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Movie review: Anubhav,An Actors Tale
How does a self-respecting actor,struggling to make it big in the movies,end up becoming a paid-for toy boy?
Cast: Sanjay Suri,Gul Panag,Anoop Menon,Sudha Chandran,Jackie Shroff,Mita Vashishth,Raj Zutshi
Director: Rajeev Nath
How does a self-respecting actor,struggling to make it big in the movies,end up becoming a paid-for toy boy? A few years ago,a film called Oops made a stab at the still-uncomfortable,still-taboo topic of male sexual exploitation,but it didnt push too many boundaries : the hunky lads stripped and danced,and lusty ladies showered notes on them.
Abubhav,An Actors Tale,takes the argument further. Theatre actor Anubahv (Sanjay) rebuffs the advances of a lonely co-star (delightfully termed as a refusal to compromise in Bollywoodspeak),and gets stuck on the sidelines of showbiz. A fatally-ill baby,and a delusional wife (Gul) pushes him straight into the arms of a cheery pimp (Raj),and a series of beds,making needy,rich women happy in return for ready cash.
Good idea,sleazy execution. That a gigolo also has his majboori is a valid point,and Sanjays act has pathos,but the plot is improbable: in his situation in the film,he had other ways to go. The director falls into the trap of showing and telling: unattractive flesh is flashed,unsavoury lines are spoken,and it all turns crass. Pity,because this subject could have done with nuanced,sensitive handling.





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