Jism (2003)
Cast: Bipasha Basu, John Abraham
Director: Amit Saxena
Music Director: M.M.Kreem
Synopsis: Yet another film "inspired" by Hollywood: this time it's Body Heat
Reviewed by: Faiz Khan

Thrillers seem to have become the order of the day, and sadly there isn't a single truly original one among them. Jism, despite its rather salacious title, is in fact a remake of Body Heat, the scorching film noir that catapulted Kathleen Turner and William Hurt to stardom while firmly establishing director Lawrence Kasdan as a major talent. Mahesh Bhatt once again seeks "inspiration" from Hollywood, and is inspired to such an extent that entire scenes and even snippets of dialogue from the original find their way into this rather ridiculously titled effort.

Kabir Lal (John Abraham) is a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer. Curiously, no background is provided to explain why he has descended to this state and, unlike Body Heat's seedy Ned Racine, Kabir never really comes across as particularly corrupt or morally bankrupt.

During one of his drunken wanderings, he catches sight of what appears to be Bo Derek emerging from the sea before gliding mysteriously past him and disappearing moments later. Quite how Bipasha Basu manages this miraculous vanishing act is hardly worthy of comment—it merely serves as a suitably tantalising introduction for the film's leading lady.

Kabir soon encounters her again in a restaurant where, much like Matty Walker in Body Heat, Sonia (Bipasha Basu) informs him that she is a married woman before once again disappearing, leaving our hero even more intrigued.

Another meeting follows, and Sonia reveals that she is the lonely, neglected wife of the much older Rohit (Gulshan Grover), who visits her only at weekends. Encouraged by Sonia's increasingly provocative behaviour, the pair soon embark upon a passionate affair, complete with strategically placed ice cubes and endless references to jism in a determined attempt to justify the film's title.

Before long, the frustrated wife begins musing aloud about occasionally entertaining dark thoughts of "doing away" with her husband, and our rather gullible lawyer falls neatly into the trap.

Once the husband returns, Kabir's growing obsession with Sonia drives both lovers towards murder. Having accomplished the deed, they must then avoid attracting suspicion, but Kabir finds himself sinking ever deeper into a web of deception. It gradually becomes clear that Sonia is not at all the woman he imagines her to be. His overwhelming desire blinds him to the cold, calculating manipulator concealed beneath her alluring jism.

Amit Saxena makes a respectable attempt at crafting an effective thriller. Pondicherry provides an attractive backdrop, and the sleepy atmosphere of the town helps explain why Sonia has become such a dangerous predator.

Unfortunately, a thriller depends upon tension and suspense, whereas this film substitutes both with an endless procession of steamy encounters between Bipasha Basu and John Abraham. Presumably this is intended to illustrate Kabir's all-consuming obsession, but it never quite succeeds, and his subsequent descent into personal ruin feels forced rather than inevitable.

The real weakness lies in Mahesh Bhatt's screenplay. Kabir Lal is given so little psychological grounding that one ends up rather liking him even though he is, after all, a murderer.

Bipasha Basu is almost perfectly cast for the role, and deserves credit for accepting such an unsympathetic and thoroughly unpleasant character. Unfortunately, she never quite gets beneath Sonia's skin. She spends much of the film smouldering attractively in off-the-shoulder dresses, generating considerably more heat during the bedroom scenes than through her actual performance.

John Abraham, making his debut, fares rather better than expected. In fact, he grows more convincing as the film progresses and possesses an undeniably likeable screen presence. The trouble is that he seems far too decent and personable to convince as the morally compromised lawyer the role demands.

Mind you, I have yet to meet a lawyer who dresses quite as casually as this one.

M.M. Kreem contributes a soft, pleasing score, while the cinematography is consistently impressive. The atmosphere and visual texture are among the film's strongest assets. Unfortunately, the dialogue leaves a great deal to be desired.

On the whole, Jism is a reasonably competent effort, but ultimately it proves rather disappointing when all is said and done.