Cast: Sunny Leone, Randeep Hooda, Arunoday Singh, Arif Zakaria
Movie Review: Jism-2 is a sexy movie - but it's not as dirty a picture as you might expect. Surprisingly, Jism-2 hovers over sex, like a butterfly gliding across one of the many water pools the movie features. The few times the film does jump in, it lands in the shallow end. That's despite a hot start featuring amply-endowed Izna (Leone), all red lingerie, glistening high heels, tight suspenders and generous cleavage, riding intelligence bureau (IB) officer Ayaan (Singh) on a hotel room bed. The film's first make-out scene thus firmly embedded in its first three minutes, Izna wakes to a hangover and an offer.
Ayaan and superior officer Guru Saldanah (Zakaria) will give her ten crores to take revenge on Kabir (Hooda), her former lover who went from honest cop to political assassin - while also going insane. "Isi bahane tum mulk ki madad bhi kar logi," Ayaan tells Izna, who agrees. Why? Because Kabir left her one fine night - and vanished. Hence, pretending to be engaged to Ayaan, Izna moves next door to Kabir, hiding out as a musician in Galle, Sri Lanka. She walks about wearing tiny shorts, clingy tops and a wounded air, even chucking a rock at Kabir who still finds her jism and attitude irresistible. Seeking his secret data, Izna fakes leaving Ayaan to marry Kabir. But there's a problem - Ayaan's in love with Izna. And Kabir's got doubts.
Jism-2 offers several surprises, foremost being Leone's performance. As the dazzling, yet dazed Izna, Leone pulls off a tricky act that showcases both her eyes and bust in equal measure. At times, you forget Leone's physical assets, especially when she seals the film with a dynamite closing line. Sunny may be honey-trap - but despite spending most of the movie in plunging night-wear, she conveys delicacy and grace. Hooda's act is jerkier - at times, he gazes at Izna with tenderness you can touch. At others, his head-holding anguish makes you wince. The direction is shaky - in one sequence, Kabir's practically killing a cello with his song, hacking the instrument to the screechy Ishq bhi kiya - but then, according to the IB, he is going insane.
Still, Jism-2's second surprise is the quality of Hooda's voice, almost Naseer-like at times, warm, caressing, with perfect diction. This, despite the ridiculous lines the actors mouth, like "Us jaanwar ko apne dil mein paala tha usne, she knows him best." Zakaria's saddled with the worst. Describing his work, he says, "I'm like a mukhiya without the moustache", looking uncomfortable throughout his badly-fitting role. As does Singh, who sulkily pouts his way through, telling Izna to read their fake love story in a novel - "Especially pages 16 to 30 - aur padhne ke baad jala dena." Which, being busy, she doesn't, leaving interesting reading for Kabir to find.
Without such plot absurdities, Jism-2 could have been tighter. Slicker. And hotter. Instead, with unexplained turns (how does Izna go from good girl to porn star?) and over-acting, it's often limp, salvaged by its last 20 minutes of suspense when Izna learns new facts about the IB. Still, Jism-2 offers one more surprise, earning it a couple more points. It's pleasingly aesthetic, all its sensuousness clad in spa-like serenity, its lighting - golden gossamer, dusty hazes, cool, pale moonlight - actually its sexiest asset.
