Half
a
decade
has
gone
by
since
Madame
Neha
Dhupia
made
a
famous
quote
-
'In
Bollywood,
only
Shahrukh
Khan
and
sex
sells'.
Well,
as
a
writer
you
may
hate
to
begin
every
article
-
that
talks
about
sex
and
Bollywood
-
with
this
quote.
After
all
you
look
for
originality
in
your
own
writing
and
want
something
newer
in
the
way
you
wish
to
begin
a
piece.
However,
the
fact
remains
that
while
it
is
secondary
to
ascertain
whether
sex
sells
anymore
in
Bollywood
or
not,
the
truth
is
that
Neha's
quote
sells
for
sure.
So
here
is
it
to
you
Neha
-
'Your
quote
rocks
and
will
live
in
for
many
more
decades
to
come.
So
more
power
to
you'.
And
now
let's
come
to
the
subject
under
discussion:
Whether
sex
sells
any
more
in
the
Hindi
film
industry?
Whether
the
world
has
moved
on
where
an
actress
is
no
more
going
nude
just
for
the
big
screen
but
is
also
happy
to
go
topless
on
a
social
networking
site?
Whether
doing
so
means
getting
all
the
mileage
for
virtually
free
when
a
planned
campaign
would
have
required
ton
loads
of
investment?
And
whether
through
these
means,
other
than
getting
a
voyeuristic
pleasure,
does
audience
really
get
enticed
to
watch
a
film
of
that
actress?
Let's
explore.
West
being
copied
This
was
a
phenomenon
that
has
been
lifted
straight
from
Hollywood
though
Bollywood
actresses
haven't
quite
gone
the
whole
distance
(and
aren't
expected
to
do
so
in
next
couple
of
years
at
least).
Out
there
in
West,
mobile
clippings,
leaked
bedroom
videos,
sex
romps,
nude
walk
on
the
beach
or
intimate
moments
in
a
hotel
room
have
all
been
captured
and
splashed
for
the
consumption
of
media
and
audience
alike.
Online
auctions
of
such
material
is
the
order
of
the
day
as
well
while
tabloid
culture,
which
has
basically
been
predominant
in
West,
has
been
more
than
happy
to
publicise
it
for
days
at
stretch.
However,
the
million
dollar
question
is
-
'How
many
actresses
out
of
these
belong
to
the
A
grade
who
actually
are
doing
something
worthwhile
in
Hollywood?'
Are
they
actually
being
seen
in
films
that
do
500/600/700
million
dollars
business?
The
answer
is
a
definite
no.
The
names
that
actually
make
the
rounds
are
those
who
may
be
aspiring
actresses,
popular
models,
sex
symbols,
socialites
or
those
upstarts
who
are
basically
looking
at
gaining
those
eyeballs
through
such
tactics.
Does
that
succeed?
Certainly
yes.
They
may
not
get
the
A
grade
Hollywood
offers
but
their
becoming
a
public
figure
and
an
object
of
attention
by
millions
of
voyeurs
does
lead
to
many
a
endorsement,
public
appearances,
event
highlights
and
other
assignments
related
to
the
world
of
glamour.
So
why
this
entire
comparison
with
Hollywood?
Because
the
same
holds
good
for
Bollywood
too
where
one
would
never
find
a
top
actress
going
for
such
extreme
measures.
Can
one
imagine
a
Priyanka
Chopra
or
a
Katrina
Kaif
or
a
Deepika
Padukone
to
be
reaching
out
for
that
cell
phone,
clicking
a
picture
of
hers
and
posting
it
on
a
social
networking
site?
Can
one
expect
the
intimate
details
of
any
of
these
leading
ladies
to
be
leaked
(whether
intentionally
or
unintentionally)
to
the
media
so
that
it
could
lead
to
wider
consumption
amongst
their
base?
Definitely
not.
Not
that
any
of
these
girls
have
any
aversion
to
skin
show.
After
all
if
done
in
a
classy
way,
they
are
game
for
it
and
have
a
definite
sex
appeal
to
them
which
works
for
the
audience.
But
never
can
one
find
them
to
be
indulging
in
an
activity
that
would
result
in
voyeuristic
pleasure.
What
has
led
to
the
change?
There
was
a
time
when
sex
did
sell.
The
classic
case
is
that
of
Neha
Dhupia's
own
Julie
which
destroyed
Priyanka
Chopra's
Asambhav
at
the
box
office
when
released
on
the
same
day.
After
all
Neha's
backless
pose
was
too
hot
in
comparison
to
the
cold
romantic
rendezvous
that
Priyanka
had
with
Arjun
in
the
action
entertainer.
A
spate
of
films
with
sex
as
an
underlining
theme
followed.
Hawas,
Girlfriend
and
many
more
followed
and
while
none
of
them
turned
out
to
be
a
super-duper
success
since
country
wide
audience
still
ignored
them,
the
target
audience
ensured
money
back
guarantee
for
its
makers.
Madame
Sherawat
Sherawat
shocked
audience
with
a
Murder
but
that
was
an
exception
since
in
addition
to
sex,
there
was
also
a
family
drama
involved
that
managed
to
fetch
female
audience.
However,
things
changed
in
the
second
half
of
the
current
decade
with
multiplexes
taking
over
the
business
of
cinema.
Of
course
a
Hawas
can't
see
a
price
tag
of
Rs.
300
for
a
single
multiplex
ticket
and
the
target
consumer
too
can't
be
expected
to
shell
out
such
cinema.
