'Obscene' acts of Bollywood stars

'Obscene' acts of Bollywood stars

"Obscenity" has always been the bludgeon with which the Indian prude silenced the Indian movie star! The victims were many. Protima Bedi, allegedly at the behest of her media friends, made a dare devil streak lap of the Juhu beach, Mumbai (1975) and learned her lesson. Padmini Kholapure scandalised the nation by kissing Prince Charles on his visit in 1980. Shabana Azmi planted a "freedom kiss" on Nelson Mandela's cheek in 1993.

India's "moral police" have always sounded the siren whenever our celebs went physical with their frankness, the latest example being Akshay Kumar; whose "unbuttoning act" at the Lakme Fashion Week 09 has kicked up a furore.

1. Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna

It was meant to add a naughty zip to the Lakme Fashion Week, but Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar's gesture asking wife Twinkle Khanna to unzip his jeans during the show led to a police complaint against him for alleged obscenity.

2. Richard Gere-Shilpa Shetty

A judge in the northwestern city of Jaipur issued an arrest warrant in 2006 for Richard Gere and summoned Shilpa Shetty to his court, ruling that the kiss between the pair at a public AIDS awareness event in New Delhi contravened India's strict public obscenity laws.

3. Mallika Sherawat

One Mr Narendra Tiwari alleged that Mallika's programme organised at J W Mariott Hotel on the night of December 31, 2006 was not only obscene and ugly but also against Indian culture. He prayed for action against the Bollywood actress and the hotel's owner for having committed an offence under section 8 of the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act and sections 366 and 244 of IPC.

4. Shreya Saran

Shriya had to tender an unconditional apology for "wearing inappropriate skimpy attire" at the silver jubilee celebration of Sivaji, where Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi was the chief guest. The Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) had lodged a complaint against the actress and sought police intervention to take legal action.

5. Madhu Sapre-Milind Soman

Madhu and her longtime boyfriend Milind Soman were captured in flashlit eternity in a contentious advertisement, inspired by Nastassja Kinski's famous poster, which featured them in the raw, coiled by a python. The nationwide debate that this single photograph generated made them both media targets and a free punching bag for one and all.

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