Performance

There is always a huge crowd in the Meena Bazaar in Delhi. Whoever starts delivering a sales pitch on this market gathers a large circle of listeners around him. One of these vendors is Aslam. He sells medicine for sexual problems. He admits that he used to be ashamed of the explicit subjects he has to bring up and that he had hoped for another life. But he sells his products with fervour and is proud of his knowledge. A bit further along, the elder Khalifa Barkat tries to teach young men traditional wrestling. He complains about his pupils’ weakness. Both Aslam and Barkat call middle-class men to account about their sexual insecurity. But where one thinks he can solve these problems with medication and explicit advice, the other sees sex itself as the problem. The wrestlers hope for a beautiful body and subsequently success with women, but Barkat advises celibacy to preserve their strength. Barkat sets store by the Indian tradition and has a traditional relationship with his wife. Aslam is convinced his life is determined by coincidence and circumstance. In the outside world, where most of the scenes were shot, they are surrounded by insecure men who do not know which option to choose. Times are changing, and with them the answers to questions about sex and virility.