There is no place to hide it in India

Posted on by

The New York Times today examines Playboy’s designs on India in greater detail. In order to penetrate the Indian market they must tread carefully. There definitely isn’t going to be any kissing on the first date but I’m sure the end goal will remain the same.

…there is another story behind Playboy’s discovery of India. The magazine once saw itself as America’s gateway to a sexual revolution. Now, with that revolution won and its societal impact fading, Playboy has a chance to renew itself as a magazine of high living in a country that celebrated sex in antiquity, then grew prudish, and is now loosening up again.

Ms. Hefner has said that an Indian version of the magazine “would be an extension of Playboy that would be focused around the lifestyle, pop culture, celebrity, fashion, sports and interview elements of Playboy.” But the magazine would not be “classic Playboy,” she warned. “It would not have nudity,” she said, “and I don’t think it would be called Playboy.”

<

p>In the U.S., Playboy Magazine’s fortunes have been declining for quite some time because their content isn’t considered “daring” enough anymore. Americans aren’t really shocked by anything on the pages of Playboy when compared to its raunchier competitors. If they want to find success with this magazine in India I would think that the name “Playboy,” and all the heritage the name carries, would help it compete with Maxim India and some of the filmi magazines which are already fairly risque. If there is no nudity then what can Playboy offer besides its brand name? Therefore, it makes no sense to me why they would name the magazine something else in India except to fool the censors.

Indian law prohibits the sale or possession of material that is “lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest” and that is without redeeming artistic, literary or religious merit. Soft-core pornographic magazines are available in India, but are taboo. They lurk behind other publications at newsstands, available only by whispered request. They also attract few lucrative advertisers.

“There would only be a few brands that would look at these magazines,” said Paulomi Dhawan, who runs advertising for Raymond, a leading Indian apparel maker. “We would probably be more in the business or news magazines or the male-oriented serious magazines.”

There is another problem: if you are 26, living with prying parents, where do you hide your stash?

Bingo. Anyone that has ever been to an internet café in India that is located near a University knows exactly where young men go to get their porn on. The curtains they provide around every computer are there for a reason folks. For westerners like me who happen to be writing an email home at the time (I swear) it can sometimes feel like a cyber-brothel.

<

p>If I was Playboy I would forget the magazine idea and open up edgy “fun centers” around the country. History has shown that as long as you keep lascivious behavior away from prying eyes and bribe a few officials they will let you do what you want. I even found a possible loophole for Playboy’s lawyers:

The Indian law against prurient material makes a special exemption for “any ancient monument” or “any temple.”

Playboy should start to build authentic replicas of ancient or partially destroyed temples around the country that once featured prurient material as part of the architecture. Then they can slowly work in a few modern models into the walls until people become accepting. What? It’s an idea

23 thoughts on “There is no place to hide it in India”

  2. Whoops – pressed post before I made my main point about Playboy. One of the coolest gifts my girlfriend got me was a Playboy book called Mantrack. It’s nothing to do with nudity – it’s a compilation of lots of the Playboy blueprints, which you can find here. Playboy also used to run interviews with men their target audience would aspire to be like. Girls really were just one aspect and to think of Playboy as a flesh fest is to deny what it really was – the first lads’ mag. But then it went downhill in the 80s. Girls and guys would read it back in its heyday, now I don’t know anyone who does.

    Maxim, GQ, Esquire, FHM – they’re all in existence thanks to Playboy. What’s going against the idea mentioned in the article is 1 – I don’t know how much demand there is for this kind of stuff in India and 2 – others have got there first, as Abhi said.

    Then again – sex sells and nowhere is that more true than in India. Plus Abhi’s already figured a way to work the system!

  3. uh… having been to meenakshi temples in madurai – it isnt the female form alone that’s held in high regard by builders past. the male arousal is much celebrated and i saw various versions holding up platters and even roofs on the ends of their joy sticks – it is a common enough cause for mirth among the more juvenile visitors – and the regular rubbing has left a sheen on the appendages and makes them glow in the moonlight – to be true to this architecture, your corporation would need to seek high and (mostly) low to find suitably endowed bucks – and even so I shall be much amazed if there are many who can hold aloft a couple of bricks on the end of their jousting rods – my amazement shall be compounded if they can sustain this feat after being stroked endlessly by the casual visitors.

  4. I clicked on Abhi’s Maxim India link. I was the first to comment there too. Jeez, I’ve got a one-track mind. And now I’ve made 3 out of the 4 comments on this post. And I wrote a lot on Manish’s Kingfisher calendar post. And the sex survey post. I’m such a stereotype.

    Look how prophetic this person was.

  5. “where do you hide your stash?”

    We (me and my brother) had separate stashes of Playboys (you could always very easily buy them from Chandini Chowk, Old Delhi – i am talking pre-, pre- internet days, dark ages). We left them in our rooms with other stuff when we left – in later visits to home, I never found them. Even then, there was the Liril Girl poster (Liril ads were always way ahead of time), Zeenie baby, Praveen babi, and the last page of Blitz (an equivalent of New York Post or other English mags), and Debonair magazine.

    I guess our parents discovered them. Oh well. Have you seen video remixes for old Bollywood songs on MTV in India these days – they are pretty racy.

