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Reshma (born Asma Bhanu) is a former Indian film actress from Karnataka, known for her work in South Indian B-grade or softcore porn films, particularly in the Malayalam language. She was one of the most sought-after erotic actresses in the South Indian softcore porn industry during her time and was a key figure in the Malayalam softcore film in the early 2000s. Reshma also appeared in a few mainstream Kannada films. Her career ended between 2003 and 2005, due to the rapid surge of the internet in India among other reasons. Reshma disappeared in 2008 and is reportedly living in Karnataka with her family.[1]
Reshma | |
|---|---|
| Born | Asma Bhanu |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1996–2005 |
Career
editA native of Mysore, Karnataka, Reshma began her acting career with the Kannada film Asai Noor. In the late '90s, soft-porn or B-grade films started appearing in the Malayalam film industry. It was during this time that Reshma's dubbed film Mayoori (2000) was released in Kerala in Malayalam. Reshma made her Malayalam debut with the role of Damayanthi in the film Kaumaram, directed by A. T. Joy. She then played the titular role in A. T. Joy's movie Lovely, which was commercially successful and marked her breakthrough in Malayalam cinema. Following this success, she starred in another film titled Nalam Simham, whose title was similar to the Malayalam film Narasimham, starring Mohanlal.[2]
Reshma tried to change the direction of her career by playing a non-glamorous character in Natar Raghu's film Love Letter. However, the film stalled midway. Following this, she returned to her previous path. In 2002, she acted in the films Nirappakittu and Asura Yugam. Reshma soon faced a sudden downfall in her career due to the rapid internet surge in India, which led to a decrease in the sale of B-grade movie CDs. This was a major setback for the entire South Indian soft porn industry, and many B-grade actresses, including Reshma, were forced to leave the industry in 2005.[3]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Bas Karo Tum | ||
| 2000 | Bali Umar | ||
| 2001 | |||
| Kinavu Pole | Shibani | ||
| Layathalangal | |||
| Aalilathoni | |||
| Thirunelliyile Penkutty | Pallavi | ||
| Louli | |||
| Tharunnyam | |||
| Lasyam | |||
| Naalaam Simham | |||
| Mohanayanangal | Sicily | ||
| 2002 | |||
| Qatil Dilruba | |||
| Sugandhavally | |||
| Premasallapam | |||
| Mohaswapnam | |||
| Doctor Prema | |||
| Asurayugam | |||
| Apsara | |||
| Adenthottam | Reetha | ||
| Aalolam Kili | Aishwarya | ||
| Nisagandhi | |||
| Nakhachithrangal | Nancy Fernandez | [4] | |
| Madhuram | |||
| Diana | Reshma | ||
| Sneha | Sneha | ||
| Yamam | Greeshma | ||
| Kiske Liye Yeh Jawani | |||
| Soundharyalahari | |||
| 2003 | Vivadam | Suma | |
| Sundarikutty |
Popularity and legacy
editWithin a few years of Reshma's entry into the softcore porn industry, the fame of Shakeela, the popular softcore porn actress of that time, declined. Even though Reshma completely left the industry in 2005, her videos remain a significant source of revenue for porn websites in India.[5] According to film scholar Darshana Sreedhar Mini, "Reshma was more daring with her co-stars and more camera-friendly. She reportedly received around ₹5 lakhs per film during 1998-99. The remuneration was very high even by today’s standards. But Reshma was riding high on a boom that was propelling the South Indian (especially Malayalam) porn industry at that time."[6]
According to film analyst Sunil Mannannur, "Reshma is an actress who entered the privacy of Malayalees and enlivened their days and nights. She had the reputation of being the most beautiful B-grade actress from South India and the title of 'lucky star,' as most of the films she acted in became super hits. Even when many superstar films failed at the box office, Reshma's B-grade films were money-spinners. Today's audiences have forgotten Reshma, apart from enjoying her movies. No one thinks about where she is, what she is doing, or how she is living. There is no need to think about it now, because there are porn stars ahead of Reshma at our fingertips today. Not only Reshma but other actresses of that time, who sent the audience into a frenzy, went into oblivion when the audience wandered in search of differences."[7]
Disappearance
editIn December 2007, the police took Reshma, along with two other women and two agents, into custody from a hotel in Kochi, allegedly for sex work. The police allegedly denied Reshma the right to be accompanied by a woman police officer during questioning. The businessmen or clients who were rounded up in the police raid were allegedly let off immediately. A policeman took her phone, started recording his interrogation on it, and threatened her. The video was later leaked.[8] Reshma was charged under various sections of the IPC but was later granted bail. After this incident, she disappeared a year later, reportedly moving to a different city. In 2017, the actress Shakeela claimed during an interview that she has contact with Reshma and revealed that she is living discreetly in a small town in Karnataka.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "ഷക്കീലയ്ക്കും മറിയയ്ക്കുമൊപ്പം തരംഗം സൃഷ്ടിച്ച രേഷ്മ ഇന്ന് എവിടെ ? സിനിമ ജീവിതം യഥാര്ഥ ജീവിതത്തിലേക്കും പകര്ത്തിയപ്പോള് സംഭവിച്ചത്..." RashtraDeepika. 21 February 2021. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "ബി ഗ്രേഡ് സിനിമയിലെ വിപ്ലവ നായിക രേഷ്മ ഇപ്പോൾ ഇവിടെയുണ്ട്!". Samayam Malayalam (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ Mini, Darshana Sreedhar (2019). "The Rise of Soft Porn in Malayalam Cinema and the Precarious Stardom of Shakeela". Feminist Media Histories. 5 (2): 49–82. doi:10.1525/fmh.2019.5.2.49. S2CID 181897151. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ "Nakhachithrangal was Directed by A.T Joy". www.dailymotion.com. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ newskairali (23 September 2017). "രേഷ്മക്ക് എന്ത് സംഭവിച്ചു? ഇപ്പോളെവിടെയാണ്? അറിയാമെന്ന് ഷക്കീല". Kairali News | Kairali News Live (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ Mini, Darshana Sreedhar (2016). "The Spectral Duration of Malayalam Soft-porn: Disappearance, Desire, and Haunting". BioScope: South Asian Screen Studies. 7 (2): 127–150. doi:10.1177/0974927616667971. ISSN 0974-9276. S2CID 193768554. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ Mannanur, Sunil (4 November 2019). "ബി ഗ്രേഡ് സിനിമകളും ചില കാണാക്കാഴ്ചകളും– Part 2 | PravasiExpress". Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Prakash, Sadhu (15 August 2022). "Reshma:ഒരു കാലത്ത് യുവാക്കളുടെ ഹരമായിരുന്ന മാദകറാണി രേഷ്മയ്ക്ക് സംഭവിച്ചതെന്ത്? രേഷ്മ ഇപ്പോള് എവിടെ? » Breaking Kerala". Breaking Kerala. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ Kottoor, Asim (16 November 2017). "ഷക്കീല,രേഷ്മ,മറിയ: ഇവര് ഇന്നെവിടെയാണ്?". East Coast Movies & Entertainments News (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.