By:
Screen
Weekly,
IndiaFM
Monday,
November
19,
2007
Enough
has
been
said
about
Om
Shanti
Om
and
Saawariya
–
the
box-office
collections,
the
weekend
opening,
high
expectations,
publicity
overkill
etc.,
so
I"d
rather
not
go
there.
Let
me
dwell
instead
on
the
widely
reported
finer
aspects
such
as
the
superlative
display
of
male
anatomy
–
SRK"s
fab
abs
and
the
scene
wherein
Ranbir
Raj
Kapoor
almost
drops
the
towel!
The
verdict
is
almost
unanimous
–
the
men
are
jealous
as
hell
that
SRK
managed
to
pull
off
such
a
feat
at
42
while
the
women
like
SRK
with
or
without
the
shirt.
In
fact,
most
women
in
the
audience
at
a
downtown
multiplex
where
I
watched
the
movie,
were
of
the
opinion
that
King
Khan
is
a
delight
not
because
of
a
beautiful
body
but
because
he
has
a
beautiful
mind.
High
praise
indeed!
Be
that
as
it
may,
fact
is
that
for
a
while,
the
Body
had
become
almost
central
to
all
talks
about
the
two
films.
Perhaps
it
was
the
novelty
of
the
idea
that
worked
like
magic
for
publicity.
Time-tested
Bollywood
wisdom
follows
that
an
'item'
number
by
well,
an
'item
girl',
or
a
top-drawer
actress
is
a
good
way
to
pull
in
the
audience.
Soon
followed
attempts
to
have
an
'item'
boy
and
then
the
lip-lock.
But
projecting
the
male
body
as
a
unique
feature
of
the
film
must
be
a
first
of
sorts.
And
even
though
both
the
films
in
question
starred
women
with
arresting
looks
–
Deepika
Padukone
and
Sonam
Kapoor
–
it
was
the
male
physique
that
was
touted
as
the
surprise
highlight
of
the
film.
Quite
a
role-reversal
There
were
actually
quite
a
few
gender
rules
being
bended
here.
Farah
Khan,
who
has
blown
to
smithereens
the
notion
that
women
directors
can"t
make
commercially-viable
films,
can
take
a
bow.
In
the
film
industry
there
are
few
women
who
have
managed
to
break
the
glass
ceiling
and
Farah
certainly
counts
as
one
of
them.
Om
Shanti
Om,
for
all
its
failings,
is
likely
to
be
this
season"s
hit.
That
the
director,
a
woman,
has
(with
the
help
of
some
very
influential
friends
of
course)
managed
to
score
over
a
film
made
by
a
competent
director
like
Bhansali
is
something
akin
to
storming
yet
another
male
bastion.
Her
second
triumph
is
significant
in
that
it
pole-vaults
her
into
the
league
of
Bollywood"s
extraordinary
gentlemen,
where
no
woman
has
gone
before.
In
Saawariya"s
towel-dropping
scene,
Bhansali
almost
makes
an
exception
and
allows
light
to
filter
in,
to
let
his
young
hero
shine
through.
The
camera
lingers
indulgently,
capturing
the
rise
and
slip
of
the
towel
on
his
rump.
Male
directors
have
long
been
known
to
help
their
leading
ladies
make
the
transition
from
mere
mortals
to
screen
goddesses…if
Farah
can
replicate
the
same
magic
for
her
stars,
she
would
probably
make
it
to
the
annals
as
Hindi
cinema's
only
Godmother.