Hindi cinema celebrated the metrosexuals (the smoothies of Dil Chahta Hai). It has paid homage to the retrosexuals (Abhishek Bachchan, with his rugged, awkward macho-ness in everything from Bunty aur Babli to Sarkar).

Now, it is seeing the rise and rise of a new breed. Call them the Bhai-sexuals.

Unlike the Gucci-sporting, new-age DCH boys, the Bhai-sexuals are macho, retro and raw. And though, like the retrosexuals, they’d rather be sporting the newest gun rather than the latest designerwear, there’s one crucial difference that sets them apart.

The Bhai-sexual shares a chemistry with his best pal that often even overshadows his chemistry with his lady love.

In the recent kitschy romance Jaan-E-Mann, a lot of the plot is built around Salman Khan’s character Suhaan, who plays a rockstar, helping the geeky Agastya (Akshay Kumar) not just get cool, but also help get him the girl he himself loves. And if you recall, arguably the highpoint of Lage Raho Munnabhai was not the gently budding Vidya Balan-Sanjay Dutt romance, but the emotional scene where a contrite Munna approaches Circuit to apologise to him for losing his temper. Heart-wrenching drama follows when Munna reveals that the loyal Circuit, who has resorted to kidnapping chefs in the middle of the night to source hakka noodles, had also nursed Munna back to health, cradling him on his lap so that he does not miss his mother. As far as cinematic moments go, Balan’s pal pal... while holding onto Dutt’s pinkie pales in comparison.

... contd.