Jai Kumar, the court sculptor and love child of a courtesan had been inspired by Maya's beauty at the wedding celebrations. He befriends and falls in love with the exiled Maya as she wanders about the countryside. He also reunites Maya with none other than the wise woman of the harem herself, Rasa Devi. How much more vibrant the character of Rasa would have been if she had more of a life other than reciting Kama Sutra proverbs as though they were clich s from fortune cookies. And how much more powerfully the proverbs would have resonated if they had been played out instead of being merely recited.
Dialogue is static.
Language is not part of the erotic. Nevertheless, the many different sexual positions of the Kama Sutra are effectively portrayed by pairing women in winsome tableaux while images of explicit erotic sculptures from the temples of Khajuraho are superimposed. After a delicious one night stand with Maya, Jai Kumar gets cold feet and withdraws from the object of his desire in the name of art. A dejected Maya throws herself into learning the Kama Sutra line, verse, chapter and position and triumphantly enters the court of King Raj Singh as his chief concubine. But the how-to's of the Kama Sutra are no guarantee for lasting relationships as the four principal characters jostle for power in the deadly game of love.