Ingredients sizzling hot but the mix lukewarm

Pooja Bhatt is one of the most talented people in the film industry.

• JISM 2 (7/10)
• BACKGROUND

 The daughter of acclaimed filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt made her debut as an actress in Daddy and then featured in the super hits Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin and Sadak.

When Bhatt took a break from acting, she began producing movies such as Tamanna,Dushman, Sur and Jism. Soon after that, she turned director with the movies Paap and Holiday. During the days of Holiday, she and actor Dino Morea became friends. It resulted in them coming together professionally to produce Jism 2 - which has been in the news since the announcement of porn star Sunny Leone heading the cast. Even the movie's official website crashed due to the high volume of visitors when the first trailer was unveiled.

Bhatt and Morea had their hands full when dealing with the Censor Board' s refusal of the film's trailers being released on television - and during the promotion of the movie. Social activists in India went as far as burning the movie' s posters .

But despite the spectacle, all the news-making items related to Jism 2 - be it positive or negative - have caused a buzz.

STORY

SET in a world of gangsters, terrorists and corrupt cops, Jism 2 tells the tale of a lonely young lady named Izna (Leone), who is contracted by Officer Ayaan (Arunoday Singh) to track down a notorious and evil criminal mastermind named Kabir (Randeep Hooda). She, however, finds herself trapped in a quagmire as she once shared an intense relationship with Kabir. Thus begins a dangerous game as Ayaan and Izna pretend to be a couple and move into Kabir's neighbourhood.

PERFORMANCES

FORGETTING Leone's background, she makes a good first impression. She looks amazingly beautiful and delivers the goods with consummate ease. However, her background comes into play with regards to giving her confidence in the bold scenes. Hooda is the star of the show. He does justice to his character with a perfect execution of the dialogue and on-point expressions. Although Singh has limited scope in which to perform, he more than rises to the challenge and is a pleasure to watch. He does his best and comes across as a very capable actor. Together, all three performers portray the inner turmoil of their characters with excellence.

DIRECTION

POOJA Bhatt springs a pleasant surprise by churning out a competent project that - despite the overall hype around the eroticism - is good and engaging. Yes, there is plenty of skin shown but it also features a well-written story that thrills greatly with moments of excitement. The settings are a visual treat and the locations in Sri Lanka have been shot beautifully.

MUSIC

WHILE the soundtrack does not strike you immediately, it has some intoxicating songs such as Abhi Abhi and Maula.

OVERALL

JISM 2 is not a perfect movie - actually it's not even close. It has its fair share of flaws. But despite these shortcomings, it is buzzing with action. While there are mixed reviews about the raunchy nature of the characters, it's weird how conservative we become when Bollywood gets a little erotic, yet applaud the wild antics of the West.