Bollywood has been bold enough in plagiarizing pivotal facades of many lifestyles. But when it comes to self-assessment it has been a silent spectator. Last year it was blasphemous sting operation about casting couch that caught everybody's attention and now it comes as a subject of this least publicized film 'Jigyaasa'. It is all about dreams and aspirations that lead protagonist from submissive lifestyle to over glamorized hi-profile socialite status. Casting couch, sleazy MMS, gossips, gay and lesbian relationships, and underworld nexus... Unfortunately, this socially relevant message comes in a low budget and low profile film that will have few takers among general audiences. The film lacks face value and gripping script to chill or thrill audiences.
The film can be termed as a loose sheet from gossip magazines to real life dramas our celebrities face. New director Faisal Saif has tried to plagiarize the real life Bollywood names into his films with the characters of film to tantalize audiences but fails. The names of eminent film personalities like Subhash Ghai, Manmohan Desai, Ramesh Sippy, Bharat Shah, Manisha Koirala and Kamal Hassan have been reciprocated with the main characters. The film was in news as it was proclaimed to be a story of sex bomb Mallika Sherawat. Beside, it made news for bold attire of Hrishita Bhatt as raunchy and over-ambitious actress. The film paints Bollywood in dark shades from the first scene.
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The young middle class girl's aspiration of becoming an actress is treated as a heinous crime. The film takes downslide thereafter when the poor aspiring girl learns that the only way to success is to "compromise". No wonder what filmmaker thinks of the film industry but the audiences will have a bad taste. The story moves as the protagonist "Jigyaasa" uses her beauty and body as currency by giving sexual favors to renowned directors, financers, superstars and underworld dons. The film also paints awards ceremonies in bad color where stars trade awards by giving monetary and sexual favors.
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The gay and lesbian relationships have been an alien concept but the way it has been projected it looks the industry has truckloads of gays and lesbians. Gay activist (Rakesh Bedi) demands sexual pleasure and renowned female director (character inspired from TV baron Ekta Kapoor ?) often falls prey to feminine physical delights. Even the screen test of starlets looks absurd and out of proportion as she is asked to smooch the hottest star. It shows the pinnacle of negativity the writer and the director possesses for film industry.
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The film is placed on weak shoulders of Hrishita Bhatt who dons the lead character of "Jigyaasa". "Jigyaasa" means aspiration and like its title the film works on insatiable aspiration of this middle class girl to the road of stardom. The road to stardom looks impossible but when encouraged by fellow choreographer to "compromise", the dream looks possible. The word "compromise" means sexual favors and it works as catalyst in the progressive movement . Jigyaasa encounters her first tryst with stardom when she meets filmmaker Ramesh Shah (Naseer Abdullah). She is petrified to know that the "compromise" means giving sexual favor. Initially, she resents but finally succumbs . This annoys her mother Malini Mathur (Varsha Usagaonkar) to an extent that she throws her out of her life.
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Jigyaasa is isolated but finds the love and company of his fellow co-star Avinash (Vikas Kalantri). Besides her affair with Avinash she garners promising relationships with the rest of the film industry. She has intelligent and materialistic secretary Nandu (Kader Khan) and PRO (Sikander Kharbanda) who help her. The passion and lust for stardom and money grows bigger and bigger and she even develops relationships with underworld dons. She settles scores with her arch rival actress by terrorizing her with goons and dons. Jigyaasa's lust of working with eminent filmmaker Qamaal Hassan (Mukesh Tiwari) grows to an extent that she accuses him of sexual harassment.
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The episode has been inspired from Madhur Bhandarkar and Preeti Jain case where the director's character has been plagiarized from renowned south Indian actor Kamal Hasaan? Dust settles and the director is relieved from the false charges. The film ends on a preposterous note and this shows the director's poor vision of narration and story telling. In the climax, Jigyaasa asks Avinash to marry her but he refuses and this forces her to commit suicide. 'Jigyaasa' has been more dominating when it comes to kissing and smooching. But when it comes to delivering chemistry between the lovers it fails. Why materialistic Jigyaasa craves for true love in equally opportunist Avinash? The director starts with a "bold" attempt and then ends in the typical Bollywood style of melodrama.
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Even the characterizations are poor and absurd. The character of Jigyassa's PRO played by Sikander Kharbanda shows the amateurish approach of script writer and poor adaptation by director. The lackluster music is boring and unbearable and fails to gel with the story. The background score is inspiring and shines in bits. Hrishita Bhatt can take this film as one of her promising performances but it won't help her in getting more projects. The actress has been in industry for almost half a decade but has failed to deliver a single hit. Hrishita's journey of stardom from Shah Rukh Khan's 'Asoka' to the sleazy 'Jawani Diwani' shows her non-acceptance by the audience. Like 'Chingaari' this film happens to be one star show leaving bad taste in the end. Varsha Usagaonkar proves her mettle as proficient character artiste after many years. Kader Khan has been the best among the rest of the star cast followed by TV star Jaya Bhattarcharya. Actors like Milind Gunaji, Rakesh Bedi, Naseer Abdullah deliver the needful.
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Last year there was 'The Film' (Mahima Chaudhry) and now it's 'Jigyaasa' that deals with the dreams of Bollywood aspirants. 'The Film' was a suspense thriller but 'Jigyaasa' is a biographical journey of the struggling actress-turned-successful superstar who faces the acrimonious attitude of Bollywood. The poor vision of the director and semi-baked realism sum up the figures of this low profile sex flick. The film won't add to cash register and it is assumed that the tally of flops will rise with 'Jigyaasa'.