This
means
that
the
audience
is
restricted
to
smaller
towns.
While
earlier
a
film
belonging
to
such
genre
was
still
enticing
enough
for
such
a
consumer,
free
availability
of
porn,
internet
download
being
a
possibility
in
every
small
town
and
city
coupled
with
easy
exposure
to
Hollywood
material
(which
was
far
more
revealing
meant)
that
'desi'
sleaze
for
the
big
screen
was
not
quite
a
viable
option
any
more.
Career
dimension
changed
It
was
time
to
announce
death
kneel
for
an
alternate
industry
that
seemed
to
be
building
in
with
at
least
B
grade
production
values,
something
that
seemed
to
be
a
much
better
preposition
than
the
Z
grade
cinema
that
continues
to
be
offered
with
the
likes
of
Hawas
Ke
Pujari,
Naukgrani,
Kaamvaasna
and
so
on.
Though
minimal
investment
affairs
like
these
have
seen
a
downfall
too,
the
possibility
of
seeing
lesser
Bollywood
actresses
featuring
in
such
cinema
has
totally
diminished.
No
wonder,
the
career
dimension
of
quite
a
few
actresses
has
changed
in
last
5
years.
A
few
decided
to
sit
at
home
and
wait
for
audience
to
forget
their
past
work
so
that
they
could
start
afresh.
Others
decided
to
call
quits
when
it
came
to
sleazy
portrayals
and
went
for
a
total
image
makeover.
Some
of
them
even
called
their
Bollywood
journey
as
a
mistake
while
others
plain
and
simple
described
it
as
a
case
of
being
misleading.
In
fact
someone
like
Katrina
Kaif
who
started
off
with
a
shocker
of
a
vulgar
flick
-
Boom
-
went
underground
only
to
re-emerge
as
a
plain
Jane
in
flicks
like
Sarkar
Raj
and
Maine
Pyaar
Kyun
Kiya.
Try
asking
her
a
question
on
Boom
and
you
are
bound
to
be
greeted
with
a
stare
that
would
be
cold
enough
to
cut
an
iron
rod.
Eyeballs
yes,
promotion
no
Meanwhile,
some
actresses
are
still
trying
their
luck
to
keep
the
media
attention
intact
for
them
with
a
mere
mention
of
skin
show.
Mallika
Sherawat
announced
loud
and
clear
that
she
had
gone
topless
on
Twitter.
However,
there
was
hardly
anything
exposing
about
the
picture
and
turned
out
to
be
nothing
but
a
damp
squib.
Sherlyn
Chopra
too
made
hue
and
cry
about
being
banned
due
to
her
act
of
posting
a
nude
picture
of
hers
on
Twitter.
Yes,
these
news
flashes
did
attract
eye
balls.
Also,
they
were
spoken
about
for
a
few
days
but
that's
about
it.
These
acts
can't
necessarily
mean
that
if
a
film
of
their
releases
tomorrow,
it
would
find
queues
lining
up
at
the
box
office.
That's
because
if
promotion
like
this,
especially
in
today's
times,
would
have
made
audience
interested
in
a
film,
Kareena's
backless
pictures
that
were
splashed
all
for
Kurbaan
would
have
given
the
film
a
rousing
start.
Or
Barbara
Mori's
so-called
sizzling
scenes
would
have
resulted
in
continued
sustained
audience
for
Kites.
Even
more,
Claudia
Ciesla
with
her
super
enhanced
figure
and
her
super
bold
photo
shoots
would
have
made
her
a
direct
entry
into
the
next
five
Bollywood
biggies.
And
if
you
are
wondering
who
is
Claudia
Ciesla
and
perhaps
confusing
her
with
Claudia
Schiffer,
the
point
is
further
made!
So
who
benefits?
As
stated
earlier,
except
for
the
very
core
of
the
glamour
industry
-
Bollywood
-
everything
and
everyone
else
benefits.
More
eyeballs
mean
that
a
face
becomes
much
more
recognisable
in
the
world
of
glamour.
An
actress
may
not
quite
bag
the
biggest
of
the
endorsements
but
there
is
enough
visibility
and
marketing
options
that
open
up
to
ensure
that
something
happens
every
now
and
then
to
keep
one
engaged.
There
can
be
milk
shakes
assigned
against
your
name,
corporate
big
wigs
may
be
happy
to
rope
you
in
as
a
'guest
of
glamour'
(though
not
quite
the
'guest
of
honour'),
there
could
be
a
mall
inauguration
happening
out
there
in
Dubai
or
a
wedding
planner
may
have
you
as
a
top
guest
in
the
ceremony
-
there
is
work
for
everyone
and
anyone
as
long
as
there
is
requirement
for
an
eye
candy.
Audience,
who
comes
with
a
very
short
memory,
also
benefits
because
what
was
possibly
being
seen
through
the
eye
of
a
voyeur
is
readily
available
on
newspaper
supplements
and
even
news
channels.
There
is
no
embarrassment
of
getting
caught
while
stealing
a
glimpse
because
what
is
available
on
a
breakfast
table
can't
be
ignored,
right?
Media
is
of
course
happy
because
there
is
something
eye
catchy
enough
to
fill
the
spots
and
the
slots
that
would
attract
advertisers.
And
the
very
fact
that
you
are
reading
this
piece
makes
me
happy
as
a
writer
because
it
means
that
the
topic
by
itself
was
enticing
enough
for
you
to
check
it
out
till
the
very
end.