Dirty Entertainers: The Business Of Indian Erotica is a documentary that was released on DocuBay on October 10. It tells the story of those who work in the soft porn film and web series business. Many have consumed these shows and films and even secretly downloaded the apps that stream such content. But there’s hardly any information about how this industry functions. This documentary attempts to throw light on how the shows are made, what made the actors get into this line and even the economics behind making the show. A few aspects are amusing like how stories are written on the set and actors not knowing what they are supposed to do until they reach the set. Gradually, the makers move towards serious issues like hygiene (even male actors are not comfortable with odour), lack of proper facilities and pay, and the legal implications. In 50 minutes, writers Heena Dsouza and Neha Singh and director Heena Dsouza pack in a lot of information in an engaging manner.
On the flipside, the makers played safe while talking about the controversies that rocked the industry. The name of a prominent personality had come up when the arrests happened in 2021. But the makers didn’t go deep into it and avoided naming the person in question. Secondly, the makers mentioned a mysterious man based abroad and who was the pioneer of this industry. The way he was introduced gave the hope that more information will be shared with the viewers about him. Alas, he’s forgotten very soon.
Technically, the film is fine. Soutrik Chakraborty and Abhigyan Arora‘s background score is in sync with the film’s mood. Ershad Shaikh‘s cinematography is appropriate. The graphics are visually superior.
All in all, Dirty Entertainers: The Business Of Indian Erotica succeeds in doing what few have dared – exploring an industry most only whisper about. One hopes it finds the visibility it merits, because the conversations it begins are long overdue.
My rating – **** out of 5!