Tollywood turns adult

The fear that an adult tag will see a drop in business is fast fading as directors are increasingly shedding inhibitions about using sex, violence and abusive language in films
Gone are the days when Tollywood would shy away from getting an adult tag from the censor board. The recent success of Bengali movies, especially Srijit Mukherji���������s ���������Baishey Srabon���������, is paving way for new-age cinema in Tollywood.The fear that an adult tag will see a drop in business is fast fading. Directors, with a considerable support from producers, are quite unapologetic about the use of sex, violence and abusive language in films.
While ���������Gandu������������������s adult content might still be viewed as extreme art, ���������BS������������������s huge BO success is breaking new grounds. Says Srijit, ���������Tollywood is heading towards an unfettered storytelling trend. More than the slangs or intimate scenes, the theme of my movie was violent. So, I was okay with the adult tag as long as there were no cuts. The censor board was reasonable and sensible not to suggest any cuts.��������� Since Srijit admits that there were no pressures from the producer to go for U/A certification, is it true the profits of a movie that clicks with an A tag can counter balance the loss incurred from satellite rights sales? ���������Yes, definitely so,��������� says the director.
Ask producer Shrikant Mohta about his views on A certification and he says, ���������Generally, A tag gives a perception of adult scenes. But when we deal with mature subjects or characters, we need to use certain language or scenes to make them look real. ���������Baishey Srabon��������� endorsed that today���������s audience doesn���������t behave in a childlike manner to the A certification. It will surely open new doors for Tollywood. Now, directors can tell many stories without fear.��������� Any forthcoming movie of his that he doesn���������t mind being certified as adult? ���������I wouldn���������t mind if ���������Chitrangada��������� gets an A tag though it hasn���������t been certified as yet.���������
Kamaleshwar Mukherjee���������s ���������Uro Chithi��������� too got an A tag. ���������The certification didn���������t hamper with the audience response. Though we went for an adult certification for the theatrical release, we also got a separate U/A certification for the satellite release. I am planning a biography next and I am open to an A tag. The success of ���������BS��������� is an impetus for me too,��������� Mukherjee says. Says Subrata Sen, ���������Apart from ���������Swapner Feriwala���������, all my movies have adult tags. Forget non-mainstream cinema, A tags are no longer a big deal in the commercial film sector, both in Bollywood and Tollywood. The last two movies of Salman had adult certifications. ���������The Dirty Picture��������� has got an A tag. Tollywood too is embracing this trend. Soham���������s ���������Phande Poriya Boga Kande Re��������� also had adult certification. The target group of these movies is an audience between 18 and 35. This group doesn���������t care about adult certification. Gone are the days when films were only made for family viewing. The success of recent mainstream movies with adult tags in both urban and semi-urban sectors is helping a lot. I will not be worried if my forthcoming movie, ���������Koyekti Meyer Golpo���������, gets an adult tag.���������
Birsa Dasgupta says this A tag is no longer a taboo in India. ���������Even if we make mainstream cinema, they are based on adult themes. Adult doesn���������t only mean sexuality. I have aesthetically shot lovemaking scenes with Param and Payel in ���������Jaani Dyakha Hawbe���������. We will subsequently recut the film for the television version.���������
The change in attitude is registering at the censor board too. ���������These days, directors don���������t throw any tantrums with A tags. Some are also keen that we certify their movies as adult. The audience is also open to accepting this tag,��������� says singer Anasua Choudhury, a member of the regional censor board. This openness registers in Agnidev Chatterjee���������s comment about his forthcoming ���������Charulata 2012���������. Says Agnidev, ���������I will not go for cuts just to get the U/A certificate. The success of ���������BS��������� has proved that business doesn���������t get affected with the A tag.��������� Says Rana Sarkar, producer of ���������Bedroom���������, ���������If the content and style of shooting ���������Bedroom��������� makes the censor board feel that it should get an A tag, I am game.��������� As a parting shot, director Raj Chakraborty says, ���������None of my films have got an adult tag yet. Some hitches might remain with A tags but I too have a desire to make a full-blown adult film someday.���������