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Home , Lalita Pawar, Lara Dutta, Mallika Sherawat, Nutan, Parveen Babi, Priyanka Chopra

cover story ’s revolution

This summer Red Carpet takes a look at how the bikini phenomenon has fared in • Bollywood • 40 Issue 9 May 2010 Bollywood Lifestyle Magazine cover story

Mallika Sherawat

Celina Jaitley Sherlyn Chopra Harshita Bhatt

Bollywood Lifestyle Magazine Issue 9 May 2010 41 cover story

t is hard to say exactly when heroines She was then followed by actress Sharmila started appearing in in Tagore who appeared in a one piece swimming Bollywood, or who was the first one to costume (which made her into an overnight sex appear on-screen in a bikini. Arguably symbol) followed by – who wore a bikini long before was nicknamed as the ‘bikini-idol’ by the media , or did in the 70’s. at that time. Since then almost all leading ladies I of Bollywood have been seen in bikinis, or Nutan was a beauty queen who was crowned swimsuits. And though many starlets have tried Miss Mussorie and Miss in 1950’s and taking the bikini route to fame, only a select few in 1958, she took the film industry by have made a lasting impression. storm when she wore a swimming costume in “Dilli Ka Thug”. Her colleagues and That’s simply because carrying off a bikini too scorched the silver screen requires the perfect toned beach body and the when they slipped into the costume for “April right kind of oomph, but in Bollywood not Fool” and “Sangam”. many are blessed with the perfect body. But then there are some who seem to be crafted perfectly for that two-piece wonder. Sharmilla Tagore Lalita Pawar Earlier, Bollywood beauties like Sharmila Tagore, and were bold enough and dared to wear the two-piece on-screen, but most actresses after them shied Zeenat Aman away from the swimsuit. Many would not even Nutan dare to think about it and had openly admitted in the press that they would rather refuse a film than be seen in a bikini. Those days wearing a Parveen Babi bikini was taboo and was considered to be a daring thing to do. Not many in the audience were exposed to western culture, so it came as a shock to see their idol semi-naked and this created a huge hue and cry.

The two-piece beach wear – which turns 64 this year – was invented by Jacques Heim and Louis Reard in 1946. The designer duo named it after the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall islands which was the site of the atomic bomb testing. As far as Bollywood is concerned the bikini

42 Issue 9 May 2010 Bollywood Lifestyle Magazine cover story

is still quite a touchy topic with many leading and on magazine covers in a bikini. Since she starlets still shying away from wearing it while comes from a modelling background she has the others are wearing it with ease. This divides no reservations about it. She has always been The bikini has also the actresses into two groups of ‘will-wear’ and inspired by the supermodel Kate Moss and ‘will-not-wear’. What is also surprising is the once when she saw one of her shoots Celina fact that many of the actresses who refuse to decided she wanted to do something similar helped the sagging wear it on-screen now are the same ones who and went ahead and did the bold shoot. Her had no issues wearing it in their debut films. intention was to arouse the sensuousness with careers of many stars beauty and dignity and not vulgarity and she The bikini has also helped the sagging careers managed to achieve that. For this boldness of many stars by making them sex symbols she was also known as the Indian Kate Moss by making them sex overnight. Some, stars like flatly during her modelling days. Today she is very refuse to wear a bikini, she is happy and comfortable wearing a one-piece or a two- Aishwarya Rai symbols overnight comfortable in her favourite attire - the - piece bikini in front of the camera and would Bachchan and says she will never wear a bikini while her not think twice about wearing a bikini as long contemporaries and Lara as the script demands it. Dutta are flaunting their curves in bikinis. Leading actress Priyanka Chopra agrees with “I ’t see myself in a bikini ever. I am very Celina. Priyanka, who flaunted her body in • comfortable in my and other Indian attire. skimpy outfits and -baring dresses in Even if the script demands, I don’t think I will “”, “Dostana” and “Fashion”, says, “films ever wear one,” she said at a press conference. with skin show are doing well. Where there’s When she entered the film industry she had a demand, there’s a supply and if people didn’t received a lot of flak for her plump look, but she watch such films, they would have stopped dismissed all those remarks and worked hard making them.” She also said that she does it only on her look. She slimmed down, toned up and if her character in a film justifies it. Priyanka also changed her dressing style, opting mostly Chopra might have set her rules right but these for Sabyasachi saris rather than a western look. rules don’t apply to others, specially Katrina.

