TOI, Patna October 12, 2008.
In the buff
When it comes to aesthetic nudity, mainstream Bollywood has a long way to go,
says Indrani Rajkhowa Banerjee.
says Indrani Rajkhowa Banerjee.
It was nervous on the day I did the nude scenes for Maya Memsaab, I had to mentally prepare myself to deal with my family," says actor Deepa Sahi of Maya Memsaab fame. She echoes the thoughts of actors who are professional enough to bare it all to lend authenticity to a role, but have to put up with brickbats from families and the moral police.
Take Nandana Sen, for instance. The actor has posed in the buff for Ketan Mehta’s latest flick Rang Rasiya. Rumour has it the censor board has given it the green signal. Yet Nandana meets the question with silence. Starlet Nikita Anand feels "the major movie-going chunk in India do not live in metros and for them nudity is a strict no-no," So much for the girls’ new-age boldness!
It’s not that mainstream movies in India are timid about nudity. Sherlyn Chopra wanted cameras in the bathroom in the TV series Big Boss. Kangana Ranaut’s now censored wardrobe malfunction in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion has tongues wagging. Even Ranbir Kapoor dropped his towel in Saawariya to give us a fleeting glimpse of his buttocks!
But nudity in our films remains ‘blink-and-miss’. From Zeenat Aman’s nipple peek in Satyam Shivam Sundaram to Dimple Kapadia in Saagar, Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Maili, to Madhuri Dixit in Parinda, filmmakers have dabbled with nudity, but the restraint is palpable. Why are Kamasutras and Bandit Queens so far and few between? "In fact, we have become regressive. Today, any bold scene in Bollywood causes a controversy or becomes an issue for political parties. In that sense, earlier generations were much more open-minded," says publicist Dale Bhagwagar.
Sure, we have B-grade stuff like Neha Dhupia’s role in Julie and Manisha Koirala’s in Ek Chotti Si Love Story, but unlike Hollywood, is the industry running shy or scared? "The multiplex audience is mature enough to accept nudity, but naysayers with vested interests play detractors," says Sahi. "In our country too much is made of the issue. Indian philosophy celebrates the female form. During nude scenes for Maya Memsaab I told myself I’m a professional first. I wasn’t ashamed of my body."
Though frontal male nudity is still taboo even in the West, every actor worth his salt has notched at least one nude scene. In India, top actors bor out if a film has a whiff of nudity. In Hollywood, even out-of-shape aging actors show on reluctance to take it all off. Kathy Bates, 59 year old Oscar-winning actress, isn’t waif-thin like every other Hollywood starlet, but carried off a hot tub scene with Jack Nichlson in About Schmidt with aplomb!
When Marilyn Monroe was asked if she had anything on for one of her nude scenes, the sex siren promptly retorted, "Sure, I’ve the radio on!" Such in your face gumption is missing in our actors. They may smooch 17 times, but give them a Bandit Queen and they turn chicken!
While earlier there were two flowers meeting on screen, today, it’s satin sheets and body suits shot in stylized angles. Seema Rahmani, who’s done multiple topless scenes in the thriller Sins, has said, "I play a girl who is in love with a priest (Shiny Ahuja). I was mentally prepared for the topless bedroom scenes as well as the smooching. It helped because I belong to an uninhibited Hollywood culture. "Actor Randeep Hooda agrees. "There’s a scene in Rang Rasiya where I paint my muse’s naked breast. Was I nervous during filming? Nah! I’d do a complete nude scene if the script demands it. Nudity is an integral part of acting. It’s high time the industry as well as audiences grew up!"
But Rehmanis and Hoodas are hard to come by. Rumour has it a body double was used for the frontal nude scenes in Bandit Queen, but Seema Biswas and director Shekhar Kapur vehemently deny this. Gossip mongers said that Biswas’ then husband asked her to state that she had not posed in the nude, but the actor believed it would lessen the impact of the most crucial scene. This apparently led to the couple’s separation!
