in comparison. 2003′s “Kal No Naa Ho” treated homosexuality with slapstick, and the recent “Dostana” concerns two fakers in the same vein of “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” but small strides have been made to bring sincerity and open-mindedness to the cinema. 2005′s “My Brother… Nikhil” subtly brought awareness to the AIDS crisis, but it never could have existed without the hugely controversial 1996 release of Deepa Mehta’s gutsy drama “Fire,” the first Bollywood film to depict not only a gay relationship, but lesbianism. When the latter film opened, there were angry protests and widespread vandalism — movie theaters showing the film were violently stormed, with windows smashed and posters burned. While it’s hard to believe such intolerance over so little could exist in the modern era, you have to take into consideration that “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna” (which made waves for its dealings in adultery and divorce) and “Mixed Doubles” (about wife-swapping) were only made in 2006.

[Madhubala and Dilip Kumar in "Mughal-e-Azam," STAR TV, 1960; Raj Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia in "Bobby," R.K. Films Ltd., 1973; Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan in "Dhoom 2," Yash Raj Films, 2006; Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham in "Dostana," Dharma Productions, 2008]

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