Sex must not be repressed: John Abraham

Bollywood may be partial to female flesh, but it's acquiring a taste for beefcake too. Just ask Shawar Ali and John Abraham. They know celluloid nudity isn't strictly about women. "Indians are accepting nakedness," says Shawar.

Bollywood may be partial to female flesh, but it's acquiring a taste for beefcake too. Just ask Shawar Ali and John Abraham. They know celluloid nudity isn't strictly about women.

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"The way bold films have taken the box office by storm shows that Indians are slowly but surely accepting nakedness as a part of big screen entertainment. Muder and Julie were among the top grossers of 2004. Other films with bold themes like Hawas did good business as well. Subjects that were earlier hush-hush are now out in the open and people want to see films that discuss such issues. I have five films - Khamosh, Amar Joshi Shaheed Ho Gaya, 99.9 FM, Beqarar and Dushman - about to release and all of them deal are bold in their subject and treatment," says Shawar.

According to model-turned-actor Abraham, it's important that people have a chance to see what they want to see: "It's a positive sign that sex is now being discussed in the open. Everyone must have the freedom of choice. If there are certain matters of the flesh affecting people's minds, then they must not be repressed. The consequence of any such repression can be grave. The more you are able to relate to sexual issues, the fewer problems you are likely to have in your life. Moreover, it is the audience that decides whether or not a film does well at the box office. They are free to reject any film they don't like. But interestingly, films with bold themes have caught everyone's attention of late."

Ashmit Patel, the man in the middle of a cross-border controversy for kissing Pakistani actress Meera in Nazar, insists that people with conservative thinking will soon have nowhere to hide. "TV channels that show foreign programmes, fashion shows, Internet and mobile are changing the world even as we talk. Today sex and nudity are openly talked about and we needn't try too hard for such information. TV has in fact brought these issues right into our homes. However there's a lot of hypocrisy that we still need to deal with. Tell me, is there anyone who doesn't enjoy kissing in their own life? Why then is so much hue and cry made when it is shown on screen? Indian society must change with the times," he says.