My idea of seduction doesn't quite follow the
"norm". I don't think seductive scenes have to be direct about sex or
even show sex. Seduction is none of those things for me, rather it is
pre-emptive behaviour; the connection of souls. Therefore, it only
makes sense that my top 10 seductive scenes don't fall under the direct
category of seduction.
1) Devdas: Chandramukhi meeting Devdas for the first time I
hated Devdas. Dramatic sets and hammed acting; the only saving grace
was Madhuri. And her entrance in the film was spectacular. Devdas walks
in, his reflection appears in the mirror as Madhuri is getting ready
and she is so mesmerised that she turns her hair smashes the mirror.
Walking like a water nymph towards Devdas, she introduces herself and
there begins the repertoire of poetry and some light banter, and a
little physical interaction. The most seductive scene on the Indian
celluloid. Add to the atmosphere, the light smoke, the white clothes
and the voice of Pundit Birju Maharaj echoing in the background and you
have the ultimate seduction.
2) Dil Se: Jiya Jale So
it isn't a scene, I concede. But it is oh-so seductive! It deserves to
be on the list especially with the lyrics, the music, and the
choreography helping considerably. The lyrics of the song are about the
wedding night and actually talk about sex without vulgarity or
demeaning the act. It makes it sacred and almost dream-like. What you
see in the song is Preity slowly falling for Amarkanth, while he is
clearly in love with Meghna but then the song takes you to idyllic
lakes and true Indian dancing. And there is no better seduction than
dancing. There is a reason that courtesans were trained in the art of
dancing.
3) Yuva: Lallan and Sashi after his release One
of my favourite films. Also one of my favourite couples (not
Rani-Abhishek but Lallan-Sashi). Lallan was just released from prison
and they are obviously very much in love with each other, despite their
issues. And when he comes to get her, Sashi's father and some other
random relative are blockading at the door. And for those few seconds
they are just looking at each other, completely oblivious to the world.
Longing, desire, pain, disappointment and love in one glance. And to
prove my point further, they made sure that at least three out of the
five issues were dealt with as soon as they got home.
4) Dil To Pagal Hai: Rahul's speech aimed at Pooja This
scene is enough to make my hormones go insane. But I am British which
means my sexuality is a repressed. The background to this scene is that
Rahul doesn't believe in love and consequently marriage whereas Pooja
is the ultimate romantic who believes in soul mates and destiny. During
the course of their interactions, Rahul realises he is in love as does
Pooja and uses the marriage of two of his troupe members as a platform
to express his emotion. The speech is directly aimed at Pooja, and uses
something she told him. Pooja gets the implication and seems unsettled
about it. What follows is the inevitable expression of love (Bollywood ishtyle).
5) Parineeta: Shekhar and Lolita just prior going to Moulin Rouge Shekhar
has been forgotten in favour of the London-return Girish. Shekhar
witnesses this and unbeknownst to him, is rather jealous. Soon after
Lolita walks in, dressed to the nines, looking beautiful and Shekhar
instead of being an adult uses the guitar to get her attention. When
she finally pays attention, the angst in Shekhar and her oblivious
nature are explosive. If, instead of letting Lolita walk out, he had
grabbed her hand, we would have been privy to their marriage a lot
sooner in the film.
6 Kisna: Sushmita Sen's interruption Sushmita
Sen should have played 'Umrao Jaan'. She has the voice and the Urdu
dialect for it, but we're not here to debate that. Sen played the
courtesan in Kisna and from the moment you meet her, you realise she is
privy to the fact that Kisna and his ladylove are on the run from the
Raja. Naima Begum, notices this during the course of her performance
and helps in their escape. As Catherine and her mother are about to
escape, Raghuraj reappears in an attempt to stop them but Naima Begum
appears and a voice sweet as honey, she engages the Raja long enough
for Kisna to threaten him in the process allowing the fugitives to
escape. The fact that the Raja doesn't kill her is just proof that the
seductress has worked like a charm.
7) Aaja Nachle: Imran and Anokhi during the rehearsal sequence Towards
the end of Ishq Hua, we see Anokhi for the beauty and not the tomboy
that she is. You see her hair tamed and her "habit" addressed. You also
see Imran for the first time, dressed in something other than his
shirts and his bad temper has been left with those clothes it would
seem. Anokhi acknowledges the look with a twinkle and movement of her
eyes, while Imran seems to have acquired a slightly coy demeanour and
they begin the dance step (that we first saw with anger and contempt).
Sheer poetry in motion. Foreplay, without a doubt! Subtle, effective,
and beautiful.
8) Don: When 'Vijay' finally controls Roma Roma
is the bereaved sister of a man who was killed by Don. Believing
'Vijay' to be Don she attacks him with full force and when he subdues
her and there is this unspoken tension in the air. Had the inspector
not walked in, things could have transpired that would have made the
film a 15 to 18. A special mention for the sequence when Roma first
ingratiates herself with Don and tries to kill him ... sizzling!
Reminds me of the Spike and Buffy moments.
9) Aaja Nachle: Dia and Uday in their first true battle of wits This
is an odd one to put in a list of seduction scenes but then again, I am
odd, so deal with it. When Akshay comes up to Madhuri after the Aaja
Nachle performance and they engage in banter. The chemistry is sizzling
and there is electricity in the air. From that moment I knew they were
going to pair Madhuri and Akshay (actually I knew that the moment they
introduced him but this just confirmed it). Had they had more regular
meetings like that, their relationship wouldn't have remained so
detached towards the end of the film. Seduction, animosity style. My
favourite kind.
10) Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: Rahul and Anjali taking shelter after the rain Does
this even need an explanation? From the beginning of the film you are
hoping they get together. But life strikes, they are separated and they
meet again. Realising that he is in love with Anjali, Rahul finally
decides to make his move after a game of charades where it started to
pour. Taking refuge in a nearby shelter, he asks her to dance and as
they dance the world just becomes magical and had the engagement ring
not glinted at that precise moment... well we can imagine. ink www.bollyspice.com/
This isn't that bad of a list, actually. Some really good choices here for the 90s and 00's. Watching Kisna was a tiresome experience. When Sushmita started her dance here, I was like oh g-d no, another song. The movie had great music, but what an epic waste of it!