Nov 18: The tone for skin flicks was set as the year began, when Pooja Bhatt's pant-till-you-drop Jism , replete with heavy-duty breathing, became 2003's big hit. The film was followed shortly by a clutch of equally amateurish adventures –- most notably, the kiss-and-tell tale ( Khwahish ) and some pop-porn ( Boom ). There's more coming up, only this time, the producers are not shamelessly pedalling their goods as skin flicks.

Opening this fortnight are producer Vashu Bhagnani's Out of Control , boasting of a Baywatch star in the lead and Feroz Khan's Janasheen , which seems to have Fardeen Khan and Celina Jaitly competing over who wears less clothes.

Though Janasheen promos have Jaitly and Khan in their skimpiest best, the film boasts of action, romance and good music with the story revolving around motorbike racing.
“Plenty of skin has always been a Feroz Khan trademark,” says Delhi film distributor Sanjay Mehta, pointing out Khan's earlier trendsetters like Dharmatma and Apradh. “But the presence of a hot-looking heroine is only incidental, not the mainstay, in his films.”

So it seems to be in Out of Control , in which Baywatch girl Brande Roderick, better known as Playboy Playmate, doesn't just gyrate to an item number but plays the lead part. “Of course, you don't expect her (Roderick) to wear a sari,” says trade expert Taran Adarsh.

Producer Bhagnani is pitching Out of Control as a complete family film. “Brande's character even prays in the Gurudwara and is a huge fan of Shah Rukh,” he says of the actress he chose over 60 Americans.

He agrees sex sells, but only when woven well into the story. “They promoted Khwahish by highlighting the 17 kisses, but the film wasn't only about that,” he says, adding the promotion backfired.

In comparison, the new films seem to be in better control!