Once upon a time pornography was read in the loo, not seen on the internet. The imagination soared. Just think of how much money a man could make in the 1970 or 80s by penning po*n for a drooling generation.
If in Mastram directed by Akhilesh Jaiswal , released on May 9, 2014, you expect a Boogie Nights kind of all-encompassing panoramic peek-a-boo at the po*n industry then you are in for an anti-climax. Mastram chronicling the life-story of a man who would be kink, is a sad glum wistful look at the life of litterateur was was persuaded to give po*n a chance , just to make ends meet.
Director Akhilesh Jaiswal lets the po*n writer Rajaram, aka Mastram, played by Rahul Bagga, grow within a space where s*x is a synonym for survival. He must write dirty books to make a living. In Guru Dutt’s Pyasa the poet Vijay faced the same dilemma. Write pulp, or perish, he was told. Vijay preferred to perish. Rajaram is a product of consumerist culture. With creditors knocking down his door he chooses a life after debt.
For those expecting to see the rise and fall(and I don’t mean that in any other but the most physical sense) of a generation fed on po*n Mastram is not your cup of tea. It never goes into the author’s libidinous craft . It stays in his mind, probes and punctuates the protagonist’s perverse practice dispassionately.
There is a pronounced absence of frenzied excitement in the narrative. If seen as a mating game then Mastram is a lazy evening of half-hearted copulation. It is the We get to meet the man behind the orgasms.We feel the pain beneath the porn. Director Akhilesh Jaiswal tears at the layers of titillation and touches the pain and loneliness of an artiste compelled to sell s*x when all he wants is to write literary works.
Rahul Bagga plays Mastram with an an air boyish curiosity and impassive mystery . We never know what he is thinking maybe because he isn’t thinking hard. Could this man be faking his enthusiasm for erotica?We never touch the man’s soul but feel its presence in his life and specially in his bond with his wife, played with understated grace by Tara Alisha.
Underscored by a sense of tragedy Mastram brings a meditative melancholy to the po*n writer’s life.
Bagga says he was po*n …sorry, born to play Mastram “Honestly speaking I didn’t have to read anything to prepare for the role as I had already read enough of Mastram’s po*n during my theatre days in Delhi.It was considered to be quite helpful for an actor as it helps to improve your visualisation and imagination. We used to have sessions during everyone got the opportunity to read at least a page and then it was easy to make out who is a better speaker and who can engage everyone with his monologue.I also read Mastram for many years, so the words and subject were close to my life.. basically relatable.So preparation for my character was going on for the past 10 years .By the way I’ve been crowned for the best rendition of Mastram stories many times by my friends.”
Bagga thinks Mastram’s pavement po*n was far superior to what is being watched on the internet. “Young people are now reading it through internet in some other form. Of course Mastram is far better than all of them as erotica has a basic fundamental requirement that is a reader should be able to instantly to relate to the situation so that the first word of the story transports him to that world to the extent that he or she becomes the character and experiences the erotic pleasures of what is written.I think only Mastram can do that to us.How can a writer of angrezi po*n have that effect on a person from India?Mastram was the people’s writer.I think he was a Communist at heart .Let’s not forget,during the times when he started in the 1980’s there was no television, mobile,internet not even the radio for common people.The only affordable means of e po*n images are are like dreams which you always want to achieve. Everything is larger than life in porn, including the main attractions.Actually po*n motivates you and when you achieve your dreams you achieve the best orgasm possible.Porn is also meditative .It helps you to be in that moment. When you are enjoying po*n there no other thought.. that is what meditation is.. right? So for us actors it becomes more important to watch po*n and practice being in the moment.”
Bagga confesses to viewing po*n websites on his computer. “And we should respect them as it is a source of employment and revenue.Funnily if you type ‘how’ on Google the suggestion is HOW TO KISS A GIRL. And when you type WHEN the suggestion is WHEN WILL I DIE.Funny no? such correlation between s*x and mortality.”
He is opposed to banning po*n websites. “As it is, s*x is such a taboo in our society that people don’t talk about it with family or even friends.At least po*n helps all those people to secretly educate themselves about s*x and clear their doubts, especially for youngsters who have no real sex. It’s almost like s*x education.For married people too it provides different and new excitements to overcome the monotony of routine intercourse.I think po*n helps in building relations too.So po*n sites are only helping society.Why ban them? Bachpan mein hum yehi sunte aaye hain jis cheez se roka jaata hai bachche wahi karte hain.So don’t force people to go against the government.What has been the benefit of banning alcohol in certain states?I think the only way to prevent crime against women and children is to provide education and equality to every human being in every which way at least in terms of opportunity, plus by strengthening our laws.As far as po*n sites are concerned they are a way of entertainment. Entertainment gives pure and constructive happiness.I don’t think a happy person will ever commit any crime.So in a way yes , po*n sites prevent crimes. Porn sites have educational qualities too which again will prevent people from committing crimes. Entertainment was MASTRAM books.”
