Be-Aabroo

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Be Aabroo (1983): topless from behind, but though a shower curtain.

Cast and crew

Be Abroo: a clearer view but less of Bandini Misra’s back than from behind the shower curtain

Bandini Misra in Be Abroo: her husband turns out to be a pimp who strips her in front of clients. She darts about the room, topless, trying to conceal her modesty. The audience sees her from behind.

Bandini Misra in Be-Aabroo: Even by 1983 this much of a bare back had very few precedents.

W Shridhar Prasad P Anand Girdhar D Shiv Kumar and yet U before Hindi

The film’s claim to fame

Be-Aabroo was a C-film in the ‘Indian sex genre’ that did much better business than other C-films in the same genre. In 1983 the ‘Indian sex genre’ meant no kissing, no breasts and certainly no frontal nudity. (Even in 2014 things are quite strict. Ragini MMS-2, which stars international ‘adult ‘ actress Sunny Leone, vreasts do not have nipples. And there is no frontal nudity.)

C-films like Be-Aabroo were considered ‘sex films’ because there themes revolved around sex, typically condemning the sexual exploitation of women—but, in the process, showing glimpses of how women were exploited. In contrast, in the family films of that era (Sholay, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun?) not even an ankle would be seen.

Be-Aabroo’s main claim to fame was that audiences could make out that actress was topless during the shoot, that the director and photographer got to see the naked top, though audiences had to satisy themselves with naked backs.

A high-minded film

The credit titles of Be-Aabroo take the audience through poverty, nautch girls and a song that lectures us against a samaj (society) that needs to be reformed, which has for ages been celebrating its lust. Pictures from the three principal religions and allusions to pious women from each religion punctuate the song.

Later, the film takes us through poverty in Tamil Nadu, which forces women into the flesh trade.

The film then takes on itself to become a crusader against crimes against women, against oppression of women by men and against pimps. It calls for female power, has idols and role models like Indira Gandhi.

Excuses for skin show

Ms Misra took a bath; then her top was yanked off; and finally she leaped off a building and landed topless on the pavement. Three valid reasons to go topless, even if the audience only saw her bare back from behind.