He can smell controversy. He can sell controversy. So even before porn star Sunny Leone could talk about her profession in the Bigg Boss house, Mahesh Bhatt reached out to her to discuss his production house's next film Jism 2 . “Pooja Bhatt is writing Jism 2 at the moment. It is the journey of a girl from the dark to exalted space. It the story of a star of the so-called B-grade films who eventually discovers the larger meaning of existence. People in the entertainment business of all hues have difficult lives. It is not all that pleasant as it appears on the screen. Pooja is writing a raw chapter from such lives. So we thought why not cast a real person, who is in the business of allurement and titillation. I could sense behind a great body, Sunny has an emotional side as well,” says Bhatt.
But casting a real person is not a necessity. Vidya Balan is playing a character inspired by Silk Smitha in The Dirty Picture .
“If you check my history, I have always preferred newcomers. Be it Rahul Roy, John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Ashmit Patel or recently Jacqueline Fernanadez. My only condition is the newcomer should be eager enough to surrender oneself to the role. If Sunny agrees to immerse herself, we would like to sign her.”
So she is not final for the role? “Not yet. The visit is part of reconnaissance. We have sent proposals to Mallika Sherawat and Bipasha Basu (she played the lead role in the original) as well and I believe they are considering it.”
These are volatile times. On one hand the common man is so enraged by issues like inflation and corruption that he is slapping politicians while on the other he is readily turning into a voyeur. Bhatt, who had written a play on Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist, who threw a shoe on George Bush says, “The darker the night, the greater is the urge for escapism. The current trend reflects it.” Isn't it the responsibility of filmmakers to touch real issues, subjects which go with Indian ethos? “There has always been a significant place for pleasure in Indian ethos. We are not in the business of dispensing reality. We are creating illusions.” That's Bhatt signing off from Bigg Boss stage.
