Move over Raj-Simran, Ram-Leela are the new age raunchy lovers of BW

Remember when Nisha (Madhuri Dixit) impishly asked Prem (Salman Khan) "Hum aapke hain kaun?" He stumbles for words, does a few push ups, looks around to confirm "koi dekh toh nahin raha.."

Finally when he musters the courage to confess, Nisha pushes him in the swimming pool, laughs at him and leaves. The hero did confess, but not to the girl's face.

He did so in the swimming pool where he declares, "Shit! I love her." In 1994 the most empowering thing about this romantic sequence was the fact that a leading man had said "Shit" on screen.

Now meet Ram and Leela. He espies her in a Holi melee; she too is magnetically drawn to him. Theirs is an all guns blazing attraction. In a wordless yet fully loaded exchange, he points a water gun at her but she has the real deal. It's love and lust at first sight. How do they confess? Well, they kiss. Like lovers. And the song goes 'Lahu muh lag gaya.'

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ram-Leela take over the naughty and virginal territory of Prem-Nisha and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge's Raj-Simran. The change was in the air. Ishaqzaade's Zoya-Parma and Raghu-Gayatri of Shuddh Desi Romance also walked the same line of love n' lust but Bhansali's Ram-Leela emerge as the poster couple of The New Age Raunchy Lovers in Bollywood.

'Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela' marks a distinctive paradigm shift in how lovers in our love stories talk and behave.

This is Bhansali's most physical film till date. No towels are dropped, no 'diyas' are forever lit to signify burning desire. In his latest film, Bhansali goes all out to raunchy-fy Hindi film's lovers.

The hero is superbly objectified in 'Tattad tattad', the girl unabashedly talks of doing it "first time" with her lover. In an impactful sequence after the star crossed lovers elope, he is fretting that the bed might be too hard for her, she says, "Bistar chubhega toh tere upar so loongi." It's carnal, raw, pulsating. No apologies.

Our films are growing up. 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela' is a cool reminder how different filmmaking worlds can collide and create something refreshing. The impact of Anurag Kashyap, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Vishal Bhardwaj " their world, their women, their subtexts " can be seen in Bhansali's latest.

The film gives a new term of endearment for young lovers. The three little magical words are no longer just 'I love you' but 'Let's get naked.'

harneet.singh@expressindia.com

Kissing scenes not required in Indian films: Saif Ali Khan

READ MORE Saif Ali Khan|Bollywood News|Sharmila Tagore|Salaam|Kareena Kapoor

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Actor Saif Ali Khan, who locked lips with co-stars in "Hum Tum" and "Salaam Namaste", believes Indian movies can do without kissing scenes as it doesn't "suit us".

During a conversation on TV show, host Anupama Chopra asked Saif about a statement that he and his now wife Kareena Kapoor gave before marriage - about a commitment that there won't be any kissing onscreen for either of them.

Chopra asked Saif if there are any other rules as actors that the couple has imposed on each other.

He said: "No. I wouldn't even say that's in place. I don't think it's a function of being in a relationship. I have done films like 'Salaam Namaste' a long time ago. In India, it is not required in our films to have kissing scenes. I don't think it's required to be overly sexual. It doesn't suit us."

Kareena has also kissed on screen in "Tashan", "Jab We Met", " 3 Idiots" and "Heroine". But her husband believes "it doesn't work onscreen".

"Nobody looks comfortable doing it. And slowly, slowly reports filter through that when somebody has tried to be a little risque, that people don't seem to like it. I think the kind of cinema we have, we are a hypocritical culture.

"You can talk about things, you can see Hollywood movies, but if a kiss or a lovemaking scene is presented in a way that doesn't make you uncomfortable, it's much easier for everybody to watch," added the actor, who is the son of actress and former censor board chief Sharmila Tagore.

Saif now has strong opinions about kissing on camera.

"I would not like to kiss onscreen because I think it's not required. It's not done well enough. And there are few times onscreen that a kiss is warranted and when it is, it should be done in a way that it means everything. But our culture is about not kissing in public.

"We don't show affection in public. You're not meant to be kissing in the car. It's illegal apparently. Policewaalas will come knock on the glass, right? So I think culturally, it doesn't work. And there's no need for it," he said.