The real Sheila ki jawani

If you weren’t an adolescent in north India between the ’80s and ’90s, chances are that you haven’t heard of Mastram, one of the most prolific writers of Hindi erotica. So you can either watch Mastram, debutante filmmaker Akhilesh Jaiswal’s fictionalised biopic of the author that releases next week, or, as the film’s controversial tagline suggests, quiz your paapa , chacha or tau who have most likely pored over dog-eared copies hiding under their bedsheets. There’s a third option as well, which is to get your hands on a copy from any small bookstore up north, where it is still available. But Jaiswal wouldn’t recommend that. “Many people who read it in the ’80s thought it was very well-written. It was more erotica and very poetic. As it got popular, other people started using the name Mastram to cash in on its success and the content deteriorated. Now it is no longer erotica, it is XXX porn. The language is very bad and the writing is too graphic. If you read it you’ll be like, ‘Oh shit, what’s happening’,” he says, with a slight blush.

About two years ago, Jaiswal bought 30 Mastram copies from a Delhi railway station to use as props for this movie. But his introduction to the books dates back to his teenage years in Bhopal. He got his first-ever Mastram from a friend who passed it on with glowing reviews. “We became big fans. I remember boys waiting for the new Mastrams to arrive,” he says. The film’s sexually charged YouTube trailer also shows a few army jawans sneaking a peak into its pages. “I heard it was very popular among army officers. Those staying at the border didn’t have television or anything else for entertainment, so they’d read Mastram,” he says. Typically, each Mastram would be around 20-25 pages and contain a series of short stories. Back in the day it cost ₹10. Today, it is around ₹30.

The plots of Mastram’s stories were usually driven by a steamy affair at the workplace or fantasies about a seductive neighbour. Jaiswal says the term ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’ — now a Katrina Kaif item number as well as a C-grade film — probably came from Mastram.

And yet, nobody knows the real Mastram. The books have no information on the publisher or where they are printed. When Jaiswal tried to scoop out information from bookshop owners, they feigned ignorance. Other Hindi pulp fiction writers of the time suspect the author was a bank clerk or a professor. But all this is hearsay. Jaiswal’s movie is a tribute to the original Mastram who started this series and not his successors who still use the pseudonym.

In his film, he has shown Mastram to be a regular guy based in Manali with a wife and two children, who aspires to write Hindi literature but ends up writing porn for a living. Newcomer Rahul Bagga plays the role of Mastram and the wife is played by Tara Alisha Berry. Jaiswal says that while tracking the real Mastram proved impossible, his cast and crew were familiar with his books. “I tried doing some research but it was going nowhere. I decided to give up and focus on a fictional biopic. I was okay doing that because what if the real guy’s life was not interesting enough for a film,” says the 28-year-old, who has previously co-written Gangs of Wasseypur .

Made on a shoestring budget, the film is already making news for its unique promotional tactics. There isn’t a trailer on TV yet, because they couldn’t afford it. But the YouTube promo featuring a catchy song by Yo Yo Honey Singh has already clocked over 60 lakh hits. In Mumbai around 800 BEST buses have been adorned by Mastram’s saucy posters despite a Shiv Sena diktat to take them down. “They said it will corrupt youngsters, so we removed it. Hamaara two-three lakh ka ghaata ho gaya ,” Jaiswal says with a laugh. He isn’t worried about parents having similar reservations about their wards watching it. “Whoever wants to see the film will find a way for sure, whether it means going secretly or in the open,” he says confidently. As for his parents, they’re relieved to know the film is finally releasing. Although other relatives have politely asked, “Have you made an adult movie?”

The jury is still out on that as the censors are yet to see the film. Jaiswal hopes it will be passed without any cuts. Apart from an explicit scene involving a bunch of schoolboys reading a Mastram in a hostel, he believes he’s in safe territory. He claims his film is much tamer than the recent Sunny Leone-starrer Ragini MMS 2, which included a shower scene. “It will get an A certificate, which is fine. After all, it is a film about a porn writer. If that gets a U certificate it will be disappointing,” he says.

Jaiswal maintains that at its heart, Mastram is essentially a slice-of-life film about a writer. But if people are lured to the theatre by the promise of some steamy scenes, then so be it. “For a small film like this, it is important that people come to watch it. If they love it for the adult content, it’s okay. And if they love it for the story, that is great too,” he says.

However, the ultimate compliment, he believes, would be if the elusive Mastram owned up to his work after seeing the film. “I don’t think that is possible, but if it does happen, it would be too cool.”