The German DVD of Jism advertises it as "Bollywood noir". Is that so? Or is it rather a "Ken & Barbie in lust and death" piece? Some commenters claimed Jism to be a remake of Double Indemnity, which certainly is considered a classic noir. Looking at a popular set of criteria: "We'd be oversimplifying things in calling film noir oneiric, strange, erotic, ambivalent, and cruel...." (Oneiric is dreamlike). Erotic it certainly is - not by exposing private parts, but just in the ways people talk and act. Strange? Ambivalent? Cruel? All to some degree. I failed to find "oneiric" elements, but the above list is not meant to be all-required.
Other frequent associations with film noir include the roles of femme fatale (check - very fatal, for him and herself), the lone, miserable, maverick male (anti-)hero (check); strong darkness/light contrasts (Jism has some, but not over-strong), and an unhappy ending (check - though it could have used a surprising twist there...) So yes, I'd support the classification as a neo-noir movie, especially when set in contrast to other Bollies. In any case, it's an entertaining sexy thriller. I give it a 7 and will watch it again.
Other frequent associations with film noir include the roles of femme fatale (check - very fatal, for him and herself), the lone, miserable, maverick male (anti-)hero (check); strong darkness/light contrasts (Jism has some, but not over-strong), and an unhappy ending (check - though it could have used a surprising twist there...) So yes, I'd support the classification as a neo-noir movie, especially when set in contrast to other Bollies. In any case, it's an entertaining sexy thriller. I give it a 7 and will watch it again.