2011 was a landmark year in Hindi cinema. In the glut of conventional, big-budget action films, romcoms and sci-fi bonanzas, were several standout films that astonished viewers with their sass, attitude and unabashed portrayal of all that was once considered forbidden in Hindi cinema.

In this two part series, we chronicle the seven sins that Bollywood gleefully indulged in this year, from making hit songs about potty to getting A-list heroines to play unregretful murderers.

1. The sh*t can't hit the ceiling
Broken in: 'Delhi Belly'

Even while making Delhi Belly, we knew that it would create a lot of ripples. Either it would break taboos, or become one itself, " laughs director Abhinay Deo, grateful that the film managed to do the former in 2011.

True to its tagline 'Sh*t Happens', this no-interval, bilingual release dished out toilet humour and flatulence jokes by the minute, sending audiences into fits of laughter. Besides the three strugglers -- Imran Khan, Vir Das and Kunaal Roy Kapoor -- sh*t assumed enough importance to become the fourth character in this irreverent comedy.

In the league of Hollywood productions like American Pie, an unembarrassed Delhi Belly defied conventional norms about the liberal use of scatological humour and potty jokes in a hit film.

Deo, who admits he wanted to make a no-holds-barred film says, "Our industry can be quite hypocritical. We do things off-screen but when it comes to movies we soften the edges. If you are indulging in toilet humour, why should you hold back?"



Referencing the scene in which the villain spills out faeces on a silk cloth from a box that is supposed to contain diamonds, he explains, "Normally that scene would have stopped at the expressions before the sh*t came out of the box. But I wanted to show it the way it would happen in real life. That ended up becoming an iconic scene where people said, 'Oh my god, they have actually shown it.'"

Not to mention the wildly popular Bhaag DK Bose, a cleverly packaged double entendre anthem, that had the audience splitting its sides. Deo credits producer Aamir Khan.

"Before Aamir, most of the industry had gone through the script and turned it down. Honestly, the acceptance of Delhi Belly by the audience is a milestone in our industry. It is a sign which says that people were ready for this; we were just not giving it to them."

2. A heroine can't express herself sexually
Broken in: 'The Dirty Picture'



In Milan Luthria's The Dirty Picture, one of 2011's most-talked-about films, A-list heroine Vidya Balan, playing Silk, imitates the orgasmic sounds of her loud, in-the-act neighbours with abandon. She later repeats it to bring realism in a sensuous scene, to raucous applause, while simultaneously shattering several taboos hitherto associated with the Hindi film heroine.

Throughout the film, Balan, as Silk, flaunts her ample curves, happily uses her sexuality to further her career, woos and has a torrid affair with a leading star (played by Naseeruddin Shah), and later indulges in a relationships with his blood brother.

Unlike olden times, however, in 2011, Silk's brazen dialogues (sample this: 'Holi khelne ka shaukh to bahut hai par teri pichkari me dum nahin'), and unapologetic expression does not earn her the label of a vamp. Instead, Silk is portrayed as and ends up being an object of sympathy.



In the size-zero age of surfboard abs, the actress unabashedly flaunts a roll of tummy flab. Balan's rationale is clear, "Some people might think my character is shameless, but I don't think so.

She is a girl who wants to make the most out of each moment and each opportunity. She is not cheap. She is just having fun in life. Today, women have become open about their sexuality and they can choose whom to be with. That is feminism, freedom and liberation."

"The Dirty Picture was made by women -- my mother and I, " points out Ekta Kapoor, the producer. "We did not want boldness to become crassness." Indeed, Balan has proven that true boldness isn't just in skin show but in attitude. Bikini-clad heroines who have for long presented themselves as eternally coy will now have to contend with this new standard.

3. Heroes can't play male escorts
Broken in: 'Desi Boyz'



Female prostitution has been a popular theme in Indian cinema from time immemorial, from Bimal Roy's Devdas (1955) and Muzafar Ali's Umrao Jaan (1981) to Pradeep Sarkar's Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007).

But in 2011, Hindi films have moved on. When director Rohit Dhawan dared to portray two major mainstream heroes -- Akshay Kumar and John Abraham -- as male escorts in Desi Boyz, he made heroes strip for cash, and drop the cloak of 'respectability'.

Dhawan may have treated the subject lightly, but the statement he made with his big-budget film's entry into forbidden territory is anything but.

In a refreshing change of course, the film also subjects the male body to objectification --Abraham and Kumar's abs were exposed with as much panache as the cleavage we so frequently see cameras focused on in a Katrina Kaif or a Malaika Arora Khan item song.



The best part? The heroes were game for these roles. Kumar says, "Films are made on prostitution, so why should there be a problem making a film based on male escorts?

We fulfil the fantasies of women in this film. We are playing men women fantasise about -- air force officers, pilots, doctors, etc. This happens everywhere." Abraham agrees, "There is nothing wrong with the profession. Indian cinema has opened up to subjects like these."

To be continued...