Hollywood actor Lauren Graham, who has a hot tub scene with Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa, sums it up: "People count on actors to reveal something they don’t see everyday. It isn’t a big deal to many people, because they look at it as part of their work. But as an actor, it’s your choice, and your dilemma. Yes, you’re a character, but it’s still your… you’re allowing people to see."
Take Nandana Sen, for instance. The actor has posed in the buff for Ketan Mehta’s latest flick Rang Rasiya. Rumour has it the censor board has given it the green signal. Yet Nandana meets the question with silence. Starlet Nikita Anand feels "the major movie-going chunk in India do not live in metros and for them nudity is a strict no-no," So much for the girls’ new-age boldness!
It’s not that mainstream movies in India are timid about nudity. Sherlyn Chopra wanted cameras in the bathroom in the TV series Big Boss. Kangana Ranaut’s now censored wardrobe malfunction in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion has tongues wagging. Even Ranbir Kapoor dropped his towel in Saawariya to give us a fleeting glimpse of his buttocks!
But nudity in our films remains ‘blink-and-miss’. From Zeenat Aman’s nipple peek in Satyam Shivam Sundaram to Dimple Kapadia in Saagar, Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Maili, to Madhuri Dixit in Parinda, filmmakers have dabbled with nudity, but the restraint is palpable. Why are Kamasutras and Bandit Queens so far and few between? "In fact, we have become regressive. Today, any bold scene in Bollywood causes a controversy or becomes an issue for political parties. In that sense, earlier generations were much more open-minded," says publicist Dale Bhagwagar.
Sure, we have B-grade stuff like Neha Dhupia’s role in Julie and Manisha Koirala’s in Ek Chotti Si Love Story, but unlike Hollywood, is the industry running shy or scared? "The multiplex audience is mature enough to accept nudity, but naysayers with vested interests play detractors," says Sahi. "In our country too much is made of the issue. Indian philosophy celebrates the female form. During nude scenes for Maya Memsaab I told myself I’m a professional first. I wasn’t ashamed of my body."
Though frontal male nudity is still taboo even in the West, every actor worth his salt has notched at least one nude scene. In India, top actors bor out if a film has a whiff of nudity. In Hollywood, even out-of-shape aging actors show on reluctance to take it all off. Kathy Bates, 59 year old Oscar-winning actress, isn’t waif-thin like every other Hollywood starlet, but carried off a hot tub scene with Jack Nichlson in About Schmidt with aplomb!
When Marilyn Monroe was asked if she had anything on for one of her nude scenes, the sex siren promptly retorted, "Sure, I’ve the radio on!" Such in your face gumption is missing in our actors. They may smooch 17 times, but give them a Bandit Queen and they turn chicken!
While earlier there were two flowers meeting on screen, today, it’s satin sheets and body suits shot in stylized angles. Seema Rahmani, who’s done multiple topless scenes in the thriller Sins, has said, "I play a girl who is in love with a priest (Shiny Ahuja). I was mentally prepared for the topless bedroom scenes as well as the smooching. It helped because I belong to an uninhibited Hollywood culture. "Actor Randeep Hooda agrees. "There’s a scene in Rang Rasiya where I paint my muse’s naked breast. Was I nervous during filming? Nah! I’d do a complete nude scene if the script demands it. Nudity is an integral part of acting. It’s high time the industry as well as audiences grew up!"
But Rehmanis and Hoodas are hard to come by. Rumour has it a body double was used for the frontal nude scenes in Bandit Queen, but Seema Biswas and director Shekhar Kapur vehemently deny this. Gossip mongers said that Biswas’ then husband asked her to state that she had not posed in the nude, but the actor believed it would lessen the impact of the most crucial scene. This apparently led to the couple’s separation!
Hollywood actor Lauren Graham, who has a hot tub scene with Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa, sums it up: "People count on actors to reveal something they don’t see everyday. It isn’t a big deal to many people, because they look at it as part of their work. But as an actor, it’s your choice, and your dilemma. Yes, you’re a character, but it’s still your… you’re allowing people to see."
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