Pooja Bhatt reflects on 23 years of 'Jism': A film that changed the times

by IANS |

Mumbai, Jan 17 (IANS) Filmmaker Pooja Bhatt looked back with gratitude as her 2003 film “Jism” completed 23 years since its release in Hindi cinema, calling it a work that mirrored its time and quietly reshaped the conversation around desire, vulnerability and music in Hindi cinema.

Pooja took to Instagram, where she shared two pictures of actor John Abraham, who starred in the erotic thriller along with Bipasha Basu.

The filmmaker, who had produced the hit movie, wrote in the caption section: “Jism (2003) A film that chaged the times (sic). A hero that represented the times. A song & album that endures through time. Released on January 17,2003. 23 years ago. Gratitude.”

“Jism” was inspired by Body Heat by Lawrence Kasdan which was based on Billy Wilder's 1944 film Double Indemnity, an adaptation of James M. Cain's novel of the same name.

The film follows Kabir, an alcoholic lawyer whose lonely life changes when he meets Sonia, a stunning and mysterious woman married to a rich businessman, Rohit. As Kabir falls deeply in love with her, he is pulled into a dangerous relationship driven by desire and obsession. Slowly, Sonia pushes him towards a plan to kill her husband and claim his wealth.

But as events spiral out of control, Kabir begins to see her true intentions. What follows is a dark and gripping tale of passion, betrayal, and the heavy price of bad choices.

The second installment was directed by Pooja, and it hit the big screens in 2012. The film marks the Bollywood acting debut of Sunny Leone. Randeep Hooda and Arunoday Singh co-star alongside her.

The film followed Izna, an adult film star, who is hired by an intelligence agency to entrap Kabir, a dreaded assassin who used to be her lover. Things get complicated when officer Aayan Thakur falls in love with her.