  6. Indian law prohibits the sale or possession of material that is “lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest” and that is without redeeming artistic, literary or religious merit.

    So something like Playboy but as long as there is a teeny tiny bikini to cover the right spots is fine? I ask because every desi movie out of India these days looks like a porn video and can put a 50cent video to shame.

  7. I ask because every desi movie out of India these days looks like a porn video and can put a 50cent video to shame.

    i know its really annoying, they are pretty tasteless. what gets me is the audience is sitting there thinking they are prim and proper. hello, you’re watching writhing people with barely there clothes on!

  9. Wait!! What about Debonair and a bunch of other magazines in India. I remember seeing them up front in newstands and second hand bookstores. They only stopped short of showing genitals. In my dorm in college we had a pondy “porn” magazine library. So unless these have been recently banned(which is very unlikely), NYT is smoking as usual.

  10. Concerning Indian law, would it be illegal to buy/possess copies (online or otherwise) of the Kama Sutra in India? I mean, it’s ancient, but it’s neither a temple nor a monument.

    And I agree with Razib.

  12. Janeofalltrades , Kush, and Sahej made a good point about desi music videos these days — some of them are pretty wild, and on a par with the wilder shores of MTV. The recent vid for “Kiss Me Baby” from Garam Masala is a good example — entertaining enough, but not exactly family viewing. However, there are others — both filmi and (especially) non-filmi — which are a lot more tasteless, and — to me, anyway — give the impression of the blank-faced girls involved being exploited.

    “Deedar De” from Dus is a good example of how to do an item-number video “properly”, but when it becomes significantly nastier than that I think one has to draw the line. One of the problems in Indian culture is a tendency to take things to unnecessary extremes.

  14. Last year on a trip to India I was definitely kicked out of my misconception about conservatism. At a family wedding a 10 year old cousin did a very “sexy” dance that made me want to crawl in a hole and die. And it was to Kanta Laga I think (a video I was yet again shocked by later – the chick in the video showed her thong over your low low low rise skin tight pants…ewwwwww). Hell I’m not a prude but WTF how is a 10 year old gyrating her hip in front of 1000s of people to a sexy song conservative culture?????

  15. i know its really annoying, they are pretty tasteless. what gets me is the audience is sitting there thinking they are prim and proper. hello, you’re watching writhing people with barely there clothes on!

    Hear Hear. While it’s perfectly fine to see barely clad girls gyrate to the sound of an erstwhile classic perfectly ‘remixed’ and screwed in the process, it is not legal to buy a magazine that blatantly addresses issues of the sexual kind.

    It shouldn’t be too much of a problem..or so I am hoping. I read about some sexual talk show called ‘Dangerous’ that has been quite the rage.

    As for magazine covers and the like, all the new playboy has to do is use Mallika Sherawat and the like. If an audience can appreciate 18 kisses in a single film and they make noise about an Indian playboy magazine..it’ll be super weird!

  16. “There is another problem: if you are 26, living with prying parents, where do you hide your stash?”

    Oh, that is mean……..

  17. YAhoooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally Maxim is in india with such a gr8 start.to the hell with the ppl who r sayin its gonna ruin thwe culture.culture is safe.and we young guys just wanna enjoy.dont say its a red dot on image of indian woman.even girls like to watch hot guys magz(secretly tho).keep goin fellas

  18. I think this move forward in India, is a step towards going into HELL. People in india are losing their faith and everytime a western way of life comes it takes away indias great faith. Hinduism is the control that keeps society together, but now you find children dis-respecting their parents, not willing to learn, having girlfriends and boyfriends, and this particular maxim move is just another slow but sure way of corrupting the youth of india, as it is those who it will appeal too. Pay to see sex – weres the morality in this. I live in the UK And beleive me BY GOD this is not the answer forward, as i have senn the most perverse and sick things here in the UK because of itS ULTRA LIBERAL AND ANYONE DOES ANYTHING THEY WANT AND IT GOES UNPUNISHED.THE worst of all sins, adultery and rape and worst of all killings, this is what india is headed for, the first signs of this are apparent in the major cities of India. I,m SIKH,and i strongly beleive it is getting to late for India, and peoples greed will win over the ethics and morals. HELL IS ON EARTH IN FRANCE UK AND USA, and soon it will be here. KALLYUG Is true. PRAY AND SAVE YOURSELF. GOD BLESS YOU

  19. am a cute boy ,24, presently working as a sex slave for a lady in kolkata,India.I bear all the qualities how to satisfy a women.I am looking for better and long term contracts. Size of my cock : 15 cms long/straight/rock hard I do anything for my client body massage,bath activities Ladies please feel free to mail me : nipen06@yahoo.co.in

  20. am a cute boy ,24, presently working as a sex slave for a lady in kolkata,India.I bear all the qualities how to satisfy a women.I am looking for better and long term contracts. Size of my cock : 15 cms long/straight/rock hard I do anything for my client body massage,bath activities Ladies please feel free to mail me : nipen06@yahoo.co.in

  22. i am 26 male i want to be a sex slave in kolkata call me at 9831049350. 100% satisfaction garunted. any age welcome

  23. i am 26 male i want to be a sex slave in kolkata call me at 9332531980. 100% safe.satisfaction garunted. energy unlimited any age welcome