“I have started loving the ‘seedha pallu’ (straight Katrina too wore a bikini top in her 2003 fall) of the sari. I am very comfortable in Indian debut film, “Boom”, but that was long before attire and I I carry them off pretty well,” she became a superstar. Currently Katrina has she said. And maybe that is why she chooses decided to give the bikini brigade a complete roles accordingly. She was last seen as a mother miss. She has refuted all reports that she will in “Paa” and recently, as a villager in “Ishiqiya”. don a bikini in “Dostana 2”. She even went on But not all of them want the same image. to say that the rumours doing rounds that she might sign “Dostana 2” are not true and that Mughda Ghodse Priyanka Chopra Celina Jaitley has appeared in numerous films she has not signed the film. There were reports

Bollywood Lifestyle Magazine Issue 9 May 2010 43 cover story

earlier that producer and director and “Dhoom 2”. had signed her for the film. Kareena’s look in “Tashan” made national While sources insist that Mansukhani and Johar headlines. Her outfit made everyone sit up and are still in talks with Katrina to star in the film, take notice. ’s ‘size zero’ look in the director said the casting would be decided “Tashan” has drawn a lot of attention leading only after the final draft of the screenplay is to a debate on ’size zero’ which continues even ready. While the leading lady is not yet signed two years after the movie’s release. Her look also there are still some indications that Katrina can inspired a lot of other actresses to shed weight be part of the movie. Mansukhani, the director immediately and get on the bikini wagon. Shruti Hasan of the film, said that since he was still wrapping up the screen play he would not be able to Kareena wanted to look different in “Tashan” comment as only after they have wrapped up hence she had to train really hard to change will they announce details about the star cast. the shape of her body. The character that she played in the movie involved a lot of action, and However, the leading lady does have a very sexy as a lean girl doing action always looks much look in the movie so if Katrina does decided better she worked on achieving a lean look. to take it up, she will have to wear a bikini. So A lot of actors and actresses abroad do that, that does leave us wondering, will she finally they work on one film at a time, change their agree? She has so far refused to wear the bikini look for a particular film body wise as well, and insists on not wearing it in the future. But people lose weight, or put on weight, as per the who can forget “Boom”, her debut movie in character’s requirement, however this trend 2003 where she was seen seducing Gulshan is a little new in Bollywood. But Kareena took Grover wearing skimpy lingerie she left very up the challenge and trained really hard for Kareena Kapoor little to the imagination. Although she was in, the modelling industry for quite some time, “Boom” was the movie she got noticed in. But since then she hasn’t appeared in any movie Kareena’s look in wearing a bikini, though she has no issues wearing short and skimpy skirts. “Tashan” made national Of late, bikinis have become Bollywood’s latest headlines. Her outfit hit mantra. While wore a bikini last year in “Blue”, and the bold made everyone sit up and and beautiful actress hit the headlines with ’s “”, as they flaunt take notice their two-piece attire. Earlier Kareena Kapoor Mugdha Ghodse and hit the bikini trail in “Tashan” • 44 Issue 9 May 2010 Bollywood Lifestyle Magazine cover story

about eight to nine months. She also went on a actresses like Minissha Lamba are abandoning advantage was her well-proportioned body 2009 saw a host of actresses in bikinis. It also strict diet regime. The audience and everybody their plain-jane act. Minissha calls it exercising which made the two-piece look good on her. saw them take pains to get into shape and show responded phenomenally. ones right to look beautiful and she did it when Bipasha also sizzled in bikinis in the superhit off their sexy curves in a bikini. And for some it she appeared in a bikini in “Kidnap”. film “Race”. has really worked wonders. It has made people was seen in a bikini take notice and also helped their sagging careers. top teamed with micro minis in “Dhoom 2”, Bipasha rocked the big screen when she wore a It’s confounding that Lara Dutta never cared There has been no looking back for them since. while Rani Mukherji wore a bikini top with bikini in “Dhoom 2”. She not only looked hot to flaunt her perfect bikini body, not until now, But not everyone is as lucky. Wearing bikinis, dhoti pants last year in “Dil Bole Hadippa”. and sexy but also very confident. An added but when she showed off all her assets in the or skimpy dresses haven’t boosted the careers Amrita Arora too wore bikinis in the 2009 aqua-adventure thriller “Blue” by wearing for some. Choosing good scripts, co-actors, dud, “Kambakkht Ishq”. The newcomers those itsy-bitsy swim wear, it was hard to get producers, directors, among others, are as Neeru Singh and Aruna Shields were also one’s eyes off her stunning figure with curves at important as getting into shape. seen in bikinis in Oberoi’s “Prince - It’s all the right places. Showtime”. Wearing a bikini is So, it makes us wonder. Do skin shows really Wearing a bikini is not seen as a taboo anymore. help ones career? That is a million dollar Bikinis have always been a hot proposition ever not seen as a taboo The simple mantra is “if you have it, flaunt it”. question that only time will answer !  since Sharmila Tagore and Zeenat Aman wore them in “” and “Qurbaan”. anymore. The simple And if one had to ask the filmmaker’s views on Sameera Reddy actresses wearing bikinis on-screen they will mantra is “if you have not find it unethical, for sure. it, flaunt it” As skin shows in Bollywood now assumes a larger meaning than just its literal sense,

•Lara Dutta

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