Is it a big deal to have a bikini-clad actress in a movie? Interestingly, actress Katrina Kaif, who started her film career with several bikini shots in Boom, has gotten away with a “no bikini clause” in the highly awaited sizzler Dhoom 3.
Even though the earlier franchises of the film had leading ladies Esha Deol and sexy Bipasha Basu sizzle in bikinis. It seems like Ms Kaif would rather not don one to boost her already established career as an A-lister. Does wearing a bikini act as a booster for aspiring actresses and models? Why does the industry thrive on having such scenes in their films?
While few feel it’s a personal choice, many share that they don’t mind doing bikini scenes if the script demands it.
For actress Sonia Mehra, Vinod Mehra’s daughter, who will be seen in Dharma Productions Ek Main Ek Tu starring Imran Khan and Kareena, says bikini shoots make no difference to her. “If a script demands an actor to wear a bikini or kiss, I don’t have a problem with it. If you have the right body, what’s wrong with flaunting it? At the same time, I wouldn’t wear a bikini just for the heck of it. I have grown up in Kenya and have international upbringing. Costumes in the film don’t matter to me, it’s the script and my role that clicks for me. I’m quite confident about carrying off any looks. In Indian culture, every actress who wears a bikini or kisses on the screen becomes a headline. I think that mindset needs to change.”
Sharing a different point of view, actress Mahi Gill, known for her intense and bold roles in Dev D and Gulaal, says that with time industry matures you as an individual. “At the onset, a new budding actress doesn’t know how the industry functions. They do what they are being told. Perhaps, they think it’s a short cut to get an easy break in career, but that’s a myth. There are actresses who have done bikini-clad scenes and are still struggling. For me, I would never do bikini roles, even if it were a part of script. I’m not comfortable with it. I got popular for my bold scenes in Dev D, as I don’t mind an intimate scene. It’s an expression of art for me. I would never say no to scenes where the act is narrating a story and my performance is involved. But bikini scenes are a big no.”
Although the hot ladies of tinsel town like Priyanka Chopra, Malaika Arora Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Minnisha Lamba have worn the bikini and amped up the oomph factor, debut actress Kajal Aggarwal of Singham fame had already said no to any bikini or kissing scenes. And this is not the first time that a new actress has kept such a clause at the very onset of her career,
Asin and Sonakshi Sinha have followed the same strategy and are successful today. But actress Gul Panag begs to differ. She says, “It definitely helps catching the eyeballs. Film business is all about eyeballs, catchy script and scenes. Honestly, it does help you achieve quick visibility.”